by Siana Monet, 2021 Undergraduate Summer Research Fellow in Lived Theology

They told me that it was the largest gathering of Quakers to have congregated at the Blacksburg Friends meetinghouse since the pandemic had started fifteen months before. Twenty-five people in varying stages of formality––ranging from khaki trousers to everyday gardening wear––gathered to sit outside on an eccentric collection of folding, beach, and lawn chairs with the occasional blanket thrown in. We sat in near silence for an hour, interrupted only by birdsong, the reflections two Friends offered on the importance of giving, and the crackling of the speaker set up to include the two participants who were joining via Zoom. The first part of the meeting ended when the Friend chosen that week clapped once and stood up so that we could begin introductions and then offer the joys and sorrows we had experienced in the last week: gratitude for the monarch butterfly way-station erected in a front garden, joy of a new grandchild being born, worry over a sister-in-law’s cancer.

My interest in Quakerism had developed as part of a long and circuitous path. Having been born and raised in Kenya and Thailand, indigenous African religious traditions such as those of the Maasai and the Theravada Buddhism practiced in much of Southeast Asia came much more easily to me than the Missouri Synod Lutheranism of my extended family. Upon moving to Northern Virginia to begin high school, I struggled to find a faith community which resonated with the multicultural spiritual background that I had inherited. I wanted to be able to be in communion with fellow seekers and travelers while not echoing religious insistences that there was only one path to the divine. My family and I ended up attending a Unitarian Universalist church for four years, but the lack of religious commitment was isolating in a different way. 

In the middle of high school, I stumbled across the book Let Your Life Speak by the Quaker theologian Parker Palmer. It completely changed my sense of responsibility and commitment to vocation. I considered for the first time that I might want to love what I would do with my life; the book worked its magic on my heart for many years until I decided to drop the premedical track that I had been pursuing and instead begin to consider the spiritual dimensions of healing. This interest in the intersection between spirituality and healing led me to pursue a certificate in Bhutanese traditional medicine, intensive research in Yoruba divination traditions, and a job helping to create the first encyclopedia of Tibetan contemplative traditions. While pursuing all of these different paths, an interest in the stillness at the core of them––and present in the Friends meetings of Herndon and Charlottesville that I came to sit with––grew.

I moved to Blacksburg, Virginia, to sit with the Blacksburg Friends group, many of whom I have met over the course of the last year. In doing so, I hoped to understand more deeply how their practice had changed and shifted since the coronavirus pandemic. For a group who practiced sitting with one another in stillness and silence, I was curious how a year of stillness, silence, and occasional fits of furious toilet paper stockpiling had impacted the Blacksburg Friends’ practice. During the pandemic, I had often thought back to my earlier experiences with Quakerism as a resource for considering the kind of quiet camaraderie that my fellow citizens and I experienced while waiting in line outside of the supermarket, sanitizing our hands before entering and exiting every building, and methodically extending a six-foot berth to those on the sidewalk when running by. I’m excited to see how the Blacksburg Friends’ practices have deepened and changed as I continue to pursue this project.

Learn more about the 2021 Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship in Lived Theology here.

The Project on Lived Theology at the University of Virginia is a research initiative, whose mission is to study the social consequences of theological ideas for the sake of a more just and compassionate world.

by Josh Heman-Ackah, 2021 Undergraduate Summer Research Fellow in Lived Theology

I recently graduated from the University of Virginia, double majoring in biochemistry and religious studies. I have always been intrigued by the concept of a deity whose hands are molding our world. From the initial creation of the universe to everyday occurrences, I am always looking out for where God may be present. During my digging into how a deity may have created the world through a scientific lens, I fell deeper in love with chemistry and its brilliant rules that govern our planet. After this fellowship concludes, I will continue research within the UVA Department of Chemistry, investigating the deuteration of pharmaceutical drugs to increase their efficacy and safety. In my free time, I love to exercise, watch movies with close friends, and serve in my local church and community.

For the Project on Lived Theology, I will create a digital exhibit showcasing the Civil Rights Movement in Virginia. Despite what people may believe, there is a huge scarcity of resources related to the movement in Virginia relative to other states. And out of what is recorded from Virginia, even less is accessible to the public. This project utilizes primary sources, such as autobiographies, interviews, newspapers, and court cases, to collect, catalog, and share as much information as possible about this subject. Topics for this Civil Rights exhibit will include integration, interracial marriage, UVA racial unrest, Dr. King/SCLC, the Lynchburg Christian Academy, voter rights, African American efforts, protests/boycotts, and more. Recently, I interviewed Douglas E. Thompson, the author of Richmond: Priests and Prophets, a compelling narrative of civil rights and religion in Richmond, Virginia. Additionally, I have drafted a summary of information gathered from various primary and secondary sources about the Loving v. Virginia case, which legalized interracial marriage in Virginia and set a precedent that would forever change marriage in the United States.

My research interests are focused primarily around the 1950s, when laws and attitudes regarding segregation and race drastically changed. I am most intrigued by what society looked like from a real-world perspective. I want to know how it was determined that in a particular state, African Americans could enter and patronize a store, but not use the changing room or sit down at the lunch counter. I want to know more about the thoughts and attitudes of African Americans, especially as they lived through segregation day to day. I deeply want to know the individuals who paved the way for my future. If I was born even fifty years earlier, I would not be able to vote or dine in certain restaurants, and would have had several basic rights withheld from me. Most importantly, I would love to discover how the existence of God and religion have shaped the foundation of segregated systems, and how those same influences helped Virginia break out of those racialized structures. People should study history so that they do not repeat the same mistakes. Virginia will inevitably slip back into its old habits if it does not even know its history to begin with. This project will help pave the way for continued growth and understanding within the state.

Learn more about the 2021 Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship in Lived Theology here.

The Project on Lived Theology at the University of Virginia is a research initiative, whose mission is to study the social consequences of theological ideas for the sake of a more just and compassionate world.

by Sophie Gibson, 2021 Undergraduate Summer Research Fellow in Lived Theology

I am a rising fourth year in UVA’s College of Arts and Sciences, and am double majoring in Political & Social Thought (with concentrations in Religion in the U.S., Educational Philosophies, and Sociocultural Anthropology) and Religious Studies (with a primary concentration in African Religions and a secondary concentration in Christianity). I was born in Charlottesville, but my family has lived on Cape Cod for nine years. At UVA, I am involved in The University Fellowship at St. Paul’s Memorial Church, Madison House, the Virginia Interfaith Coalition, and the University Judiciary Committee. I am also an intern at The Fountain Fund, a local nonprofit.

Interactions in the classroom, office hours, and committee meetings led me to pursue research with the Project on Lived Theology. As a student, I have prioritized taking classes on subjects that intrigue me and with professors I know will inspire me. For this reason, I have found a home in the Religious Studies department. The myriad methodologies and guiding principles that comprise the discipline of Religious Studies create a welcoming environment for questions and reflections. In fact, I found my way to the Project on Lived Theology in discussions with two of my professors, Heather Warren and Charles Marsh. I was first introduced to the concept of “lived theology” in Professor Marsh’s “Kingdom of God in America” class. Professor Marsh’s teachings about the theological underpinnings and enactments of the Civil Rights Movement made me ask questions about the impact of mundane lived theologies—particularly related to the recent history of Charlottesville. 

In my three years as a member at St. Paul’s Memorial Church, I have heard stories about St. Paul’s as the progressive Episcopal Church across the street from the Rotunda during the period of the Civil Rights Movement. As a member of the Mission & Service Committee, which was started at St. Paul’s in 2020, I found myself in discussions with very involved congregants and community members about the issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in our church. In this space, we realized that we have more questions than answers about our congregation’s history in the fight for justice. 

This summer, I want to learn more about specific leaders (including Rev. Ted Evans) and congregants who shaped St. Paul’s engagement with the rest of the Charlottesville community and the Diocese of Virginia. How St. Paul’s lived into its theology and how that history shapes the current congregation’s sense of identity directly and intuitively are central questions. I hope to use theological texts for background reading, archival resources, records housed by the Diocese of Virginia, and interviews with congregants to add detail and color to the period of 1954-1968 in St. Paul’s history. I am excited to see where this research will lead me this summer and beyond! 

Learn more about the 2021 Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship in Lived Theology here.

The Project on Lived Theology at the University of Virginia is a research initiative, whose mission is to study the social consequences of theological ideas for the sake of a more just and compassionate world.

by Karen Cortez, 2021 Undergraduate Summer Research Fellow in Lived Theology

I first found out about the Project on Lived Theology (PLT) sometime last summer.  I was on UVA’s Religious Studies website, trying to figure out which class I should take during the upcoming semester, when I found myself doing a deep dive of the entire PLT website. I was met with people who were doing incredible things to bring about good in their communities, inspired by their own faith or the faith of others, and I wanted to learn more.

For my research this summer, I am looking at the role that faith-based organizations play in alleviating communities affected by poverty. I am particularly interested in learning more about faith leaders who championed a life dedicated to this type of activism and about the theologies that motivate these leaders to live lives dedicated to this type of work. 

I was led to this topic by my own experience growing up serving in homeless shelters with my churches as well as going on service trips with my youth group and my current college fellowship. Whenever we would get a chance to speak with the leaders of the organizations we would partner with, they would often speak from the heart about uplifting and serving, through whatever means they could, those marginalized in their communities by homelessness, food insecurity, or socioeconomic status. Many of them would often cite Jesus’ statement in Matthew 25:34-40 as the motivation for their service: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” It was amazing to see how one’s belief in these verses could manifest itself in such works of good, and it always left me wondering what I could do to live that life too.

I am so grateful and excited to be spending my last summer as an undergrad thinking, reading, and learning more about my topic, and to be doing it alongside the rest of the fellows. I am hopeful for a summer that will not only teach me how others live out their own theologies but will show me the ways in which I can do so as well, for the good of myself and for those around me. 

Learn more about the 2021 Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship in Lived Theology here.

The Project on Lived Theology at the University of Virginia is a research initiative, whose mission is to study the social consequences of theological ideas for the sake of a more just and compassionate world.