The God of Virginia Theological Seminary, 1823–1871: Retracing a Tradition of Theological Liberalism and White Supremacy

Abstract

In 1823, not only did a group of Episcopalians choose to found Virginia Theological Seminary. They also decided that this seminary would help keep human beings in bondage. Such an incredible decision begs the question, “What God were the seminary founders worshipping?” This essay aims to reconstruct the doctrine of God as it was taught at Virginia Seminary by turning to an examination of the seminary’s central dogmatic textbook, An Exposition of the Thirty-Nine Articles by Bishop Gilbert Burnet (1643–1715). While theologies of enslavement and white supremacy can be enunciated in many different keys, Burnet’s doctrine of God allowed white supremacy to flourish through a series of apparently liberal and enlightened methodological moves, chief among which was the downgrading of scripture’s authority and the elevation of human experience. By wrestling with Burnet’s legacy, this essay explores the reparative potential of dogmatic theology.