New Book News from V.K. McCarty ‘11
“Here, finally, is the book I wrote while at General—what an exhilarating moment.” We caught up with V.K. McCarty, Class of 2011, the other day, researching in the Library, getting shushed for laughing in the stacks as we chatted. “As you know, I’m the slowest writer alive; but, every year here on the Close, I produced another heartfelt chapter.”
Now, From Their Lips: Voices of Early Christian Women, is published by Gorgias Press and available here on their web-site. “You know, since I was working here full-time as one of the librarians and not on the M.Div. track and locked into a three-year program in my studies, it gave me the precious opportunity to live deeply into the experience of theological education. And part of that academic formation was the adventure of bringing to life, one after the other, early Christian women who were right there in the text of the New Testament, in the Greek Fathers, and collected in other ancient sources in the Library.” From Their Lips explores the lives and ministry of a dozen early church leaders whose theological teaching and leadership as women are an integral part of Early Christian church history. Lydia from the Acts of the Apostles and Thekla from the Acts of Paul and Thekla, and Macrina, Gregory of Nyssa’s sister in his dialogue documents memorializing her teaching, are among those whose vitas appear in the book. As the Introduction states, “This volume—which includes a trio of abbesses and a pair of blushing fiancés, a purple-fabric dealer and a desert mother; a queen, an empress dowager, and a Byzantine emperor’s daughter—is meant to encourage visibility of some of our ancient women elders who have contributed to the sacred heritage of the Church we enjoy today.”
“Let me tell you,” says McCarty, “I never realized until I graduated and got out into the academic world, how precious it was to have the support of the faculty for my writing during school. Research supervision not only stretches you as a writer, but enhances the credibility of your work. Peer-vetting works that way for me now; but, I still gratefully consider myself a product of my professors—of John Koenig and John McGuckin for my writing and Neil Alexander for my preaching.”
A few of the book’s chapters were written originally as guest lectures in Ascetical Theology and Spiritual Direction for presentation in Prof. Clair McPherson’s and Prof. Anne Silver’s classes. “Student response to my presentations has really helped me find the dynamic elements of my voice, since on my own, I sound pretty starchy and old-fashioned. Now, with the advent of Zoom, I’m learning to incorporate images which help embody these early Christian women as well.” The picture of V.K. here was created as a humorous observation at the end of a lecture about the persistent lack of acknowledgement for female Medieval writers, who are often reported as “anonymous.”
In her years at General Seminary, V.K. McCarty also served as a corporate copy-editor and a Morning Prayer officiant, and helped out coordinating Commencement. Book-editing projects included Tim Boggs’ (Class of 2007) book, Through the Gates in the City: A Metropolis, and Seminary and a Chapel, Clark Berge’s (Class of 1984) new book Running to Resurrection, and the exhibit catalog of J. Robert Wright’s “Religious Iconography of the 19th & 20th Centuries.”
What’s next for VK? “Well, More Voices, of course!”