Date: January 6, 2026
For the month of January, the Dean’s Commentary will feature text by VTS & GTS faculty members writing about what they are currently teaching, reading, or writing about.
One of my aims in teaching ethics at Virginia Theological Seminary is to convince students that the study and practice of morality are not the domain of professionals but involve everyone. The struggle to live a good life in light of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is shared among all disciples. So rather than introducing students to the academic field of ethics, I work to cultivate spaces that form students in the practice of moral reasoning and action.
Though this is the focus of my classrooms, I am also a member of a professional guild called the Society of Christian Ethics (SCE). The SCE meets annually in January. We listen to academic presentations. We reconnect with teachers, peers, and students. We meet with book publishers. We refine our craft of teaching and research. As a member of the editorial board of the Journal of the Society, I have the additional responsibility of refereeing papers for publication.
This year I’ll be giving a paper titled “Day Zero as Apocalypse from Below.” It offers a case study of the 2018 water crisis in Cape Town, South Africa. In the paper, I make two arguments. First, I argue that apocalyptic framings of environmental catastrophe can motivate various pathways of response, some praiseworthy and some blameworthy. Second, I argue that Christian ethicists have a responsibility to distinguish and evaluate those pathways based on which cohere most closely to love of God and neighbor. I make the case for a prophetic apocalypse, or an apocalypse from below, that reveals the unsustainability of the world as it is, its violence and injustice, and orients our politics toward solidarity with the poor.
While ethics is, indeed, for everyone, I’m grateful for this guild that carries on the traditions of Christian ethics with precision, care, and excellence.
Kyle Lambelet, PhD
Associate Professor of Ethics
Director of the Saint Nicholas Center for Faith and Justice
Virginia Theological Seminary