Whitney Avenue Diary

Given at Immanuel Chapel, Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria VA, on Oct 7th 2026 "What did you go out to the wilderness to look at?" As many of you know, my spouse, Dr. Felicity Harley, and I have been here for about seven weeks, experiencing this community as a tranquil scholarly oasis for writing—thanks to the librarians, catering staff, and all of you. The house in which we have been staying as Dean’s Scholars is just an acorn’s throw from the Coffield Refectory, so it is not exactly a place of scarcity or isolation. Yet, when you approach the front door, there is a handsome, more-than-century-old brass knocker with the words “The Wilderness” inscribed on it. With the help of the dean and Professor Bob Pritchard, whose home it formerly was, we discovered the origin story of this whimsical designation—you may know it already. The esteemed professor—Dean Sparrow, as he would become—who was its first faculty inhabitant found the placement of the house isolating. Long b...