On October 22, NetVUE’s scriptural reasoning coordinator, Nick Adams, led a webinar on the tenets of Scriptural Reasoning and ways to implement this program successfully. The discussion with his co-presenters explored various ways to engage faculty, staff, and students in this work, focusing on the technical aspects of the practice, its connection to chaplaincy and community building, important campus partnerships, and ways to engage students. As NetVUE institutions continue to explore how to augment their vocational and other educational efforts through Scriptural Reasoning, NetVUE is pleased to support this work and will host several Scriptural Reasoning Training Hubs in 2026.
Webinar presenters brought a diverse set of experiences and perspectives to the discussion. In addition to his role at NetVUE, Nick Adams serves as professor of philosophical theology at the University of Birmingham, England, where his teaching and research includes a focus on the theory and practice of Scriptural Reasoning. He has a lifelong interest in experiments in pedagogy, and his practice in this area is also shaped by the small-group work developed through Scriptural Reasoning sessions. Nick holds a PhD in theology from the University of Cambridge.
Ashleigh Elser is a postdoctoral fellow in theology studies at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. Her research interests include the Hebrew Bible, gender and biblical interpretation, and animals in the Hebrew Bible. She earned her PhD in religion from Virginia University and is currently working on projects related to the history of biblical interpretation.
Kelly Schaefer is a strategy and operations executive with experience in higher education administration. She coordinated and executed a recent NetVUE Scriptural Reasoning Hub at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She specializes in using data management systems aimed at fostering belonging and equity. She earned her PhD in Technology Communication from Illinois Institute of Technology.
Finally, Khan Shairani serves as the Muslin chaplain at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. His research focuses on the history of the Islamic tradition in the Indian Ocean world. He has digitized archives and translated texts in Chinese, Arabic, Persian and Urdu. His interests include the influence of religious scholars who contributed to the making of an Islamic modernity and the mystical works of the Sufi tradition. He earned his PhD from the University of Notre Dame in peace studies and history.
The concluding 30 minutes of the webinar were dedicated to questions from participants and explored questions about using Scriptural Reasoning in discussions with university communities. The webinar host also shared additional resources, including episodes from NetVUE’s podcast Callings— “Sacred Invitations: Anantanand Rambachan,” and “The North Star of Justice: Sarah Bassin”—and “‘Appreciative Knowledge’: Another Model for Interfaith Vocational Exploration,” a blog post on Vocation Matters by Florence Amamoto.
The webinar was recorded and can be accessed through the NetVUE’s webinar page, to which all faculty and staff members at NetVUE institutions have access. Interested in becoming an institutional member? You can find more information on NetVUE’s website for membership.
Rachel F. Pickett is the webinar coordinator for NetVUE.
