The Rev. Kristen Tossell Pitts
Chaplain and Director of Spiritual and Cultural Learning
At WES Since: 2019
What motivated you to become a teacher?
I love when students start to ask more challenging questions about faith and the Bible—that’s the passage to a lifelong and life-giving spirituality, and it’s so exciting to see students exploring those questions.
What is the best book you’ve ever read?
I’m not sure I can pick a best book, but the book I want to put in everyone’s hands when they’re going through a tough time is Everything Happens for a Reason: and Other Lies I’ve Loved by Kate Bowler. It’s refreshingly honest and tackles a lot of the spoken and unspoken beliefs our society holds about illness and other challenging life events.
Bio:
Before WES, I served as the associate rector at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church located in College Park, MD, and also served as the Episcopal Chaplain at the University of Maryland. I have a master of divinity from the Virginia Theological Seminary and a bachelor of arts from Furman University.
I have been a contributing writer to several recent publications including The Rev. Ian Markham (Dean of Virginia Theological Seminary)’s second edition of his systematic theology textbook, Understanding Christian Doctrine, the recently released revision of the Rite 13 program, a popular middle school curriculum in Episcopal churches and other denominations, and Episcopal Teacher, a publication of Virginia Theological Seminary.
Awards:
Writing contributor to a theology textbook, middle school religious curriculum, and Episcopal Teacher, a publication of Virginia Theological Seminary.