The Rev. Dr. Calvin Lane hopes to build on the foundation laid by his predecessors when he takes over as the third editor of Covenant, TLC’s online journal.
“I think that Covenant has got a major foothold in the Anglican world, and I do mean beyond the Episcopal Church,” he said, “and we need to continue to grow that. But at the same time, I want to hear more ecumenical voices.”
Lane, an Episcopal priest who serves as associate rector of St. George’s Church in Dayton, Ohio, has contributed more than 50 articles to Covenant since 2014. Although he has served as affiliate professor at Nashotah House and just finished a term on the General Board of Examining Chaplains, he also brings ecumenical credentials to the role.
“For several years, I’ve served as an adjunct and consultant at United Theological Seminary, and I’ve built a lot of relationships with folks across the Christian spectrum,” he said. “Even though it’s a Methodist seminary, it’s very much an ecumenical place, and I find that the conversation is enlivened by that real diversity.” Lane also held the Meeter Fellowship at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids in 2022.
Lane believes that Covenant, with five essays a week, has room to address a range of substantive issues, and from new voices.
In August he will succeed Eugene R. Schlesinger, who has edited Covenant since 2019. Schlesinger will begin a tenure-track position in the fall as assistant professor of religious studies at Santa Clara University in California, and will continue as a contributor to Covenant. His most recent book, Ruptured Bodies: A Theology of the Church Divided, was published in May by Fortress Press. Schlesinger has a Substack column on theology, Per Crucem in Deum.
“Gene is a great theologian. I’m more of a church historian,” Lane said. “I want to hear topics that we haven’t considered so far. At the same time, I want us to maintain quality theological writing. I want it to be accessible, though. I want people doing parish ministry to be able to benefit from it.” Lane is the author of two books on the Reformation era, most recently Spirituality & Reform, published by Fortress in 2018.
Covenant was started by Christopher Wells and Craig Uffman as a standalone blog in 2007, and became part of TLC when Wells joined the organization as executive editor and publisher (a post he left in 2022). In 2014, the Rev. Dr. Zachary Guiliano was hired as the first editor, and Covenant began publishing five days a week.
Originally from North Carolina, Lane is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Nashotah House. He has a doctorate from the University of Iowa. His wife, Denise Kettering-Lane, is associate professor at Bethany Theological Seminary. They have two children, Daniel and Elizabeth.
