Ian Markham

Dr. Ian S. Markham (born September 19, 1962) was appointed as Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) in August 2007. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom where he focused on Christian Ethics. He previously earned an M.Litt. in Philosophy and Ethics from the University of Cambridge and a B.D. in Theology from the University of London. He was ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church in 2007.

Before being called to VTS Dean Markham served as Dean and Professor of Theology and Ethics at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut, and as Visiting Professor of Globalization, Ethics, and Islam at Leeds Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom. He also served on the faculty of Liverpool Hope University and the University of Exeter.

His awards include the Robertson Fellow in 2006; Teape Lecturer in India 2004; Claggett Fellow attached to Washington National Cathedral in 2000; and Frank Woods Fellow at Trinity College, Melbourne in 1997.

He serves as Priest Associate at St. Paul’s Church in Alexandria.

Books Published

 * Against Atheism: Why Dawkins, Hitchens, and Harris are Fundamentally Wrong (Wiley and Sons, 2010)


 * Liturgical Life Principles: How Episcopal Worship Can Lead to Healthy and Authentic Living (Morehouse Publishing, 2009)


 * Understanding Christian Doctrine (Blackwell Publishing Limited, 2007)


 * Do Morals Matter?: A Guide to Contemporary Religious Ethics (Blackwell Publishing, 2006)


 * A Theology of Engagement (Blackwell Publishing Limited, 2003)


 * September 11: Religious Perspectives on the Causes and Consequences (co-edited with Ibrahim M. Abu-Rab, National Book Network, 2003)


 * Truth and the Reality of God (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1998)


 * A World Religions Reader (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1996)