{"id":49195,"date":"2026-02-17T14:49:41","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T19:49:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=49195"},"modified":"2026-02-17T14:49:41","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T19:49:41","slug":"episcopal-seminary-recognizes-stephen-colbert-as-a-truth-telling-storyteller-living-the-well-formed-life-in-christ","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2026\/02\/episcopal-seminary-recognizes-stephen-colbert-as-a-truth-telling-storyteller-living-the-well-formed-life-in-christ.html","title":{"rendered":"Episcopal Seminary Recognizes Stephen Colbert as ‘a truth-telling storyteller living the well-formed life in Christ.’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Virginia Theological Seminary \/ Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) in Alexandria, awarded late-night host Stephen Colbert and his wife, Evelyn McGee-Colbert, the Dean’s Cross for Servant Leadership during a ceremony on February 6. The seminary is the largest and second-oldest accredited seminary of the Episcopal Church. According to a statement, VTS recognized Mr. Colbert for his \u201cwork as a satirist who provokes critical thinking and inspires change,\u201d while his wife, an independent film producer and the Vice President of Spartina Productions, was recognized for her work in the arts. The couple have been married since 1993 and have three adult children.<\/p>\n

Colbert is best known for his work on \u201cThe Colbert Report\u201d and \u201cThe Late Show.\u201d He is a Roman Catholic and is \u201cdeeply shaped by his faith and by his baptismal covenant to respect the dignity of every human being, even as he calls out human foibles and follies\u201d according to a release<\/a>. Colbert\u2019s citation for the reward read \u201cYour humor and genius are seasoned with passion and compassion. Courage and humility accompany you in every monologue. The Virginia Theological Seminary honors you with the Dean\u2019s Cross because you are a truth-telling storyteller who is living the well-formed life in Christ.\u201d His wife\u2019s citation read, \u201cYour life as a film producer, actress, arts advocate, theater professional, daughter, sister, wife, mother, and friend is a lasting testament to unity overcoming estrangement.\u201d \u201cStephen Colbert and Evelyn McGee-Colbert have modeled a steady and gracious Christian witness amid challenging and often unforgiving circumstances,\u201d said the Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D., dean and president of VTS. \u201cThey remind us that faithfulness is not withdrawn from public life but practiced within it, with courage, humility, and perseverance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Colbert\u2019s faith has been often criticized by his opponents given his support of progressive issues like gay marriage, transgender rights, and abortion. In 2022, Christian theologian and author Tim Keller praised Colbert\u2019s response about the way his faith shapes his comedy. Colbert was responding to a question about his faith and said \u201cSo if there\u2019s some relationship between my faith and my comedy, it\u2019s that no matter what happens, you are never defeated. You must understand this and see it in the light of eternity and find some way to love and laugh with each other.\u201d \u201cThis is a skillful example of how to be a Christian in the public square,\u201d Keller wrote of Colbert\u2019s response<\/a>. \u201cIt is a form of witness that culture can handle. We should desire to have more Christians in these spaces and give them grace as they operate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others pushed back at Keller\u2019s praise, accusing Colbert of habitually \u201cbearing false witness\u201d against President Donald Trump, whom Colbert formerly accused of colluding with Russia. Years later, in 2025, Protestia<\/a> pointed at Colbert\u2019s support of actress Cynthia Erivo, a black \u201cqueer\u201d woman, playing the role of Jesus Christ in a production of \u201cJesus Christ, Super Star.\u201d \u201c\u2018Devout Catholic\u2019 Stephen Colbert, whom Tim Keller once described as a \u2018brilliant example of how to be a Christian in the public square\u2019 despite being a pro-choice, pro-lgbtq progressive, insists a Black queer woman portraying Jesus in a musical, is \u2018long overdue.\u2019\u201d On X, critics accused the Episcopalian seminary of going \u201cwoke\u201d for awarding the Colberts. \u201cWhat do you expect from pseudo-Catholics? You might as well look to the \u2018United\u2019 Methodists, who just split over issues like this, for bible-based morality,\u201d wrote one user on X<\/a>. \u201cEpiscopalians are lucky if they can SPELL Bible, let alone model their lives around its teachings.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) in Alexandria, awarded late-night host Stephen Colbert and his wife, Evelyn McGee-Colbert, the Dean’s Cross for Servant Leadership during a ceremony on February 6. The seminary is the largest and second-oldest accredited seminary of the Episcopal Church. According to a statement, VTS recognized Mr. Colbert for his \u201cwork as a satirist…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":49198,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-television"],"yoast_head":"\nEpiscopal Seminary Recognizes Stephen Colbert as 'a truth-telling storyteller living the well-formed life in Christ.'<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Episcopal seminary honors Stephen Colbert and wife for Christian witness, sparking backlash from critics over his progressive faith views.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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