Cranmer Hall awarded grant for Science-engaged Theology

CRANMER HALL AWARDED GRANT FOR SCIENCE-ENGAGED THEOLOGY

Cranmer Hall is delighted to share news of our successful bid for grant funding under the ‘Science for Seminaries’ programme. Research project Equipping Christian Leadership in an Age of Science (ECLAS) has awarded substantial grants to Cranmer as one of nine theological colleges in the UK with the aim of promoting science-engaged theology.

The ECLAS project is led from St John’s College, Durham University in partnership with the University of York and the Church of England. Its directors include the Revd Prof David Wilkinson and physicist Prof Tom McLeish. ECLAS and the Science for Seminaries grants are funded by the Templeton Religion Trust.

Each grant recipient has received up to £60,000 to incorporate science into the curriculum. Colleges are expected to develop or refine at least one core module and host wider-reaching activities which model how science engages with theology. Theological teachers and scientific advisors will be invited to retreats and conferences to share their progress and hear from leading thinkers in science-engaged theology.

Science for Seminaries is modelled on a previous successful programme run by AAAS DoSER in North America. The awards run for the 2021-22 academic year.

Cranmer Hall will be developing a new module integrating history of the relationship of science and faith with apologetics, alongside a College-wide study day and a new sub-series as part of our established Talking Theology podcast.

Revd Dr Philip Plyming, Warden of Cranmer Hall, commented: “Cranmer Hall is thrilled to be involved in Science for Seminaries. Ministers in training need confidence to engage with a wide range of public issues, and scientific advances bear on so many different areas of life, mission, and doctrine. Our project aims to equip ministers in training – and, through our podcast series, ordinary Christians – with the tools to understand the relationship between science and faith in a constructive light, and to engage in apologetics and mission on this basis.”