Science for Theological Education News & Events
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New DoSER Initiative Supports Congregational Leaders Interested in Forefront Science
This article was originally published on ScienceReligionDialogue.org by Lilah Sloane-Barrett. To read the original version, click here.
The first SECF cohort, advisors, and DoSER staff gather in person for a kickoff meeting in spring, 2025 | Image by DoSER Staff
In the face of accelerating scientific discovery and technological advancement, faith communities are important, often underappreciated sites for understanding and interpreting novel challenges and opportunities. Clergy and lay leaders are often called upon to guide their communities’ engagement with science and technology, but they may not feel equipped to address the practical, ethical, and theological questions brought to them by their parishioners. The AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER) program is excited to help bridge this gap through a new initiative titled Science Engagement for Congregational Flourishing (SECF).
The SECF project will support organizations as they equip congregational leaders to engage with critical issues at the intersection of science and society. Participants will develop or enhance educational programs for pastors and congregational leaders with an emphasis on bringing science literacy and communication about science and society topics into the skillset of congregational ministers. DoSER will also provide connections with scientists and science resources and will support grantees through workshops, cohort meetings, and networking opportunities.
DoSER has awarded grants to four continuing education providers in the first SECF project cohort:
- American Baptist Home Mission Societies
- Department of Lifelong Learning at Virginia Theological Seminary
- South Dakota Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
- William Jessup University
These grantees’ projects will focus on a variety of topics to address pressing needs across their respective communities. These include informing and shaping the ethical use of AI; understanding the effects of trauma on individuals and communities and cultivating resilience at the congregational level; and inquiring into humanity’s place within the physical world and providing faith leaders with tools to engage constructively with “unsettled science” when they encounter it.
This project is a natural extension of previous DoSER projects. “DoSER has had a chance to bring forefront science engagement to faith leaders in training through our Science for Seminaries and Climate Science in Theological Education projects,” said Katy Hinman, Director of DoSER. “The Science Engagement for Congregational Flourishing project is giving us the opportunity to bring this work directly to congregational leaders that are already active in ministry. These projects will not only inspire and engage faith leaders, but also equip and empower them to lead their own congregations and communities in engaging with the rapid advancements in science and technology that are impacting their lives.”
Religious leaders often face challenges in engaging meaningfully with the contemporary issues facing their communities while remaining faithful to their theological traditions and practices. By providing resources and practical guidance in science engagement for congregational leaders, SECF will equip these leaders to shepherd their congregations through the challenges and opportunities raised by scientific and technological advancements that are shaping the world today.
The Science Engagement for Congregational Flourishing project is being funded with support from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Thriving Congregations Initiative, which aims to encourage the flourishing of Christian congregations by helping them deepen their relationship with their faith, enhance their connections with each other, and contribute positively to their communities and the world.
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New Cohort of Schools to Introduce Climate Science into Theological Education
This article was originally published on ScienceReligionDialogue.org. To read the original version, click here.
Participants at DoSER’s retreat for the project leaders of the first two cohorts of grant recipients from the Climate Science in Theological Education project
Ten theological education institutions across the United States were selected to participate in the second cohort of AAAS DoSER’s Climate Science in Theological Education (CSTE) project. These institutions will bring scientific and faith experts together in order to engage climate-related science in ways that are tailored to the specific students, faculty, alumni, and faith communities they serve.
The second cohort includes Central Baptist Theological Seminary (KS), Holy Apostles College and Seminary (CT), Fuller Theological Seminary (CA), Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (IL), Nazarene Theological Seminary (MO), Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (CA), St. John’s School of Theology and Seminary (MN), Starr King School for Ministry (CA), United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities (MN), and University of Chicago Divinity School (IL). These schools bring the total number of participating institutions in the CSTE project to 30, reaching over 6,000 students and alumni in 17 states, 2 Canadian provinces, and the District of Columbia.
The goals of the CSTE project are to equip current and future faith leaders to lead their communities in addressing climate change and to create an atmosphere in places of worship where climate science is considered relevant, complementary, and important to religious worldviews.
“One of the keys to the success of this project is the opportunity that institutions have to contextualize the science they are engaging to the communities they serve. There is not a one-size-fits-all solution to bringing the climate conversation into faith communities, so we focus on empowering these schools to engage climate in ways that will be meaningful and impactful for the congregations that their students will serve,” said Katy Hinman, DoSER’s Director.
Activities undertaken by grantees include capacity building, curriculum engagements, and ministry/leadership-focused activities, and are as varied as the scientific topics each school has decided to engage. “It’s inspiring to see the creativity and care that these educators bring forward in connecting the dots between scientific and religious resources,” said Leif Castren, Program Associate for DoSER. “Their innovative projects promise to expand students’ capacities for seeing clearly and acting responsibly in the face of global climate change.”
Participants at the Climate Science in Theological Education retreat tour the retreat center’s ecological restoration projects and farm.
As one example, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary will be focusing on pollution, public heath, and environmental racism. Seminary students will be working closely with local community organizations, churches, and ecologically-focused community groups to gather data on air pollution around a waste transfer station in a historically Black ward of Evanston, IL. The collected data will be shared publicly and Garrett-Evangelical plans to host an event with their partners in 2025 sharing the results of the study and next steps.
After Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary launched their Center for Climate Justice and Faith in 2020, they received many requests from Spanish-speaking leaders in the Lutheran Church to make the science more accessible to non-English speakers. As part of their grant, Pacific Lutheran will be hosting a series of five Spanish-language webinars on the intersection of climate justice, faith, and science. Topics will range from the impacts of climate change on biodiversity to the e ects of extreme weather events in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Climate Science in Theological Education project builds upon the success of DoSER’s previous Science for Seminaries: Integrating Science into Core Theological Education project (2016-2023), as well as a 2022 pilot project in incorporating climate science into seminary curricula. Initial funding for the initiative has been provided by the David and Carol Myers Foundation and Leslie Sternlieb, private donor. For more information about the Climate Science in Theological Education pilot schools and previous Science for Seminaries cohorts, please visit ScienceForSeminaries.org.
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14 Seminaries Focus on Climate Science and Theology in the 2024 School Year
This article was originally published on ScienceReligionDialogue.org by Lilah Sloane-Barrett. To read the original version, click here.
Applications for this grant are now open until April 1, 2024. The link to the call for proposals is at the end of this article.
Attendees of CSTE Cohort 1 smile during a zoom meeting | DoSER staff
In November 2023, representatives from 14 theological institutions joined scientific and faith experts to discuss climate science and how it can be incorporated into education, conversation, and curriculum at their schools. This virtual meeting launched AAAS DoSER’s new Climate Science in Theological Education (CSTE) project. The goals of this 3-year initiative are to equip current and future faith leaders to lead their communities in addressing climate change and to create an atmosphere in places of worship where climate science is considered relevant, complementary, and important to religious worldviews.
The participating institutions in the first cohort include the Academy for Jewish Religion (NY), Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary (TX), Columbia Theological Seminary (GA), Ecumenical Theological Seminary (MI), Graduate Theological Union (CA), Hood Theological Seminary (NC), Iliff School of Theology (CO), Knox Theological Seminary (FL), Lexington Theological Seminary (KY), the Miller Center for Interreligious Learning and Leadership of Hebrew College (MA), Palm Beach Atlantic University Graduate School of Ministry (FL), Portland Seminary of George Fox University (OR), Regis College (ON, Canada), and Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary (MI). In addition to being geographically diverse, the schools represent Jewish and Evangelical, Mainline Protestant, and Roman Catholic Christian theological education institutions. Eight of the institutions have worked with DoSER on past projects to engage science in theological education, while the rest of the cohort represents new partners for DoSER in this work.
DoSER’s CSTE project will encourage participating institutions to engage climate-related science in ways that are tailored to the specific students, faculty, alumni, and faith communities that they serve. Activities funded through the grant can include capacity building, curriculum engagements, ministry/leadership-focused activities, or other program activities. The scientific topics that the projects address are varied, as are the methods of engagement. Proposals highlight issues of environmental justice, air quality and health, extreme weather, food security, agriculture and soil science, marine science and ecology, climate migration, and similar topics. Many of the schools have decided to host multiple activities and engagement opportunities.
One example of updated coursework comes from the Academy for Jewish Religion. Their Counseling course will now include a section on climate bereavement to work with students to help them better understand the issue of climate bereavement and how it may impact their communities.
“Many in the Jewish world believe in climate change, but they may not understand the effects on us physically, emotionally, or psychologically. Or they may have some understanding of these things, but feel overwhelmed,” said Jill Hammer, project co-lead and Director of Spiritual Education at AJR. “We hope that through our project we will equip our students and graduates to be informed and to inform their communities accurately about climate change, and to address their emotional and psychological needs.”
Biology students from Palm Beach Atlantic University visit the Grassy Waters Preserve, West Palm Beach, Florida | Image credit: Thomas Chesnes, PBA
Capacity building and ministry-focused activities vary from webinars to lunch-and-learns to visiting nearby natural areas. Thomas Chesnes, project co-lead, Associate Dean of Sciences, and Professor of Biology at Palm Beach Atlantic University, described his school as “ground zero for directly observing the effects of climate change.” Throughout his work, he found that “a picture’s worth a thousand words, but getting people up to their waist in the mud of a degraded ecosystem…that speaks a million words. These experiences drive points home.” Paul Gould, Director of the Master of Arts in Philosophy of Religion and project co-lead, added that in the spring of 2025, they plan to bring a cohort of 10 students and faculty to the Florida Keys or Everglades to “get down into the water, into the nitty gritty, to see what’s going on with climate.”
Finally, all schools will host an event that will be open to the entire school and wider community. In response to the massive northern forest fires last year, Regis College, University of Toronto, will host a panel discussion on “Climate Change and Forest Fires in North America.” One expert will explore the implications of eco-anxiety in the context of the Canadian forest fires, and a religious leader will share pastoral experiences from affected areas in Canada. Jaroslav Sikra, Inaugural Dean of Regis-St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology, explained that “[the enveloping smog from the fires] raised questions about pastoral care of those who are seeing and immediately being affected by the effects of climate change. This includes airborne pollution, issues of asthma, quality of care,” and more.
The Climate Science in Theological Education project builds upon the success of DoSER’s previous Science for Seminaries: Integrating Science into Core Theological Education project (2016-2023), as well as a 2022 pilot project in incorporating climate science into seminary curricula. Science for Seminaries equipped religious leaders with a solid scientific foundation to answer their community’s questions about issues related to science and technology. Selected seminaries had to integrate science into at least two core courses and produce at least one campus-wide science-themed event. Science topics included astronomy, genetics and gene editing, evolution, public health, neuroscience and mental health, and more.
“One of the main lessons we learned [from Science for Seminaries] is that on a high level, the relationship at bridging Judaism and science is simple enough. But when you get into the details, and all the scientific data and all of the minutiae, that’s where it becomes a real challenge to show the levels of applicability and points of intersection between science and Judaism,” said Matthew Goldstone, Assistant Academic Dean and project co-lead from the Academy for Jewish Religion.
Allowing institutions to contextualize their approach to climate science engagement is key to the success of the project. Thomas Chesnes summarized the conflict he often sees when engaging with religion and science: “In my experience, especially in religious contexts, you need to understand where people are coming from. You need to understand their deep-rooted presuppositions, what underlies their viewpoints.”
Initial funding for the Climate Science in Theological Education project is provided by the David and Carol Myers Foundation and Leslie Sternlieb, private donor. Applications for Cohort 2 are open until April 1, 2024. Click here for more information and to apply.
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DoSER Initiative Focuses on Climate Science and Theology
This article was originally published on ScienceReligionDialogue.org by Lilah Sloane-Barrett. To read the original version, click here.
Applications for this grant are now open until September 18, 2023. The link to the call for proposals is at the end of this article.
Students take part in Ambrose Seminary’s Earth Day event | Image by Ambrose University
The AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER) program is excited to announce a new focus on climate change science with the Climate Science in Theological Education (CSTE) project. This 3-year project, with initial funding from the David and Carol Myers Foundation, will provide grants for seminaries to meaningfully engage forefront climate science in their curriculum and activities. The goals are to equip current and future faith leaders to lead their communities in addressing climate change and to create an atmosphere in places of worship where climate science is considered relevant, complementary, and important to religious worldviews.
DoSER’s CSTE project will encourage participants to engage climate-related science in ways that are tailored to the specific student, faculty, alumni, and broader faith community. Activities funded through the grant can include capacity building, curriculum engagements, ministry-focused activities, or other program activities. Seminaries will host at least one enrichment activity or campus event that addresses theology and a climate-related science topic, such as environmental justice, air quality and health, extreme weather, food security, agriculture and soil science, marine science and ecology, climate migration, or similar topics. For the 2023 cohort, AAAS DoSER will select up to 14 schools to receive a grant of $15,000. Accredited theological education institutions that offer an MDiv program or equivalent for the training of faith leaders may apply.
The Climate Science in Theological Education project builds upon the success of DoSER’s previous Science for Seminaries: Integrating Science into Core Theological Education (Science for Seminaries) project (2016-2023), as well as a 2022 pilot project in incorporating climate science into seminary curricula. Science for Seminaries equipped religious leaders with a solid scientific foundation to answer their community’s questions about issues related to science and technology. Selected seminaries had to integrate science into at least two core courses and produce at least one campus-wide science-themed event. Science topics included astronomy, genetics and gene editing, evolution, public health, neuroscience and mental health, and more.
A recent study by the Pew Research Center indicated that over 60% of religiously affiliated Americans strongly believe that the Earth is sacred and that humans have a duty to protect and care for it. However, studies by the Association of the Theological Schools and Pew Research Center also found that many faith leaders feel uncomfortable or even avoid discussions about climate change in religious services because they do not have training in the sciences. DoSER’s CSTE initiative hopes to help future faith leaders feel better equipped to engage climate science within their ministry and communities.
To submit an application for this grant, click here. Applications due September 18, 2023.
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Science for Seminaries Fall 2021 Newsletter
As the days shorten and leaves (and possibly snowflakes) fall, DoSER is excited to have launched the holiday season with our popular annual holiday event! Download a PDF of the Fall 2021 newsletter here.
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Congratulations to the participants of our new Science for Seminaries Seed Grant initiative!
Image taken from the Science for Seminaries Retreat | Lilah Sloane-Barrett.
AAAS DoSER is pleased to announce that we are launching a Seed Grant initiative as part of our Science for Seminaries project. The initiative offers one year of flexible funding to 12 seminaries accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). The goal is to increase their students’ capacity for engaging science and technology in theological education.
The goal of the seed grant is to help students and faculty members feel more comfortable when interacting with science and technology topics and issues. Project topics and implementation will vary based on the needs of students, faculty, and the wider seminary community. Science topics to be covered include neuroscience, biochemistry, racism and public health, epigenetics, health and well-being, and mathematics.
Schools participating in the 2021-2022 Seed Grant initiative include:
- Drew Theological School
- Fuller Theological Seminary
- Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
- Holy Apostles College & Seminary
- John Leland Center for Theological Studies
- Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, Zygon Center
- Mount Angel Seminary
- NAIITS An Indigenous Learning Community
- Providence Theological Seminary
- Regis College
- Virginia Theological Seminary
- Wycliffe College
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New Cohort of Seminaries to Incorporate Science into Coursework
by: Andrea Korte
Eight seminaries across the country will incorporate science into their coursework and campus life as participants in the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Science for Seminaries project.
The seminaries are the Academy for Jewish Religion, Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, Methodist Theological School in Ohio (MTSO), Palmer Theological Seminary, Portland Seminary, Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and University of Dubuque Theological Seminary.
The eight new institutions bring the total number of seminaries that have participated to 42, reaching thousands of seminary students since the project’s launch in 2014. The new participants represent a range of religious traditions, with the Academy for Jewish Religion joining as the program’s first non-Christian seminary. Other new participants represent traditions including Roman Catholic, United Methodist, Baptist, Interdenominational, Evangelical Free Church and Presbyterian.
Science for Seminaries is a project of the AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion (DoSER) program in partnership with the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), provides participating institutions with resources to integrate science into their coursework and campus-wide events over the next 18 months. The goal is to foster a positive understanding of science among future religious leaders and to encourage informed dialogue on scientific topics among those leaders and their congregations. The project is funded by the John Templeton Foundation.
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AAAS Program Brings Scientific Instruction to Future Church Clergy
Eight Christian seminaries across North America will soon begin engaging their students — aspiring priests and ministers — on scientific topics as the latest participants in Science for Seminaries, a project of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Organized by the AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER) program in partnership with the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), Science for Seminaries provides schools with the guidance, funding and instructional resources necessary to integrate science and technology lessons into their curricula. The goal is for future faith leaders to emerge ready to address such issues with their congregations.
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Seminary Faculty Engage on Scientific Topics at AAAS Retreat
This summer, faculty leaders from seventeen North American seminaries, along with scientific and theological experts, gathered near Salt Lake City, Utah, for the Science in the Curriculum Faculty Enrichment Retreat. The retreat, organized by the AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion (DoSER) program, provided an opportunity for seminary professors to engage across denominations, discuss and reflect on a variety of science topics, develop pedagogical skills and strategies for science integration into their curricula, acquire science resources, and build networks and relationships with the theological and scientific communities. The retreat was hosted as part of the Science for Seminaries project, which is organized by AAAS DoSER in collaboration with the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). Science for Seminaries equips seminaries and their faculty with the skills and relationships needed to provide improved science exposure to their students. These future religious readers are then better prepared to welcome good, relevant science into the conversations and ministries of their future congregations.
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Science for Seminaries Fall 2019 Newsletter
Welcome to the new academic year! The Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER) Program is excited to advise and support the 2019 Science for Seminaries Cohort as they begin integrating science into their core curricula this year. Download a PDF of the Fall 2019 newsletter here!
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AAR Spotlight on Theological Education
In this edition of Spotlight, Dr. Scott Alexander presents five essays focused around the Science for Seminaries project. These five insightful essays embody the rich and multifaceted nature of the conversation that took place last November at AAR Annual Meeting. The first two are by Curtis Baxter of AAAS/DoSER and Deborah Gin of ATS. What both of these essays have in common is the relative altitude of their perspectives. Both Curtis and Deborah give us a bird’s-eye view of the initiative from the perspective of the two national sponsoring organizations. Curtis provides a concise summary of the vision behind the Science for Seminaries initiative, an informative overview of its national scope, and an invitation to readers who may be interested in participating. Deborah’s piece is an ideal complement. Among other things, Deborah deftly summarizes and synthesizes the data ATS collected from graduating student questionnaires, revealing not only key aspects of the initiative’s impact on students, but also raising vitally important questions of pedagogical ethics. These two essays are followed by perspectives from three faculty, MT Davila, Paul Metzger, and Fred Ware, each of whom helped lead a Science for Seminaries initiative at their home institutions and each of whom teaches at one of three distinct types of graduate schools of theology and ministry!
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Science for Seminaries Spring 2019 Newsletter
We are pleased to welcome nine new seminaries as participants in the Science for Seminaries project, organized by AAAS DoSER in partnership with the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). In all, AAAS will select 32 seminaries to carry out 18-month projects and prepare future faith leaders to engage their congregants in dialogues on science and technology issues….
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AAAS Program to Expand Science Engagement in Diverse Group of Seminaries
This fall, a collection of nine geographically and theologically diverse seminaries will begin to integrate science into their core curricula as new participants in Science for Seminaries, an ongoing project of the AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER) program. The group is the second of four that will participate in Science for Seminaries. Organized by DoSER in partnership with the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), the five-year initiative aims to prepare future faith leaders to engage their congregants in dialogues on science and technology issues. In all, AAAS will select 32 seminaries to carry out 18-month projects, building on a successful three-year pilot project that included 10 schools and ended in 2017….
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Science for Seminaries December 2018 Newsletter
When the weather gets cold, DoSER gets moving! Representatives from the Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER) Program have been traveling across the United States to visit seminaries and present at conferences. We were happy to see several of you at the American Academy of Religion’s (AAR) annual meeting, where we co-sponsored a reception and spoke on a panel discussing the integration of scientific research into graduate theological education.
Download a PDF of the December 2018 newsletter here and subscribe by filling out the form below!
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Inaugural Release of Science for Seminaries Quarterly Newsletter
The Science for Seminaries project brings forefront science and science resources for future religious leaders to use in their own ministerial context. Now in its second phase, we are pleased to offer a quarterly newsletter to share special announcements, upcoming deadlines, and pertinent news.
You can download a PDF of the newsletter here and subscribe to our newsletter by filling out the form below!
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Connecting Scientific and Religious Communities: A DoSER Program Q&A
Science doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Research and researchers are connected to society as a whole, and their findings shape how people view the world — and make complex decisions with deep moral and ethical dimensions. Since 1995, the AAAS program of Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion (DoSER) has been exploring those issues alongside members of various faith communities. DoSER connects researchers and rabbis, theologians and theoreticians, pastors and post-docs at multiple levels to promote communication and understanding among groups that are often portrayed as being at odds with one another.
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Salman Hameed: Spiral Galaxies and Spirituality
Salman Hameed started his career peering into the stars. Now, he’s bridging the gap between astrophysics and metaphysics. The Pakistani-born astronomer leads the Center for the Study of Science in Muslim Societies at Hampshire College, in western Massachusetts. He teaches courses on integrating science and the humanities, with a special focus on the relationship between science and Islam. And he’s been a guest speaker for the AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion Program, most recently in January. The dialogue between scientific and religious communities can be enriching to both sides, he said.
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William P. Brown Explores Science and Religion
William P. Brown, a Presbyterian minister, scholar, teacher, author and AAAS member, works diligently to bridge the perceived gap between science and religion. Brown is the William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary (CTS) in Decatur, Georgia, one of ten theological seminaries of the Presbyterian Church (USA). From 2015 to 2017, he oversaw CTS’s participation in the three-year pilot program that launched Science for Seminaries, a project of the AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER), which promotes an ongoing conversation between scientists and religious communities.
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Faculty Forge New Paths for Science in Seminary Education at AAAS Retreat
Faculty leaders from 17 seminaries across the country, along with scientific and theological experts, gathered near the Maryland Chesapeake Bay for the Science in the Curriculum Faculty Enrichment Retreat August 6-9. The retreat, organized by the AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion (DoSER) program in partnership with the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), provided an opportunity for seminary professors to engage across denominations, discuss and reflect on a variety of science topics, acquire pedagogical skills and strategies for science integration into their curricula, and build networks and relationships with the theological and scientific communities.
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AAAS extends Science in Theological Education Program
Building on broad interest generated by a three-year pilot project integrating science into theological education, the American Association for the Advancement of Science is now expanding the Science and Seminaries initiative to advance understanding of science and technology across the religious community to as many as 35 seminaries over the next 5 years. A set of seven seminaries in Michigan, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin have been selected as the first of four groups to participate in the expanded program over the next 18 months.
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