Columbia Theological Seminary

With the help of the AAAS Science for Seminaries program, Columbia Theological Seminary launches a bold, new program to integrate science into its core curriculum and thereby strengthen its mission “to educate and nurture faithful, imaginative, and effective leaders for the sake of the Church and the world.” Located in Decataur, Georgia, Columbia is strategically located to build bridges between scientists and people of faith who may find science either unimportant or threatening. CTS is also well-situated in its proximity to great institutions of scientific learning and research, such as Emory University and Georgia Tech. Specifically, this funded program will help CTS integrate the findings of science broadly into its curriculum, including the teaching of Bible, systematic theology, pastoral care, and Christian ethics. Top scientists in various fields will help students explore the intersections between, for example, biblical creation and modern cosmology, theological anthropology and human evolution, Christian ethics and neuroscience, eschatology and astrophysics. Historically, this opportunity helps restore the lost legacy of Dr. James Woodrow, professor of chemistry and uncle of Woodrow Wilson, who was appointed at CTS as the “Perkins Professor of Natural Science in Connection with Revelation” in 1861 but was forced to resign because of the perceived threat of Darwinism to the Christian faith. Now Columbia is able build upon that precedent set over a century and a half ago by bringing together the worlds of science and theology into mutually beneficial dialogue, preparing “imaginative, resilient leaders” for the 21st century and furthering the work of “faith seeking understanding.”

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