Concordia Seminary receives “Science for Seminaries” grant

Concordia Seminary is one of 10 Christian seminaries in the United States recently selected to participate in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) “Science for Seminaries” program, and has been awarded $93,600 to help prepare pastors and other church leaders for well-informed thinking and conversations about science.

With this funding, the Seminary will launch a two-year initiative to integrate science into the curricula for two core theological courses and support ongoing learning so future pastors are better prepared to counsel and guide congregants and the community when questions arise. AAAS will provide resources such as science-education videos and access to scientist-advisors and faculty mentors to support these efforts.

Bringing science into the core of theological education will influence current students, the Seminary, and the congregations where future pastors will serve. “Pastors are very important for overcoming false impressions and misunderstandings about both the Christian faith and modern science,” says Dr. Joel Okamoto, professor of systematic theology at Concordia Seminary and project contact. “This program gives Concordia Seminary a very fine opportunity to help pastors present and future to do this faithfully and fairly.”

The grant will cover the cost of faculty, science resources, guest speakers, campus events and more to promote the relevance of science to seminary training for two years.