Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences is Awarded a $15,000 Grant by the American Association for the Advancement of Science
BERKELEY, CA - February 2, 2024 - The Graduate Theological Union (GTU) is pleased to announce that the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences (CTNS) has been selected to participate in the Climate Science in Theological Education (CSTE) Grant Initiative of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals. The grant, in the amount of $15,000, supports CTNS in their project titled, “Science, Technology, and the Environment: Exploring Implications for Science and Religion in the Bay Area and Beyond.”
The CSTE initiative is a project of the AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER) program. The project provides grants to seminaries to engage climate science and climate change in the context of theological education and ministry. Integrating science into seminary education and events encourages interest within seminaries and surrounding communities about the relevance of science to theological education and will produce a growing number of religious leaders equipped to help their congregants find answers to science-related questions.
“We are incredibly grateful for this support from AAAS DoSER” said Braden Molhoek, Director of CTNS and Ian G. Barbour Assistant Professor of Theology, Science, Ethics, and Technology. “This grant empowers us to further the mission of CTNS and signifies the recognition of the crucial link between theology and climate science. We look forward to leveraging this support to inspire curiosity within seminaries and their communities, fostering a new generation of religious leaders equipped to address the profound connections between faith, technology, and environmental science.”
The project being spearheaded by CTNS aims to raise the visibility of issues surrounding climate change and the environmental impact of technology—an important aspect of the dialogue between religion and science. Through strategic partnerships, including collaboration with New College Berkeley and faculty members at the GTU, this project will offer resources, forums, and events in efforts to reach GTU students, alums, neighboring seminaries and the broader Bay Area community, in discussing ways that science and technology can help mitigate environmental challenges.
To read the AAAS’s full announcement and learn more about the CSTE Grant Initiative, click here.
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About the American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals. The nonprofit is open to all and fulfills its mission to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement, and more. Building upon its mission, AAAS established the Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER) program in 1995 to facilitate communication between scientific and religious communities. For the latest information and news about AAAS DoSER and the Climate Science in Theological Education project, visit AAAS.org/DoSER, ScienceReligionDialogue.org, and ScienceforSeminaries.org.
About the Graduate Theological Union
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) is one of the world’s leading hubs for the study of religion and theology, as well as a vibrant home for spiritual exploration offering resources with global reach.
Spanning a robust array of interreligious and interdisciplinary perspectives, the GTU’s centers of study and wider consortium offer programs devoted to empowering those with a passion for serving others, as inspired by the world’s many spiritual paths, faiths, and cultural traditions.
At its heart, the GTU’s educational work is brought to life by a unique instructional approach that encourages dynamic encounters and exchange between the world’s wisdom traditions and is inspired by the transformative power of spiritual study and reflection to generate profound personal, social, environmental, and spiritual healing for the betterment of all.