Teaching Religion and Science Across the Seminary Curriculum

With the John Templeton Foundation, we at the Zygon Center for Religion and Science (ZCRS) share the conviction that both religion and science raise profound questions of reality, meaning, and value. Because religious traditions and scientific disciplines address these questions in different ways, ZCRS is dedicated to relating religious wisdom and scientific knowledge through interdisciplinary inquiry. We believe such study deserves a central place in any seminary education designed to prepare the next generation of religious leaders. Yet, when religion and science is taught, it is almost exclusively in elective courses. Our program aims to move religion and science dialogue into a new frontier–namely, the required courses in the seminary curriculum. Through our innovative and integrative approach, we intend to equip every seminary graduate with the knowledge, skills, and capacities to engage the sciences in their ministry. Our strategic purpose is to multiply their impact in the congregations they serve and to influence the wider field of seminary education. With the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC), we will develop, implement, and evaluate new curriculum components for the M.Div. program. Through faculty workshops that promote pedagogical reflection and through grant competitions that catalyze teaching innovation, we will work with the LSTC faculty to design course modules for all of the existing required courses. To provide context and connection among the course modules, we will create an online study guide, and build our library and media resources. We propose thereby to create a replicable and adaptable model for other seminaries seeking to teach religion and science across their seminary curricula. Over the longer term, we hope to disseminate this model to other seminaries in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, in the Association of Chicago Theological Schools, and beyond.