Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, in Saint Meinrad, Ind., announced it is the recipient of a $75,000 grant from the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s (AAAS) Science for Seminaries project.
The funds will be used for Saint Meinrad’s “The Gospel of Jesus Christ in Big History” project which aims to incorporate science into the master’s degree curriculum, said a press release from the school.
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.
“Science and technology impact every area of modern life and many religious communities are eager to incorporate good science into their teaching and service to society,” said Jennifer Wiseman, DoSER program director in the release. “By connecting scientists with seminary leaders, seminary students become better prepared to welcome current and relevant science into their future congregations.”
Benedictine Father Thomas Gricoski, a Saint Meinrad faculty member who helped develop the AAAS grant proposal, said “Many of our graduates and their parishioners especially, feel a cultural undercurrent of distrust toward science in general and evolutionary biology in particular. There are two ‘young earth creationists’ attractions within driving distance of our seminary. These are symbols of the struggle our graduates face when preaching the deep compatibility of faith and science.”
