Luther Seminary faculty are leaders in their fields and within the larger church. Associate Professor and Carrie Olson Baalson Chair of Youth and Family Ministry Andrew Root recently received the Science for Youth Ministry grant from the John Templeton Foundation.
This grant enables collaborative work across denominations studying the dialogue between faith and science in Protestant youth ministries. Root and his collaborators will create resources that will catalyze faith-and-science conversations with young people through youth ministry. The researchers intend to equip students and church leaders to talk about meaningful questions of God, science and belief in a complex world.
The project will create resource material that supports conversations regarding faith and science, including videos, writing symposia and mini grants targeted to educators at undergraduate and seminary levels. The resources will help adolescents and their mentors explore the plausibility of transcendence.
The grant directors will lead a pilgrimage to Europe with teenagers to explore some of the sites that best represent the history of conflict and cooperation between scientists and the church. Out of this trip will come a series of documentary films suitable for use in youth ministries. Root will also write a book as part of the project.
Root said it is an honor for Luther Seminary to have received such a substantive grant from the John Templeton Foundation. “They’ve funded and supported amazing intellectual and cultural engagement work for decades. We’re thrilled to be working with them on this important project.”
Root’s project is part of the ongoing research by Luther Seminary faculty. To learn more about ongoing faculty-led research like this grant, visit us online.