Description

In November 2016, the Luce Foundation’s board approved a Theology Program grant of $425,000 to launch an Interreligious Institute at Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS), a seminary of the United Church of Christ whose Hyde Park location has allowed joint programming with four other seminaries and the University of Chicago. Building on previous work at CTS, also funded by the Luce Foundation, the Institute has sought to advance interreligious studies and engagement by focusing on three intersections: the worlds of activism and the academy; theological education and other fields; and multiple aspects of identity, with particular attention to racial, religious and other forms of diversity. Doctoral research fellows have carried out research aimed at refining the pedagogy of interreligious studies and developing practical models for pluralist engagement in the public square, while CTS faculty and staff have organized new curricular, co-curricular and community-based programs, linking interreligious literacy to civic engagement. Relatedly, the seminary has extended internship and practicum openings for students, expanding placements that emphasize interreligious competencies and increasing online learning opportunities for nontraditional students. As the emergency grant proposal from CTS emphasizes, its location and roots on Chicago’s South Side afford not only connections with other schools, but also with a strong network of diverse and interfaith community partners. The seminary’s mission and longstanding commitments make it particularly attentive to issues of racial justice, gender and LGBTQ justice, and interfaith engagement. With the support of a COVID Emergency Grant, CTS will pursue three initiatives: First, the seminary will immediately convene a series of virtual interviews and gatherings of community leaders to probe, listen, understand, and document the most urgent needs of various communities. Second, CTS will seek to provide direct support to leaders of faith-based organizations responding in their communities. As the proposal emphasizes, the majority of the Luce Foundation’s grant will be used to understand the needs in marginalized communities hard hit by the pandemic, to fund mental health experts to provide counseling, to fund technology for faith-based organizations and nonprofits, and to provide technological expertise to communities in need. Third, CTS will use the remainder of the grant funds to partner with thought leaders in theological education in order to develop open online resources focused on the intersection of theology and the pandemic, seeking to maximize the impact of theological education’s response to the crisis.