Planning Grant for the Fuller Institute for Christianity and Science

We propose planning activities for establishing the Fuller Institute for Christianity and Science (FICS), a center that will lead Fuller and support the evangelical Church globally in generating scholarship and providing education at the interface of science and Christianity, including a rigorous theological engagement with the premises and findings of contemporary science; issues concerning science, technology, ethics, and culture; and leveraging the sciences to conduct research that may inform the mission and life of the Church globally.
We envision this institute powerfully contributing to a more scientifically sophisticated and discerning Church; one that has the tools for putting the best science has to offer together with deeply orthodox Christian theology to make spiritual progress and characterized by:
•Theologically sound and scientifically vetted practices for teaching, preaching, discipleship, use of spiritual disciplines, and other areas of spiritual formation;
•Theologically-informed Christian scientists in the academy and scientific community;
•Theological progress that judiciously harvests insights from the full span of academic fields, including the sciences; and
•Eagerly engaging latest scientific theories with a constructive curiosity about what they may tell us about God and our relationship to him and to each other.
Planning will develop through a series of internal and external meetings and a survey of Fuller alumni and students (with results as an output). We will try to discern who the key players and institutions are in the science-religion world and develop relationships with them; learn what the perceived scholarly and ministry needs are globally; and begin to develop relationships with potential financial partners for the long-term stability of FICS. Outputs will include survey results, FCIS guiding documents and strategic plans, and a full grant proposal for the first three years’ activities.