FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joey Longley, 419-953-5495, [email protected]
LUCE AND IIIT SUPPORT INTERRELIGIOUS EDUCATION AT UNION SEMINARY
NEW YORK, NY— Union Theological Seminary is pleased to announce that The Henry Luce Foundation and the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) have provided support for a combined $1 million in grants supporting Union’s programming on Islam, social justice, and interreligious engagement.
“We are very pleased with this agreement with Union Theological Seminary,” said Dr. Jamal Barzinji, President of the IIIT. “We see it as a another milestone in our ongoing efforts to support academic programs that enhance the study of Islam, social justice, and interfaith studies in general. We look forward to working closely with Union to ensure the success of the program”.
This new grant builds upon the interreligious work made possible by the Luce Foundation from 2010-2015. This includes the hiring of Dr. Jerusha Lamptey, professor of Islam and Ministry and the creation of the field of Interreligious Engagement at Union Seminary.
“These grants will enable Union to promote rigorous academic and public discourse aimed at articulating Islamic responses to pressing social justice issues through robust conversation with other traditions and worldviews,” said Dr. Lamptey.
Union President Serene Jones also welcomed the news of the funding.
“Union Theological Seminary has always been on the cutting edge of the conversation around faith, justice, and society,” said Dr. Jones. “There is nothing I am more excited about than the work we are doing around interreligious engagement, specifically as it relates to Islam. This generous grant ensures that important interfaith work will continue well into the future right here at Union Seminary.”
About Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a seminary and a graduate school of theology established in 1836 by founders “deeply impressed by the claims of the world upon the church.” Union prepares women and men for committed lives of service to the church, academy and society. A Union education develops practices of mind and body that foster intellectual and academic excellence, social justice, and compassionate wisdom. Grounded in the Christian tradition and responsive to the needs of God’s creation, Union’s graduates make a difference wherever they serve.
At Union we believe that a new interreligious spiritualty of radical openness and love is the world’s best hope for peace, justice, and the care of God’s creation. Empowered by groundbreaking inquiry aligned with practical realism and a bias for action, Union is charting a radical new course for enduring social change. Our graduates make a difference wherever they serve, practicing their vocations with courage and perseverance, and speaking clearly and acting boldly on behalf of social justice in all of its forms.
Learn more at www.utsnyc.edu.