The Status of Theological Research (Theological Education, 46:1)

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In recent years many have expressed the concern that theological school faculties were falling behind those in college and university departments of religion in scholarship and publishing. In a 2005 study by the Auburn Center for the Study of Theological Education, a panel of theological school leaders noted that "the influence of 'theological' faculty in shaping the disciplines of theological and religious scholarship has declined, as faculty in the field of 'religion' have become more numerous and prominent." Part of the concern was that those in departments of religious studies were less inclined to use their scholarship to address issues and needs of the church. While the agenda of theological research remains a concern and faculty in theological schools have many demands on their time, the balance appears to be shifting.

The same study found that current faculty published more than their counterparts had a decade earlier and noted that rising rates of scholarly publishing are "a welcome development." The study's authors believed that more publishing by theological faculty would help to right the balance and that the research would have a positive impact on the quality of teaching as well.

Over the past decade and a half, in order to strengthen the scholarship produced by theological school faculty members, The Association of Theological Schools has awarded more than 230 grants for research by faculty at member schools through the Henry Luce III Fellows in Theology program and the Lilly Theological Research Grants program. Some of this scholarship appears in this issue.