THE Queen’s Foundation, Birmingham, is offering latest Racial Justice Scholarships to “empower” UK minoritised-ethnic/global majority heritage (UKME/GMH) theological educators and students who’re aspiring to postgraduate studies.
The project seeks to deal with what the ecumenical theological college describes as “the urgent need for equitable representation and practices inside theological education”. It has been established in response to the Lament to Action report from the Archbishops’ Anti-Racism Taskforce, which called on the Church of England to be “a reputable voice in calling for change internationally” (News, 23 April 2021).
Queen’s is offering full tuition scholarships for its MA in Theology and Transformative Practice, and fee bursaries for the taster course, which is designed to construct confidence for MA study. The programme develops the talents to discover and confront racist practices in theological education, churches, and community.
Students will “profit from culturally competent guidance from qualified tutors in contextual and liberation theologies”, the school says.
At a launch event last month, the Bishop of Edmonton, Dr Anderson Jeremiah, emphasised the importance of adapting theological education to the realities faced by minority and marginalised groups. He articulated the necessity for the courses to cultivate essential skills in leadership, discipleship, community engagement, and contextualisation.
The project lead, Canon Carlton Turner, said that this was “exactly what has been needed throughout the context of the Church of England, given its complex history around blackness and otherness”.
UKME/GMH individuals who’re currently lay or ordained ministers working in or for the Church of England and other Churches, are invited to use by 30 November.
