4th annual Templeton-Cambridge fellowships awarded to 10 noted journalists

The relationship of science and religion is a subject of increasing scrutiny today. After decades during which leading voices from science and religion viewed each other with suspicion and little sense of how the two areas might relate, recent years have brought an active pursuit of understanding how science may deepen theological awareness, for example, or how religious traditions might illuminate the scientific realm. Fellowship organizers note that rigorous journalistic examination of the region where science and theology overlap – as well as understanding the reasoning of many who assert the two disciplines are without common ground –can effectively promote a deeper understanding of this emerging dialogue.

That discussion will be furthered, organizers say, by encouraging journalists to write articles and produce news segments that advance public awareness of this complex and rapidly evolving field of inquiry. The extraordinary intellectual and cultural setting at Cambridge, they add, will provide fellows with an opportunity to meet with colleagues for critical discussion and have access to prominent experts in the field.

“The story of science and religion, with its deep roots in the past, has grown into one of the most complex, challenging, and important stories of our time,” says

Templeton–Cambridge Fellowships Co-director Sir Brian Heap, Research Associate, University of Cambridge. “This program aims to support the outstanding journalists selected for the fellowships in covering this story with the depth, rigor, and thoroughness that it requires and deserves.”

The two-month program, running in June and July, begins with an initial week of preparatory study, followed by two weeks of intensive science and religion seminars at Queens’ College at the University of Cambridge, May 31-June 13, conducted by renowned scholars, scientists, theologians, and intellectuals who will offer an overview of key issues.

Speakers at the Cambridge seminars include: