Fuller Seminary Receives $1.2 Million Grant for Christian-Muslim Fellowship Program

Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena has received a $1.2 million grant from the Templeton Religion Trust to fund a fellowship program aimed at fostering dialogue between Christian and Muslim scholars. The grant will support the Templeton Pluralism Fellowship, a new initiative of Fuller’s Richard John Mouw Institute of Faith and Public Life, a statement from Fuller Seminary said.

Templeton Religion Trust (TRT) is a global charitable trust chartered by Sir John Templeton in 1984 with headquarters in Nassau, The Bahamas. TRT has been active since 2012 and supports projects seeking to enrich the conversation about religion.

The program, according to the statement, will bring together 12 emerging leaders and scholars, evenly split between Christians and Muslims, to explore the intersection of religion, politics, and public life. Fellows will engage in research and discussions about their religious and political differences while developing resources for pluralism and democratic engagement.

The statement said Dr. Shadi Hamid, a columnist at The Washington Post and a research professor of Islamic studies at Fuller Theological Seminary, and Dr. Matthew Kaemingk, the Richard John Mouw Associate Professor of Faith and Public Life at Fuller, will lead the project. Their goal is to create a multi-faith learning environment where fellows can study and practice pluralism through direct engagement with one another.

“Creating bridges of understanding between Christians and Muslims is vital, and will be incredibly valuable as we forge new paths toward the future,” said Fuller President David Emmanuel Goatley. The project aligns with Fuller’s commitment to fostering interfaith dialogue and understanding.

Hamid was appointed as a research faculty member in Islamic Studies at Fuller in 2022, marking a historic first for an evangelical seminary. In 2019, Hamid was named one of the world’s top 50 thinkers by Prospect magazine.

Kaemingk, a public theologian, has written extensively on Christian-Muslim relations. His book on Christian hospitality and Muslim immigration was recognized as a top publication by Christianity Today in 2018. In 2020, a coalition of Christian think tanks and universities named him the “Emerging Public Intellectual of the Year.”

The fellowship program is set to begin in Fall 2025 and will run for two years. Participants will explore how their respective faiths can inform approaches to living and thinking productively amid fundamental differences in beliefs and worldviews.

Fuller Seminary offers a range of degree programs through its School of Mission and Theology and School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy. Courses are offered at Fuller’s campuses in Pasadena, Houston, and Phoenix, as well as online. The institution also provides on-demand non-degree courses and professional training through its digital learning platform FULLER Equip.

For more information, visit www.fuller.edu.