Evansville youth theology program receives Lilly grant

This grant will go toward supporting Open Table, a program that will focus on important religious texts and how this and other factors of the Christian tradition impacts life in modern society.
This grant will go toward supporting Open Table, a program that will focus on important religious texts and how this and other factors of the Christian tradition impacts life in modern society. | Contributed photo
The University of Evansville has been awarded a grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc.’s High School Youth Theology Institutes initiative.

“The goals of the Lilly Endowment and the mission of the University of Evansville are complementary and we are extremely grateful for the generosity of the endowment,” Evansville President Tom Kazee said. “We have been fortunate to partner with Lilly in other initiatives at UE.  As a Methodist-related institution, we much appreciate their support of our proposed theology institute for high school students.”

This grant will go toward supporting Open Table, a program that will focus on important religious texts and how this and other factors of the Christian tradition impacts life in modern society.  The program will reach out to local Methodist churches in the area and will partner with religious organizations including the Temple Adath B’nai Israel and the Islamic Society of Evansville.

The university is among 92 institutions that are independent and those that fall under a multitude of denominations.

“[The colleges] have outstanding faculty in theology and religion who know how to help young people explore the wisdom of religious traditions and apply these insights to contemporary challenges,” Vice President for Religion at the Lilly Endowment Christopher Coble said.