THE Queen’s Foundation, Birmingham, is offering new Racial Justice Scholarships to “empower” UK minoritised-ethnic/global majority heritage (UKME/GMH) theological educators and students who are aspiring to postgraduate studies.

The project seeks to address what the ecumenical theological college describes as “the urgent need for equitable representation and practices within 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 credible voice in calling for change across the world” (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 build confidence for MA study. The programme develops the skills to identify and confront racist practices in theological education, churches, and community.

Students will “benefit from culturally competent guidance from qualified tutors in contextual and liberation theologies”, the college 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 need 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 within the context of the Church of England, given its complex history around blackness and otherness”.

UKME/GMH individuals who are currently lay or ordained ministers working in or for the Church of England and other Churches, are invited to apply by 30 November.