Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts

to Expand Impact With Grant from Luce Foundation

A $300,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation will enable the Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts, at Fuller Theological Seminary, to expand the impact of its innovative arts initiative. The grant, to be used over the next three years, will fund pioneering research in immigrant church environments, colloquia on film and the church, scholarships and enhanced library resources to support new arts programs.

“This grant will have a significant impact on our initiative in worship, theology, and the arts,” says J. Frederick Davison, executive director of the Brehm Center. “It provides much needed funding that is crucial to the vitality and growth of our program.” Clayton Schmit, academic director of the Brehm Center, notes, “These resources will enable us to engage world class scholars in dialogue about theology and the arts, and to draw on the resources of gifted doctoral students who will add fresh insight to our programs.”

The grant will provide for the following:

·       Library resources to support new degree programs in worship, theology, and the arts

·       Scholarships for PhD students who will help develop courses for new graduate degree programs in worship, theology, and the arts

·       A research group of scholars, church leaders, and practicing filmmakers, who will work to further existing knowledge of the relationship between film, theology, and the church

·       A research project to study the visual environment—murals, images, architecture—of immigrant congregations in Los Angeles, in order to better understand the differing role of the visual in worship and spirituality

The Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts works to empower and equip church leaders in the area of the arts through a wide array of activities: offering special events such as the Fuller Arts Festival and City of the Angels Film Festival; sponsoring research, lectures, conferences, seminars, and workshops; working collaboratively with arts and educational institutions in the community; funding classes, resources, and faculty; and other supports.  The Brehm Center is part of Fuller Seminary, the largest multidenominational seminary in the world, with nearly 5,000 students from 70 countries and more than 100 denominations.