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Emory's Youth Theology Program Gives Rise to Other Efforts Across the U.S., Canada What began in 1993 as a summer pilot project for 60 high school students interested in studying Christian theology at Emory's Candler School of Theology has blossomed this year into at least two dozen theological study programs for teens at universities and seminaries across the United States and Canada. As Emory marks the eighth year of its popular "Youth Theological Initiative" (YTI) summer academy July 1-29, schools from Massachusetts to California are now offering theology-based programs that reach beyond post-college seminarians to the next student generation. The programs, many in their first or second year of operation, are funded, as is Emory's program, by the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment. "It's because of the good things the endowment saw in the Emory program that they wanted to expand the effort," says Carol Lytch of the Fund for Theological Education (FTE), an organization which offers theology fellowships to college and seminary students. Lytch coordinates a networking of these new Theological Programs for High School Youth, setting up peer groups comprised of representatives from the various seminaries who will meet to compare notes, share ideas, and get and give critiques. Go to www.thefund.org/programs/youth/alphalist.html for a complete list of programs. While aimed at the same age group, the programs take different approaches toward the teen-theology encounter and have different emphases: some are designed to interest young people in pursuing the ministry; others more generally encourage a life-long love of theology. At Emory, the emphasis is on "cultivating a cadre of public theologians as leaders for the church and society," says Mark Monk Winstanley, interim YTI director. Typically, about 65 high school juniors from diverse backgrounds and states across the nation enroll in the Emory program to: live in a residence hall for a month; take theological courses on topics such as "The Question of Evil" or "Friendship as a Theological Paradigm"; and participate in community service. While the YTI's orientation is Christian, it also admits youth who have no specific faith ties and those from other religions. (Jewish, Moslem and Buddhist students have participated, and this year's roster includes a Hindu.) In addition to their theological courses, the teens also come together as a community to discuss topics such as science and religion, thinking ethically, prayer practices, and other faiths and religious traditions. YTI's presence at Candler, a United Methodist seminary, also has served as a catalyst for the school's expanded emphasis on youth. In the works are research projects and publications on youth faith practices and attitudes. Youth-focused coursework has been integrated into the Christian education curriculum, and the summer academy serves as an ideal training and research ground for master's and doctoral students. "It is not only the high school theologians who are challenged and transformed through participation in YTI," says Brian Mahan, director of Candler’s Program in Christian Education. "Our faculty and graduate students also find themselves immersed in a unique learning situation in which their own ideals, teaching and counseling skills and theological assumptions are put to the test on a daily basis."
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