Austin Seminary Receives Grant to Develop Transformative Theological Training on Engaging the Texas-Mexico Borderlands

Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is excited to announce that it has received a grant from the Wabash Center to create and launch a theological training program titled Pedagogical Experience on Migration, Forced Displacement, and Border Realities: A Texas-Mexico Border Perspective. The program will provide three immersive workshops that empower faculty to engage the realities of the borderlands in their classroom critically, provide theological and socio-political resources that integrate Christian theology with advocacy for immigrant justice, and create a toolkit for professors to use in their classrooms and faith communities to engage in faithful action. The Reverend Dr. Crystal Silva-McCormick, assistant professor of Mission and Evangelism and director of Latinx Studies, wrote the grant and will oversee the creation of the project.   

“The Wabash Grant comes at a salient time for the seminary and for the call of the church,” said Silva-McCormick. “As Austin Seminary shifts to a theological emphasis on the borderlands, the nation is witnessing an escalation in the levels of violence and injustice in the immigration system. This grant will provide faculty with the opportunity to grow their cultural competency and pedagogical approaches to the classroom, as well as draw connections between their respective disciplines and unjust systems that force migration.” 

The Texas-Mexico borderlands are a dynamic space with unique cultural expressions, spiritual depth, and social struggles. It is a space that embodies the complex intersections of identity, spirituality, and resistance in the face of the separation wall and the grueling journey many immigrants are forced to make. Given Austin Seminary’s mission and geographical location, it seeks to foster an environment of unparalleled cross-cultural learning, understanding, and development that embodies and teaches the realities of the borderlands.

This new grant-funded training promises to have a decisive impact on shaping faculty competency and creativity, the seminary curricula, culture, student demographics, and faith-based advocacy. Moreover, this project will help create resources that can be used inside and outside the classroom to prepare adaptive, imaginative leaders who bridge divides, inspire faith, and make an impact where God calls them.