Templeton Religion Trust

Understanding the impact of the Rose Way.

We are grateful to Templeton Religion Trust (TRT) for supporting a major initiative to evaluate, refine, and strengthen the impact of the Rose Way across diverse contexts and sectors. 

TRT’s catalytic funding enables RCF to work closely with leading practitioners and researchers in religion, peacebuilding, sociology, psychology, and monitoring and evaluation. Together with partners from Israel, South Africa, Pakistan and the UK, we are grounding the Rose Way in evidence of best practice and identifying areas for innovation and growth. 

The insights generated from this research are supporting RCF to develop a detailed theory of change for the Rose Way—a foundational framework that will empower us to: 

• Generate robust, mixed-methods evidence about the impact of the Rose Way
• Identify pathways to scale and adapt the Rose Way in different sectors and contexts
• Strengthen the interdisciplinary foundations of faith-informed reconciliation
• Support partners to integrate evidence-based practices into their own peacebuilding work and equip local practitioners with context-specific approaches 

The Christian Wisdom of Reconciliation (CWR)

A Multi-University Research Collaboration

We are witnessing the widespread fracturing of nations, societies and communities. Tragically, this is also reflected in the global church. In the 21st Century there is a renewed urgency to take Jesus’ desire for unity among Christians more seriously (John 17), and for doing something about it. 

In response, Rose Castle Foundation is convening leading theologians from the Universities of Durham, Cambridge, Aberdeen, and Oxford to explore the deep wisdom within Christian traditions for participating in the ministry of peace and reconciliation. 

Generously supported by the McDonald Agape Foundation, this two-year research initiative brings together theologians and practitioners from a range of academic disciplines and denominations. Together, we are examining what it means to cultivate wise, resilient, character-forming habits and practices that shape Christians for the work of reconciliation in divided contexts. 

A central focus of this project is how Christians can intentionally engage Scripture amid disagreement. Piloting Biblical Reasoning – a companion practice to interfaith Scriptural Reasoning – in communities and seminaries across South Africa, the UK, and the United States, we are finding it to be a powerful and accessible practice that helps leaders draw on their deepest sources of wisdom and navigate difference with humility and theological depth. Our experience is that carefully facilitated shared study, prayerful reflection, and structured dialogue around Scripture helps model and cultivate the habits that form resilient reconcilers—people able to hold tension, listen across divides, and discern faithfully in wounded or conflicted contexts. 

The project will culminate in the publication of our book “Twelve Habits for Peacemakers: Christian Wisdom on Reconciliation” with Canterbury Press in 2026. 

The book offers a compelling framework for Christian formation in contexts marked by division, woundedness, and systemic injustice. It also lays the groundwork for: 

• New toolkits and training resources for churches, dioceses and Christian institutions
• Leadership development programmes for lay and ordained leaders
• Practical pathways for integrating theological wisdom with peacebuilding practice 

In addition, we have secured a dedicated edition of the prestigious journal Modern Theology, focusing on “The Promise of Biblical Reasoning,” further situating this work within leading academic discourse. 

Together, these projects strengthen the evidence base for the Rose Way, deepen our theological and practical foundations, and equip partners to understand both the art and the science of faith-informed reconciliation.