A New Article I Wrote Published in SIS Journal

A recent article I've written has just been published in the peer-reviewed journal Studies in Spirituality, which approaches the subject of religious spirituality from a scholarly-academic perspective. My article is an outline and critical comparison of the Buddhist "perfection of wisdom" in The Perfection of Wisdom in 8000 Lines and the Christian "righteoused by faith" in Paul's letter to the Romans - both as paradigms of ultimate transformation.

To view abstracts and ordering information, visit here.

Journal of Inter-religious Dialogue Releases Its Second Issue

The Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue has just released its second issue of peer-reviewed scholarly articles called "Engaging the Taboo: Gender, Sexuality, and the Body in Our Religious Traditions." This topic is very crucial in today's milieu and is an extremely important issue to be dealt with within and among the religious traditions of the world.

The Journal offers a novel way of establishing long-term dialogue and collaboration between religious communities and individuals with a compelling and scholastic methodology.

The Journal is available to read online in a free web platform.

New Psychology and Religion Journal

A new journal, Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, has been launched earlier this year which publishes articles using experimental and correlational methods, qualitative analyses, and critical reviews of literature pertaining to topics of religion and spirituality. The editor is Dr. Ralph Piedmont and is published (and thus approved) by the APA.

This journal is a significant move in the relationship between science and religion, particularly from the scientific side of the issue. That is, since the European Enlightenment and scientific revolution, which centralized and standardized the use of reason and empirical methodology, scientists have largely been reluctant to attempt to study humans concerning religion and spirituality. However, this journal represents an attempt by science (specifically, psychologists who have been for decades trying to attain increasing credibility in the "hard" sciences) to better understand what religion and spirituality are about from the perspective of the cognitive and behavioral scientific perspective and using these methodologies. As the first academic peer-reviewed journal to treat how faith affects human behavior, it is a monumental step in the direction of greater learning among scientists about the benefits of religion for humanity and will boost the dialogue between scientists and people of faith.

See more info about the journal at the APA website.

Listen to the editor Dr. Piedmont in an interview on Interfaith Voices.

(Above image from APA journal webpage.)

The First Issue of the Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue - May 1, 2009

For those who keep up with interreligious engagement and exchange throughout the English-speaking world, the inaugural issue of the Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue will be published this May 1, 2009. (Image to the left: From the homepage of Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue)

The Journal has been conceived and constructed by Joshua Stanton, a rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College, and Stephanie Hughes, a master's student at Union Theological Seminary. As stated on the website, the Journal is dedicated to increasing "the quality and frequency of interchanges between religious groups and their leaders and scholars." Managed and edited by a multifaith team of seminary students and scholars, this journal operates under a peer-review format. The overall aim of the Journal is to foster interreligious communication at the scholarly and religious leadership levels in the hope to help create a more tolerant and pluralistic society.

The Journal's aim is to 1) publish articles on research and scholarship taking place in seminaries, rabbinical schools, and other instititions of religious leadership; 2) promote innovative ideas for interfaith work; 3) identify problems and crises facing contemporary religious communities; 4) provide a forum for people of religious conviction (or none) to greater understand traditions other than their own; 5) use new technologies to promote the activity and practice of dialogue and engagement.

As there are numerous grass-roots and other organizations in North America and beyond that promote and engage in interfaith dialogue, action, and work, I feel that, although the Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue is not necessarily a novel endeavor, it certainly recognizes the need for a variety of forums for interreligious engagement and intends to serve in just such a manner. Specifically, it sets out to be a scholarly forum for religious leaders and academicians to learn more about other religious traditions and expand their knowledge-base concerning issues of interfaith relations. I feel the most innovative and exciting part of the Journal's work is its utilization of new online technology (esp. peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed published online forums, external links to more online dialogue, and a discourse archive linking people to publications of all types dealing with dialogue) to engender and increase interreligious exchange and understanding.

I trust this will be an intellectually stimulating, socially conscious, and spiritually enriching project. I encourage all who are interested in the least to get involved in any way you can. Peace!