http://www.aarweb.org/About_AAR/Related_Organizations/Default.asp
Affiliates and Related Scholarly Organizations
Affiliates
The AAR is affiliated with a number of organizations and institutions, including
American Council of Learned Societies: AAR has been a member since 1979
Columbia University Press: publisher of the American Lectures in the History of Religions
Emory University: AAR co-owns, along with the SBL, the Luce Center on Emory's campus
International Association for the History of Religions: member since 2010
National Humanities Alliance: active member and sponsor of Humanities Advocacy Day
Oxford University Press: publisher of JAAR and five AAR book series
Sakai Foundation: member since 2010
Society of Biblical Literature: AAR and SBL hold concurrent Annual Meetings
Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning: AAR is a partner on the Syllabus Project
Related Scholarly Organizations
The AAR's Policy Statement on RSOs and information on how to apply for RSO status is available on the AAR Policy Statement on Related Scholarly Organizations page.
Current RSOs
African Association for the Study of Religions
Association of Practical Theology
Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies
Center for Interdisciplinary Study of Monotheistic Religions
Christian Theological Research Fellowship
Colloquium on Violence and Religion
Consortium of Christian Study Centers
European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism
European Society of Women in Theological Research
Evangelical Philosophical Society
Highlands Institute for American Religious and Philosophical Thought
International Association for the Cognitive Science of Religion
International Bonhoeffer Society-English Language Section
International Society for Chinese Philosophy
Karl Barth Society of North America
La Comunidad of Hispanic Scholars
Niebuhr Society
North American Association for the Study of Religion
North American Paul Tillich Society
Polanyi Society
Psychology, Culture, and Religion
Société internationale d'études sur Alfred Loisy
Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy
Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies
Society for Hindu-Christian Studies
Society for the Arts in Religious and Theological Studies
Society for the Study of Chinese Religions
Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality
Society of Christian Philosophers
Søren Kierkegaard Society
Theta Alpha Kappa
Thomas F. Torrance Theological Fellowship
African
Association for the Study of Religions
Association of Practical TheologyThe African Association for the Study of Religions is an academic association of the scholars of religions posted in universities in Africa, and of scholars of the religions of Africa posted in universities outside Africa. It was founded at an IAHR (International Association for the History of Religions) conference in Harare, Zimbabwe, in September 1992 for the purpose of promoting the academic study of the religions of Africa more generally through the international collaboration of all scholars whose research has a bearing on the subject. The AASR seeks to stimulate the academic study of religions of Africa in a variety of ways: providing a forum for multilateral communications between scholars of African religions; facilitating the exchange of resources and information; encouraging the development of linkages and research contacts between scholars and institutions in Africa, and between scholars in Africa and those overseas. The AASR also endeavors to assist scholars to publish their work and travel to professional meetings. The AASR is an affiliate of the IAHR since 1995. It meets at the IAHR quinquennial congress and organizes conferences in Africa. Its members participate in panels at conferences outside of Africa. The AASR publishes the bi-annual AASR Bulletin and maintains a web site: www.a-asr.org. AASR plans for an online journal are at an advanced stage.
AASR shares AAR’s commitment to furthering knowledge of religion and religious institutions in all their forms and manifestations through disciplined research and reflection on religion at conferences and through publications. The AAR Annual Meetings are a great opportunity for members of our scholarly organization to interact with other colleagues who study religion in different parts of the world and present their work at this important forum. Participating in the Annual Meeting of the AAR is usually a high point for many of our members, both established and beginning scholars. Thus the RSO status facilitates AASR to bring unique theories and methods of study African religions to the diverse audience at AAR Annual Meetings where AAR brings together scholars of religion from all parts of the world. In addition to all the background work, smooth publicity, room arrangements for the AASR-NA are an added RSO status benefit. I am pleased to report that during the last several Annual Meetings, the number of scholars attending from Africa have gone up, thanks to innovative AAR projects like the annual focus, and special support from the AAR and the IAHR.
Our range of our research on African religions continues to grow and our members have contributed significantly to research on HIV and AIDS during the last 30 years. Other areas where our colleagues have contributed significantly is the study of African Initiated Churches and the growing research on Pentecostalism, politics, the role of Non Governmental organizations and Faith Based Organizations, and religion, gender, and culture. As an affiliate of the IAHR, we continue to foster rigorous research on methodological issues which includes, but not limited to, historical studies, ethnographic work, phenomenological studies and critical reflection and analysis of texts and religious artifacts in our context.
Claire Wolfteich, Boston University
Center for Advanced Holocaust StudiesThe purpose of the Association of Practical Theology (APT) is to promote critical reflection on theology and practice. Reconstituted from its predecessor organizations in 1984, the APT was sparked by the understanding of practical theology as an integrative hermeneutical endeavor at the heart of theological education that includes critical examination of religious traditions and practices and exploration of the contributions of ministerial sub-disciplines. The APT meets annually in conjunction with the AAR and biennially for a three-day conference. APT meetings at the AAR draw national and international scholars from a variety of disciplines (members of APT and non-members) and the biennial meeting allows for more in depth study of specific issues and the conduct of official business. The APT posts proceedings, membership information, and other news on its website (www.practicaltheology.org) and welcomes new members from all areas of religious and theological study.
Victoria J. Barnett, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
The Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum supports scholarship and publications in the field of Holocaust studies, promotes the growth of Holocaust studies at American universities, seeks to foster strong relationships between American and international scholars, and initiates programs to ensure the ongoing training of future generations of scholars specializing in the Holocaust. The Center accomplishes its mission through sponsorship of fellowship opportunities; seminars for teaching faculty at the college and university levels; research projects and publications; summer research workshops, conferences, lectures, and symposia; and the evaluation, collection, and making available of Holocaust-related archival materials. The Committee on Church Relations and the Holocaust, an integral part of the Center, serves as a resource for individuals and groups grappling with the ethical and philosophical issues raised by the Holocaust and contemporary antisemitism, and through its panels, symposia, and workshops investigates the relationship of the Holocaust to the past history and future potential of Jewish/Christian relations.
Center for Interdisciplinary Study of Monotheistic Religions
Katsuhiro Kohara, Doshisha University
The Center for Interdisciplinary Study of Monotheistic Religions (CISMOR), established in 2003, conducts comprehensive and interdisciplinary research and educational activities related to the monotheistic world. It fosters specialists who can help to achieve coexistence among different civilizations and at the same time makes the results of its research available to the world at large, with the goal of becoming a mediator between the Islamic, Judaic, and Christian worlds. Although, the three Abrahamic religions that originated in the Middle East–Judaism, Christianity, and Islam–are closely related as brothers, Western countries have a long history of repeated conflicts and antagonism with the Islamic world. In order to achieve peace, security, and the coexistence of civilizations in today’s world, we must undertake comprehensive and interdisciplinary educational and research activities from a civilizational perspective. CISMOR is unlike any other research institute in the world because it centralizes in-depth interdisciplinary research on all three Abrahamic religions and also because of its unique location in Japan, a country that is free of historical or cultural constraints on such studies, thus allowing the institute to take an entirely objective point of view. Research on Abrahamic religions is still a comparatively new field in Japan, and there is still a lot to be learned. By increasing our understanding of Abrahamic religions, we will at the same time contribute to a deeper understanding of Japanese religion. We try to find the way to contribute to reform the Abrahamic religions from the stand point of Japanese religiosity.
Christian
Theological Research Fellowship
Bernie Van De Walle, Ambrose University College
The Christian Theological Research Fellowship is a distinctively Christian research organization in systematic and moral theology and related disciplines. The society exists to promote and sustain fellowship and truth-seeking (fides quaerens intellectum) in theological reflection upon the Christian faith, within the mainstream of the Christian tradition. We see ourselves as a spiritual fellowship in service to the Church of Messiah Jesus.
Colloquium on Violence and Religion
Martha Reineke, University of Northern Iowa
The Colloquium on Violence and Religion is an international association of scholars founded in 1990. It is dedicated to the exploration, criticism, and development of René Girard’s mimetic model of the relationship between violence and religion in the genesis and maintenance of culture. In promoting research in mimetic theory, COV&R welcomes scholars and others from diverse fields and theoretical orientations who are interested in the foundational role of imitation in individual human lives and cultures. In addition to gathering at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion, the Colloquium meets each summer, alternating between North American and European venues. COV&R’s publications include a website (http://www.uibk.ac.at/theol/cover/), a book series, Studies in Violence, Mimesis, and Culture, published by Michigan State University Press, the journal Contagion and a biannual newsletter (Bulletin of the Colloquium on Violence and Religion). The coordinator of COV&R at the AAR is Professor Martha Reineke, University of Northern Iowa (martha.reineke@uni.edu). COV&R membership information: http://www.uibk.ac.at/theol/cover/aboutcover/membership.html.
Consortium of Christian Study Centers
The Consortium of Christian Study Centers (CCSC) exists to advance the growth and effectiveness of Christian Study Centers at colleges and universities around the world. In pursuit of its mission, CCSC has the following goals: to promote collaboration among Study Centers and other like-minded organizations, to provide mutual stimulation and resources to existing Study Centers, to encourage and support the development of new Study Centers, and to raise awareness of the Study Center movement. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.studycentersonline.org.
European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism
Mark Sedgwick, Aarhus University
The European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (ESSWE) was established in 2005 to advance the academic study of the various manifestations of Western esotericism from late antiquity to the present, and to secure the future development of the field. To these ends, the ESSWE holds an international conference every two years in a major European city, publishes an affiliated journal, Aries, a related book series, and a Newsletter (normally appearing twice a year), and provides various resources on its website. Occasional workshops, prizes and travel bursaries are also used to advance the ESSWE’s objectives. Full membership is open to scholars of Western Esotericism based at European institutions and to scholars based elsewhere who are interested in Western Esotericism in Europe, and non-voting associate membership is open to all. Membership provides free access to some of the ESSWE’s activities and discounted access to some other activities. Student members and scholars from former East Bloc countries receive further discounts.
European
Society of Women in Theological Research
Susanne Scholz
Founded in 1986 in Switzerland, the ESWTR is a scholarly network of women scholars in theological research and religious studies. Currently, the Society has more than 500 members who come from different religious, denominational, national, and academic backgrounds. The ESWTR provides the opportunity for women researchers from the European continent to meet and to dialogue with each other at biannual international conferences held in different European countries. Conference themes raise important issues in feminist theological and religious research. During the year in which no international meeting takes place, members meet nationally or regionally. Currently, country or regional groups exist in Austria, Belgium, Britain, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Republic of Georgia, Greece, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway, Northern America, Palestine, Poland, Rumania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Membership is open to women engaged in the academic study of theology, religious studies, and related areas. They may live and work in Europe, hold a European passport, or may be admitted after special consideration by the Board. Members receive the ESWTR Newsletter and the annually published Journal of the ESWTR.
Evangelical
Philosophical Society
R. Scott Smith, La Mirada, California
The mission of the Evangelical Philosophical Society is to glorify God through a biblically faithful pursuit of philosophy by fostering the use of the mind to understand God and the world he created and encouraging and enabling evangelical philosophers as they engage philosophical and spiritual issues in the academy, church, and culture.
Highlands Institute for American Religious and Philosophical Thought
The Highlands Institute for American Religious and Philosophical Thought is a community of productive scholars contributing to the academic study of religion and philosophy through interpretive, critical, and constructive reflections on distinctively American religious and philosophical thought. It fosters broad discussion through its sponsorship of conferences, seminars, workshops, and publications. The work of the Institute emphasizes: (1) Theological and philosophical reflections, especially where these efforts have utilized the American philosophical and religious traditions; (2) The history and development of liberal religious thought in America; (3) Themes pertinent to the “Chicago School” of theology; and (4) Naturalism in American theology and philosophy.
International Association for the Cognitive Science of Religion
The International Association for the Cognitive Science of Religion (IACSR) was founded in 2006. The IACSR is an interdisciplinary association, including scholars from a wide variety of disciplines in the human, social, natural and health sciences that are interested in the academic, scientific study of religious phenomena. The objective of the IACSR is to promote the cognitive science of religion through international collaboration of all scholars whose research has a bearing on the subject. This objective is attained through scholarly activities such as the arrangement of biennial conferences as well as interim local meetings, the encouragement of research projects and support of scholarly. For more information, see our website at http://www.iacsr.com.
International Bonhoeffer Society-English Language Section
John W. Matthews, Apple Valley, Minnesota
The International Bonhoeffer Society: English Language Section is an interfaith scholarly organization. It was founded in 1971 to promote research in the theology, ethics, and life of the German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945). The English Language Section has members in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and other lands. It is governed by an elected board and society officers. Society membership is open to all persons interested in the theology, life, and spiritual influence of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and in constructive theological and pastoral studies inspired by his legacy.
International
Society for Chinese Philosophy
Eric Sean Nelson, University of Massachusetts Lowell
The International Society for Chinese Philosophy (ISCP) is a non-profit organization formed for the purpose of uniting persons affiliated with the study and research of Chinese Philosophy or interested in promoting the study and research of Chinese Philosophy in both academic and non-academic circles. By "Chinese Philosophy" is meant the whole philosophical tradition and heritage within the span of Chinese history and the spectrum of Chinese civilization. The term "Chinese Philosophy" also connotes the areas of logical, metaphysical, ethical, aesthetical, and epistemological thinking and reflection in reference to the Chinese philosophical tradition and heritage, Chinese language, Chinese society, and Chinese civilization. The society organizes and sponsors conferences and conference panels on Chinese philosophy. Its official journal is the Journal of Chinese Philosophy (Blackwell Publishers, Inc.). ISCP also sponsors and co-sponsors philosophical, educational, cultural or scientific activities in cooperation with educational, cultural, philosophical, or scientific institutions or organizations associated with the study and research of Chinese Philosophy.
Karl Barth Society of
North America
George Hunsinger, Princeton Theological Seminary
The Society’s membership is open to all interested parties: scholars, students, pastors, laypersons. A newsletter is published twice a year, edited by Dr. Paul D. Molnar, Department of Theology and Religious Studies, St. John’s University, 8000 Utopia Parkway, Queens, NY 11439. Annual dues are $20 (students $10). A Web site is posted by the Center for Barth Studies at Princeton Theological Seminary, Clifford B. Anderson: barth.studies@ptsem.edu. The Web site contains substantial articles as well as information about events. Two sessions are held each year as Additional Meetings at the AAR Annual Meeting: one on Friday afternoon, the other on Saturday morning. As perhaps is only appropriate, the Society is always more of an event than an institution, whose irregular activities have earned it the well-known Barthian motto: providentia dei, confusione hominum.
La Comunidad of Hispanic
Scholars
Gastón Espinosa, Claremont McKenna College
La Comunidad is an ecumenical association of Hispanic scholars of religion. La Comunidad proactively advances the interests and scholarship of Latinas and Latinos in biblical, theological, and religious studies. For more information, please contact Gastón Espinosa, gaston.espinosa@claremontmckenna.edu, or Efrain Agosto, eagosto@hartsem.edu.
Niebuhr Society
Kevin Carnahan, Central Methodist University
The Niebuhr Society was organized in 2003 as a non-profit organization. “The Society is dedicated to historical, critical, and constructive study of the thought of Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971) and … scholarly engagement with the moral, political, and theological questions that were central to his work. The Niebuhr Society serves these purposes through presentations and discussion at its annual meeting, dissemination of information about relevant programs and activities, and support for the collection, preservation, and publication of material related to Reinhold Niebuhr’s life and work …. The Society encourages participation by persons from a wide variety of religious backgrounds, academic disciplines, and political viewpoints and seeks to develop a program that reflects the breadth of Niebuhr’s interests and concerns.” The Society remains in contact not only through its annual meetings but also through occasional emails updating membership on recent developments in Niebuhr studies, and through our Society webpage.
North
American Association for the Study of Religion
Robert Yelle, University of Memphis
The North American Association for the Study of Religion (NAASR) was founded in 1985 to encourage historical, comparative, structural, theoretical, and cognitive approaches to the study of religion; to represent North American scholars of religion at the international level; and to sustain communication between North American scholars and their international colleagues engaged in the study of religion. NAASR was affiliated to the IAHR at the XVIth congress in 1990. NAASR holds meetings concurrently with the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) and has been a Related Scholarly Organization of the AAR since 1998. NAASR sponsors a quarterly journal published by Brill, Method & Theory in the Study of Religion (MTSR), which is the only international periodical devoted exclusively to methodological and theoretical topics in the academic study of religion. NAASR also sponsors a book series, Key Thinkers in the Study of Religion, which is published by Equinox.
North American Paul Tillich Society
Frederick J. Parrella, Santa Clara University
Founded in 1975, the 250-member NAPTS is concerned with Paul Tillich's (1886-1965) philosophical-theological thought, with its analysis, critique, and revision; with the implications and the use of this thought in political, social, psychotherapeutic, scientific, artistic, and ethico-religious spheres; the application of Tillich’s thought to questions he himself could never have imagined in his lifetime; finally, with the impact and the creative extension of Tillich's legacy. The Society meets annually in conjunction with AAR, organizes international conferences, collaborates with the German, French speaking, and several other Tillich societies, awards an annual student paper prize, and sponsors publications. The quarterly Bulletin carries papers from meetings and other information on Tillich, publication, letters, et al. Dues $50/year. Membership: Frederick Parrella, Religious Studies, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, 95053-0335 or fparrella@scu.edu.
Polanyi
Society
Phil Mullins, Missouri Western State University
The Polanyi Society, formed in 1972, includes in its membership scholars and students who, inspired by the thought of Michael Polanyi (1891-1976), seek to explore and expand upon his seminal ideas. A Hungarian by birth, Polanyi began his distinguished career as a physical chemist in Germany and England, but it is his later work in economics, social thought, and especially philosophy that continues to be influential today. Polanyi’s Gifford Lectures, Personal Knowledge, was a pioneer work demonstrating the contextual, theory-laden, faith-shaped, and passionate character of all human endeavors, including theology and religious practice as well as science and the arts. The Polanyi Society holds its Annual Meeting Friday evening and Saturday morning at the beginning of the AAR Annual Meeting. Papers to be discussed are posted prior to the meeting on the Society website, www.missouriwestern.edu/orgs/polanyi/. Archived copies and current issues of the Polanyi Society’s peer-reviewed journal, Tradition and Discovery (three issues a year), information about joining the Society, upcoming meetings, and links to Polanyi essays will be found on the website. Personal Knowledge is sub-titled “Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy,” and the Society invites all those who are interested in exploring postfoundational versions of epistemology, philosophy of religion, ethics, and theology to join with us. Polanyi’s notions of tacit knowing, heuristic passion, and conviviality are among the many contributions he makes to this ongoing venture.
Psychology, Culture, and
Religion
Kelly Bulkeley, Graduate Theological Union
The Psychology, Culture, and Religion Group is an informal association of scholars and practitioners in the fields of religion and psychology broadly defined, who share common interests in the relationship between religion, psychology, and contemporary cultures. Working at the intersections of religion and psychology, the group enables participants to contextualize religious studies in relationship to the theory and practice of psychotherapy and pastoral counseling. PCR's location on the boundary of academic study and applied professions like clinical psychology and pastoral psychotherapy results in rich, varied, and stimulating interdisciplinary conversations of a kind uncommon in the AAR generally. Elements of the dialogue have included modern and postmodern developments in psychology, counseling, cultural, and social anthropology, sociology, feminist studies, critical literary theory, and other forms of interpretive theory.
Société internationale d'études sur Alfred Loisy
C.J.T. Talar, University of St. Thomas, Houston
The Société is a non-profit association formed to foster study of the French exegete and scholar of religion, Alfred Loisy (1857-1940) and of the Roman Catholic Modernist movement in which he figured so prominently. It was formed to foster international communication and contact among scholars from a variety of disciplines as well as other interested parties whose work and interests bear upon issues that surfaced in the latter decades of the nineteenth century and remain of enduring religious significance.
Society
for Asian and Comparative Philosophy
Gereon Kopf, Luther College
The SACP was established in 1967 as a nonprofit organization aimed at advancing the development of the disciplines of Asian and comparative philosophy in the international academic arena, and bringing together Asian and Western philosophers for a mutually beneficial exchange of ideas. It holds panels in conjunction with the American Philosophical Association, the Association of Asian Studies, and the American Academy of Religion. Annual individual membership dues for the SACP are $35 ($20 for students and professors emeriti) and include a subscription to the SACP Forum.The Society also sponsors a monograph series on specialized topics published by the University of Hawai'i Press. For more information about the SACP and about the Journal , Philosophy East and West, please see our website at http://www.sacpweb.org.
Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies
Miriam Levering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
The Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies was founded in 1987 to provide an ongoing organization for those committed to study, reflection, interchange, and practice arising out of Buddhist-Christian encounters. The purposes of the Society are 1) To serve as a coordinating body supporting activities related to the comparative study of, and the practical interaction between, Buddhism and Christianity, by groups and individuals; 2) To encourage those who report on Buddhist-Christian dialogue and comparative study to employ analytical and theoretical tools and to set their discussion within the framework of our larger human history; 3) To be as inclusive as possible in all its activities, seeking a balance with regard to geography, ethnicity, age, sex, denomination or lineage, cultural tradition, and leadership in both academic and religion institutions, and in the public and private sectors. The Society meets annually in conjunction with the national AAR meeting, having board meetings and a program session one day prior (Friday) to the start of the AAR schedule (Saturday). There is a second program session on Saturday morning. International conferences lasting approximately five days are held every four years, usually in the summer. The Society publishes a scholarly journal, The Journal for Buddhist-Christian Studies (Univ. of Hawaii) and a biannual newsletter. The Society’s website, www.society-buddhist-christian-studies.org, includes membership information, upcoming dialogue events, conference summaries, newsletters, and links, including one to the newly launched Buddhist-Christian Studies Database housed at Boston College.
Society for Hindu-Christian Studies
Reid Locklin, University of Toronto
The Society for Hindu-Christian Studies was founded in November, 1994 as a logical extension to the dialogue and scholarship being carried on in the Hindu-Christian Studies Bulletin (now the Journal of Hindu Christian Studies), which first appeared in 1988 under its founding editor, Dr. Harold Coward. The society is dedicated to the study of Hinduism and Christianity and their interrelationships. It seeks to create a forum for the presentation of historical research and studies of contemporary practice for the fostering of dialogue and interreligious conversation carried forward in a spirit of openness, respect, and true inquiry. Committed to scholarly interchange according to accepted traditional and contemporary methods, the society understands its scope broadly, so as to include issues related to religious practice, spirituality, and education; it is interested in supporting activities related to the comparative study of Hinduism and Christianity. Our membership includes Christians interested in the study of Hinduism, Hindus interested in the study of Christianity, and scholars – Hindu, Christian, and other – interested in the historical and contemporary interactions of Hinduism and Christianity.
Society for the Arts in Religious and Theological Studies
Robin Jensen, Vanderbilt University
The Society for the Arts in Religious and Theological Studies was organized to provide a forum for scholars and artists interested in the intersections among theology, religion, and the arts. The society wishes to advance the discipline in theological and religious studies curricula. The goal of the society is to attract consistent participation of a core group of artists and scholars of theology and religion in order to have dialogue about the theological and religious meaning of the arts and the artistic/aesthetic dimension of theological and religious inquiry.
Society
for the Study of Chinese Religions
James Robson, Harvard University
The annual membership dues for the Society are $30 ($15 for students and retired). In order to become a new member of SSCR, send a check payable in U.S. dollars to the SSCR treasurer: Jonathan R. Herman; Dept. of Philosophy, Georgia State University; Atlanta, GA 30302-4089; TEL: 1-404-651-0714; jherman2@gsu.edu. The membership fee pays for the receipt of the annually produced Journal of Chinese Religions. Make sure to include your full address and your e-mail address with the payment. Additional information on published works (books or articles), recently read papers or presentations, and work in progress is also useful and welcome.
Society for the Study of Christian
Spirituality
Anita Houck, Saint Mary's College
The Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality promotes research and dialogue within the growing community of people interested in spirituality. Formed in 1991, the SSCS is ecumenical and strives to be inclusive of the widest possible range of expressions of Christian spirituality. It is interdisciplinary and welcomes the application of diverse disciplines to the study of spirituality. While the emphasis of the SSCS is clearly on Christian spirituality, it seeks to foster creative dialogue with other traditions of spirituality. Although the Society is comprised of people from diverse, academically oriented communities, the SSCS also appeals to nonscholars such as pastors, practitioners, and those in the helping professions. For more information please contact Anita Houck at ahouck@saintmarys.edu.
Society
of Christian Philosophers
Christina Van Dyke, Calvin College
The Society of Christian Philosophers was organized in 1978 to promote fellowship among Christian Philosophers and to stimulate study and discussion of issues which arise from their Christian and philosophical commitments. One of its chief aims is to go beyond the usual philosophy of religion sessions at the American Philosophical Association and to stimulate thinking about the nature and role of Christian commitment in philosophy. Informal discussion among several Christian philosophers led them to believe that it was possible to form a group designed to promote philosophizing and fellowship among philosophers who shared a commitment to Christianity. Past Presidents include William Alston, Robert Merrihew Adams, Alvin Plantinga, Marilyn McCord Adams, George Mavrodes, Nicholas Wolterstorff, Eleonore Stump, C. Stephen Evans, and Robert Audi. Peter van Inwagen, University of Notre Dame is the current President of the SCP, and Christina Van Dyke of Calvin College is the Executive Director. The Society is open to anyone interested in philosophy who considers himself or herself a Christian. Membership is not restricted to any particular "school" of philosophy or to any branch of Christianity, nor to professional philosophers.
Søren Kierkegaard
Society
Jason Mahn, Augustana College (AAR representative)
John Davenport, Fordham University (president)
Founded by Robert L. Perkins in 1979, the Søren Kierkegaard Society (SKs) exists to encourage study and discussion of the thought of Søren Kierkegaard in all its dimensions and ramifications, including its sources, influences, and implications for contemporary thought. SKs is affiliated with the American Academy of Religion and the American Philosophical Association and usually holds a business meeting at the AAR, though sometimes at the APA. The Society normally host a dinner meeting on the Friday evening at the start of the AAR annual convention; this includes a distinguished guest speaker. The Society also normally organizes a session at the AAR, and encourages scholarship on Kierkegaard in connection with meetings of the AAR, SBL, and APA through an executive committee that includes members of both organizations. Membership in SKs is open to all who are interested in Kierkegaard, and we have members and speakers from around the world. An annual newsletter, a website, and emails inform members of calls for papers and upcoming programs. To join the SKs, please contact the Society's Secretary-Treasurer, Mark Tietjen, University of West Georgia, at mtietjen@westga.edu.
Theta
Alpha Kappa
C. David Grant, Texas Christian University
Founded in 1976 at Manhattan College, Theta Alpha Kappa is the only national honor society for religious and/or theological studies to be accredited by the Association of College Honor Societies. Governed by a national Board of Directors, Theta Alpha Kappa currently comprises more than 250 chapters in diverse institutions around the country. Theta Alpha Kappa's dedication to the recognition of excellence is manifest in programs including the publication of a journal, an annual fellowship competition, and annual award programs for outstanding undergraduates. For more information, please write to the current president, C. David Grant, at d.grant@tcu.edu.
Thomas F. Torrance Theological
Fellowship
Paul D. Molnar, St. John's University
This distinctively Christian research organization is devoted to the exploration, development, and dissemination of the theology of T.F. Torrance and other theologians contributing to this endeavor. The society exists to promote and sustain fellowship and truth-seeking (fides quaerens intellectum) in theological reflection upon the Christian faith, within the mainstream of the Christian Church and tradition in light of the theological legacy of Thomas F. Torrance. We are a Christian Fellowship serving the Christian faith and the renewal of the Church of Jesus Christ. Membership is open to all scholars, pastors and laypersons who are interested in research in Christian theology and related disciplines, and are in accord with the above mentioned Mission Statement. We support free inquiry and critical examination of the many facets of theology and religion, especially as these relate to issues that concerned Torrance himself, such as the relationship between Science and Religion and how to interpret specific Christian doctrines and their implications for today. We seek to bring T. F. Torrance’s important thinking into conversation with other significant theologians in an academic way so as to advance a better understanding of the nature of and meaning of contemporary Christian theology. Our website, http://www.tftorrance.org/, contains information about membership, meetings, the Board of Directors and about T. F. Torrance himself. At present we are planning to meet as an Additional Meeting at the AAR on Friday afternoons. Please check our website for the most up-to-date information.
Please see also the list of Other Scholarly Organizations & Resources (outside the RSO program).
