Andrew Wilson | |
---|---|
Born | |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Harvard University |
Occupation(s) | Professor, Academic Dean |
Employer | Unification Theological Seminary |
Known for | Unification Church theologian, author, educator |
Andrew Wilson (born December 26, 1950), full name Andrew Murray Wilson, is the Director of Scriptural Research [1] and Professor of Scriptural Studies of the Unification Theological Seminary (UTS), the main seminary of the international Unification Church. [2]
Wilson edited World Scripture: A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts (published 1991), [3] a comparative anthology that contains over 4,000 scriptural passages from 268 sacred texts and 55 oral traditions. [4] Gifford Lecturer Ninian Smart wrote the book's foreword. [3] Its publisher quotes include praise for its contribution to comparative religion from clergy, scholars, and practitioners of multiple faith traditions, [3] and it has been briefly and favorably mentioned in multiple non-UTS publications. [5] Peace studies professor Lester Kurtz called the online version of the book, which is available in multiple online locations, [6] a "wonderful compendium". [7] The online version of World Scripture is linked to by many collegiate [8] and independent [9] websites as a comparative religion resource.
In Controversial New Religions, James R. Lewis describes Wilson as "a leading Unification scholar." [10] Wilson has been editor of UTS's academic Journal of Unification Studies since its inception in 1997 [11] [12] and of all the contributors of this journal, he has the most hits, with 194,242, with his paper entitled "40th Anniversary Forum: The Unification Church in America". [13] Wilson led the translation committee for the main scripture of the Unification Church, Exposition of the Divine Principle. [14] [15] and co-author of Cultivating Heart and Character: Educating for Life's Most Essential Goals. [16] Wilson serves as senior advisor [17] and chair of the editorial board [18] for the Unification Church-sponsored New World Encyclopedia.
Born a Jew, [10] Wilson performs speaking [19] and leadership roles [20] in the Unification Church's Middle East Peace Initiative, with a focus on Christian–Jewish reconciliation. [21] He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University in 1971, and later obtained an M.T.S from Harvard Divinity School and Ph.D. from Harvard. [22] Wilson was subject to a forced deprogramming attempt in 1975, and in late 1980 protested a Harvard talk on the subject by cult critic Margaret Thaler Singer. [22] Wilson joined the faculty of Unification Theological Seminary in 1985, the year his Ph.D. thesis was published. [23] At UTS, Wilson currently teaches a variety of scriptural studies, living traditions, and theology courses. [24]
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Library Journal, Bill Piekarski highlights the online version of World Scripture in a "Religious Pluralism on the Web" roundup.(Piekarski, Bill (2001-02-01). "Webwatch-Religious Pluralism on the Web".
Library Journal. 126 (2).) In the
Chronicle of Higher Education, the online version is mentioned as a case study in converting a book to a web resource. (S., R. (1996-11-01). "Project Will Aid the Study of Religion".
Chronicle of Higher Education. 43 (10): A27.)
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