Society for Hindu-Christian Studies
Mutual Engagement via Scholarly Exchange
Statement of Purpose
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, 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.
The words “Hindu” and “Christian” in our name indicate the general scope of our society, but their use is not intended to overlook the diversity within the several traditions, nor to reduce them to simplistic essences, nor to posit them as two exactly parallel traditions conformed to a single standard of religion. Essential to the work of the society will be the effort to unpack the terms “Christian” and “Hindu” productively.
We are aware our scholarship does not take place in a vacuum. There is a long history to the interactions between Christians and Hindus, and centuries of good and fruitful encounters must be balanced against a series of unfortunate factors as well, including colonialism, orientalist misreadings, clumsy missionary efforts, tendencies to relativize the faith of others and reduce it to a version of one’s own. Influential features of today’s situation–such as immigration, growing global economic and cultural interdependence, the simultaneous events of secularization and religious revival, shifting styles in the academic study of religion–mark the context in which the work of the society occurs. The meetings of the society welcome forthright and frank conversations in which important issues are brought forward and discussed.
The Society for Hindu-Christian Studies is a Related Scholarly Organization of the American Academy of Religion. The society’s role as the publisher of the Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies is central to its mission.
Officers of the Society
Kalpesh Bhatt, President (2023-2025)
Department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion
University of Mary Washington
Fredericksburg, VA 22401, U.S.A.
Email: kbhatt@umw.edu
Bhakti Mamtora, Vice President (2023-2025)
Department of Religious Studies and Classics
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85721, U.S.A.
Email: mamtora@arizona.edu
Stephanie Corigliano, Past President (2023-2025)
Religious Studies Department
Humboldt State University
Arcata, CA 95521, U.S.A.
Email: stephanie.corigliano@gmail.com
Arun W. Jones, Secretary (2021-2025)
Candler School of Theology
Emory University
Atlanta, GA 30322, U.S.A.
Email: arun.w.jones@emory.edu
Ted Ulrich, Treasurer (2022-2026)
Theology Department
University of St. Thomas
St. Paul, MN 55105, U.S.A.
Email: etulrich@stthomas.edu
Gopal Gupta, Editor, Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies
Joe Dunham Distinguished Professor of Ethics
Department of General Education
Aurora University
Aurora, IL 60506, U.S.A.
Email: journalhcs@gmail.com
Chad Bauman, Web Editor, Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies
Department of Philosophy and Religion
Butler University
Indianapolis, IN 46208, U.S.A.
Email: cbauman@butler.edu
Lance Nelson, Webmaster
Department of Theology and Religious Studies
University of San Diego
San Diego, CA 92110, U.S.A.
Email: lnelson@sandiego.edu
Assistant to Officers
Samantha Doar, Assistant Webmaster
Email: samanthadoar@gmail.com
Board of Directors
| Chad Bauman (2024-28) Department of Philosophy and Religion Butler University Indianapolis, IN 46208, U.S.A. Email: cbauman@butler.edu | Elsa Marty (2022-2026) University of Chicago Divinity School Chicago, IL 60637, U.S.A. Email: elsamarty@gmail.com |
| Kristin Bloomer (2023-27) Department of Religion Carleton College Northfield, MN 55057, U.S.A. Email: kbloomer@carleton.edu | Lance Nelson (2021-2025) Department of Theology & Religious Studies University of San Diego San Diego, CA 92110, U.S.A. Email: lnelson@sandiego.edu |
| Deepra Dandekar (2023-27) Editor, Nidan: International Journal for Indian Studies Department of South Asian History South Asia Institute (SAI) Heidelberg University 69115 Heidelberg, Germany Email: deepra.dandekar@sai.uni-heidelberg.de | James Elisha Taneti (2021-2025) Department of Theology/Ethics/History Union Presbyterian Seminary Richmond, VA 23227, U.S.A. Email: jtaneti@upsem.edu |
| Anuttama Dasa (2023-27) Minister of Communications & Governing Body Commissioner International Society for Krishna Consciousness Potomac, Maryland 20850, U.S.A. Email: ad@iskcon.org | Maharshi Vyas (2024-2028) Department of Religious Studies University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 93106, U.S.A. Email: mvyas@ucsb.edu |
| Krishna Abhishek Ghosh (2022-26) Director, Institute for Vaishnava Studies Senior Editor, Journal of Vaishnava Studies Gainesville, FL 32601, U.S.A. Email: abhi@ivs.edu |