Andrew Wilson (born December 26, 1950), full name Andrew Murray Wilson, is the Director of Scriptural Research
Retrieved February 19, 2012 and Professor of Scriptural Studies of the

Unification Theological Seminary Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) is a private Unification Church-affiliated graduate seminary headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York. The seminary was granted an absolute charter from the State of New York in January 19 ...

(UTS), the main seminary of the international

Unification Church The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, widely known as the Unification Church, is a new religious movement, whose members are called Unificationists, or " Moonies". It was officially founded on 1 May 1954 under the name Holy Sp ...

World Scripture and its reception

Wilson edited ''World Scripture: A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts'' (published 1991), a comparative anthology that contains over 4,000

scriptural Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...

passages from 268

sacred texts Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual pra ...

and 55 oral traditions. Gifford Lecturer

Ninian Smart Roderick Ninian Smart (6 May 1927 – 29 January 2001) was a Scottish writer and university educator. He was a pioneer in the field of secular religious studies. In 1967 he established the first department of religious studies in the United Ki ...

wrote the book's foreword. Its publisher quotes include praise for its contribution to comparative religion from clergy, scholars, and practitioners of multiple faith traditions, and it has been briefly and favorably mentioned in multiple non-UTS publications. Peace studies professor Lester Kurtz called the online version of the book, which is available in multiple online locations, a "wonderful compendium". The online version of ''World Scripture'' is linked to by many collegiate and independent websites as a comparative religion resource.

Other accomplishments

In ''Controversial New Religions'', James R. Lewis describes Wilson as "a leading Unification scholar." Wilson has been editor of UTS's academic ''Journal of Unification Studies'' since its inception in 1997''Journal Of Unification Studies''
/ref> 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".
Retrieved February 19, 2012 Wilson led the translation committee for the main scripture of the Unification Church, ''Exposition of the Divine Principle''.He is also the author of ''The Nations in Deutero-Isaiah: A Study on Composition and Structure''Wilson, A. (1986). ''The Nations in Deutero-Isaiah: A Study on Composition and Structure''. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press. () and co-author of ''Cultivating Heart and Character: Educating for Life's Most Essential Goals''. Wilson serves as senior advisor and chair of the editorial board for the Unification Church-sponsored ''New World Encyclopedia''. Born a Jew, Wilson performs speaking and leadership roles in the Unification Church's Middle East Peace Initiative, with a focus on Christian–Jewish reconciliation. He received his undergraduate degree from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in 1971, and later obtained an M.T.S from

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the academic study of religion or for leadership roles in religion, gov ...

and Ph.D. from Harvard. Wilson was subject to a forced

deprogramming Deprogramming is a controversial tactic that attempts to help someone who has "strongly held convictions," often coming from cults or New Religious Movements (NRM). Deprogramming aims to assist a person who holds a controversial or restrictive be ...

attempt in 1975, and in late 1980 protested a Harvard talk on the subject by cult critic Margaret Thaler Singer. Wilson joined the faculty of Unification Theological Seminary in 1985, the year his Ph.D. thesis was published. At UTS, Wilson currently teaches a variety of scriptural studies, living traditions, and theology courses.

References

External links

World Scripture
- complete online text
Unification Theological Seminary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Andrew Living people 1950 births American Unificationists Harvard Divinity School alumni