James Sherman Cutsinger (May 4, 1953 – February 19, 2020) was an author, editor, and professor of religious studies (emeritus) at the University of South Carolina, whose works focused primarily on

comparative religion Comparative religion is the branch of the study of religions with the systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices, themes and impacts (including migration) of the world's religions. In general the comparative study of religion yie ...

, the modern

Traditionalist School The Traditionalist or Perennialist School is a group of 20th- and 21st-century thinkers who believe in the existence of a perennial wisdom or perennial philosophy, primordial and universal truths which form the source for, and are shared by, al ...

perennial philosophy The perennial philosophy ( la, philosophia perennis), also referred to as perennialism and perennial wisdom, is a perspective in philosophy and spirituality that views all of the world's religious traditions as sharing a single, metaphysical trut ...

Eastern Christian Eastern Christianity comprises Christian traditions and church families that originally developed during classical and late antiquity in Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Northeast Africa, the Fertile Crescent and ...

spirituality, and the mystical tradition of the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops vi ...

Early life

Cutsinger earned his bachelor's degree in Political Theory, Russian Language and Literature at

Cornell College Cornell College is a private college in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Originally the Iowa Conference Seminary, the school was founded in 1853 by George Bryant Bowman. Four years later, in 1857, the name was changed to Cornell College, in honor of iron ty ...

in 1975 and his doctorate in Theology and Religious Thought at

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 1980.http://www.cutsinger.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/curriculum_vitae.pdf

Traditionalism

Cutsinger served as secretary to the Foundation for Traditional Studies and was a widely recognized authority on the Sophia Perennis, the

traditionalist school The Traditionalist or Perennialist School is a group of 20th- and 21st-century thinkers who believe in the existence of a perennial wisdom or perennial philosophy, primordial and universal truths which form the source for, and are shared by, al ...

, and

– subjects on which he wrote extensively. His works also focused on the theology and spirituality of the Christian East. He is perhaps best known however, for his work on Swiss philosopher and traditionalist, Frithjof Schuon.

Teaching

Professor Cutsinger was a professor of

Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and Religious Thought at the University of South Carolina and an advocate of Socratic Teaching. The recipient of three University of South Carolina

Mortar Board Mortar Board is an American national honor society for college seniors. Mortar Board has 233 chartered collegiate chapters nationwide and 15 alumni chapters. History Mortar Board was the first national honor society for college senior women ...

Excellence in Teaching awards, he was also named a Distinguished Honors Professor and was selected as one of his university's Michael J. Mungo Teachers of the Year (2011). He also served as director of three National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminars.Author Page
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Bibliography

Books *''The Form of Transformed Vision: Coleridge and the Knowledge of God'', Foreword by Owen Barfield (

Mercer University Press Mercer University Press, established in 1979, is a university press operated by Mercer University Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining un ...

, 1987) *''Advice to the Serious Seeker: Meditations on the Teaching of Frithjof Schuon'' ( State University of New York Press, 1997) *''Reclaiming the Great Tradition: Evangelicals, Catholics, and Orthodox in Dialogue'', ed. (

InterVarsity Press Founded in 1947, InterVarsity Press (IVP) is an American publisher of Christian books located in Westmont, Illinois. IVP focuses on publishing Christian books that speak to important cultural moments, provide tools for spiritual growth, and e ...

, 1997) *''Not of This World: A Treasury of Christian Mysticism'' (

World Wisdom World Wisdom is an independent American publishing company established in 1980 in Bloomington, Indiana. World Wisdom publishes religious and philosophical texts, including the work of authors such as Frithjof Schuon, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Titus Bu ...

, 2003) *''Paths to the Heart: Sufism and the Christian East'' (

, 2004) *''The Fullness of God: Frithjof Schuon on Christianity'' (

, 2004) *''Prayer Fashions Man: Frithjof Schuon on the Spiritual Life'' (

, 2005) Translations of works by Frithjof Schuon *''Gnosis: Divine Wisdom'' (

, 2006) *''Sufism: Veil and Quintessence'' (

, 2006) *''Spiritual Perspectives and Human Facts'' (

, 2007) *''Christianity/Islam: Perspectives on Esoteric Ecumenism'' (

, 2008) *''Logic and Transcendence'' (

, 2009) Selected Articles *''"Coleridgean Polarity and Theological Vision,"''

Harvard Theological Review The ''Harvard Theological Review'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal established in 1908 and published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Harvard Divinity School. It covers a wide spectrum of fields in theological and re ...

, 76:1 (1983) *''"Toward a Method of Knowing Spirit,"'' Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses, 14:2 (1985) *''"Femininity, Hierarchy, and God,"'' Religion of the Heart: Essays Presented to Frithjof Schuon, ed. Nasr and Stoddart (Foundation for Traditional Studies, 1991) *''"Listening More Closely to Schuon,"'' ARIES: Association pour la Recherche de l'Information sur l'Esoterisme, 14 (1992) *''"A Knowledge that Wounds Our Nature: The Message of Frithjof Schuon,"'' Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 60:3 (1992) *''"The Mystery of the Two Natures,"'' Sophia: Journal of Traditional Studies, 4:2 (1998) - also published as "Le Mystère des Deux Natures," Connaissance des Religions (Numero Hors Serie, 1999) *''"On Earth as It Is in Heaven: A Metaphysical Cosmogony,"'' Sacred Web: A Journal of Tradition and Modernity," 1:1 (1998) *''"The Virgin,"'' Sophia: Journal of Traditional Studies, 6:2 (2000)

References

External links

Personal WebpageJames Cutsinger’s life and work
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cutsinger, James 1953 births 2020 deaths Deaths from lung cancer 20th-century Eastern Orthodox theologians 21st-century Eastern Orthodox theologians Harvard University alumni American Christian theologians Scholars in Eastern Orthodoxy Traditionalist School University of South Carolina faculty Place of birth missing Eastern Orthodox Christians from the United States Western esotericism scholars