Dr Rose Drew

Lecturer in World Religions and Inter-Faith Studies
Acting Director of the Centre for Inter-Faith Studies

contact details

+44 141 330 2501
Rose.Drew@glasgow.ac.uk

about Dr Drew

I first became involved in inter-faith dialogue and questions in the theology of religions while studying for my BA in Theology and Philosophy at the University of Bristol.  Fascinated by Buddhism especially, I grappled with the question of how its truths related to the truths of the Christian tradition in which I was raised.  After my BA I spent five months in Asia, before returning to the UK to study for a Masters in Interreligious Relations at the University of Birmingham.  From Birmingham, I came to Glasgow to carry out doctoral research on Buddhist Christian dual belonging, which I completed in 2008.  I have also been involved in practical inter-faith work for a number of years.  From 2004-2006 I worked part-time for the Scottish Inter Faith Council (SIFC) and I am currently involved in the work of Scotland America Faith Exchange (SAFE).

teaching areas

• Inter-Faith Relations
• Approaches to Religious Pluralism
• Theology of Religions
• Buddhism

research interests

My research interests are predominantly in inter-faith dialogue (especially Buddhist-Christian dialogue) and the theology of religions.  I am particularly interested in the effect participation in dialogue has on identity.  My doctoral research focussed on Buddhist Christian dual belonging; that is, on the question of whether, and to what extent, it is possible for an individual to be both an authentic Buddhist and an authentic Christian.  I am currently preparing a monograph, based on my thesis, which explores the theological and practical dimensions of this question, drawing on interviews with reflective individuals in the vanguard of this important and growing phenomenon, most of whom are well-known academics in the fields of inter-faith dialogue and Buddhist studies.  In contrast to some key voices in the emerging debate on dual belonging, I conclude that it is possible for individuals to authentically represent both Buddhism and Christianity in their religious thought and practice, provided the right balance is struck between the integration of these traditions and the preservation of the unique insights of each.  Dual belonging, I argue, is not only no threat to each of these traditions but is likely to strengthen each in its uniqueness and universality.

publications

Buddhist and Christian? An Exploration of Dual Belonging, forthcoming with Routledge (May 2011).

'Christian Self-Understanding and the Question of Dual Belonging', forthcoming in Current Dialogue (2010).

'In Memoriam' (Roger Corless tribute), Journal of Buddhist-Christian Studies, 27 (2007), 153-4.

'Reconsidering the Possibility of Pluralism', Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 40:3 (Summer 2003), 245-66.