An Advocate for Religious Literacy |
Westar Institute is a member-supported, non-profit research and educational institute dedicated to the advancement of religious literacy. Westar's twofold mission is to foster
collaborative research in religious studies and to communicate the results of the scholarship of religion to a broad, non-specialist public.
Until a few years ago, essential knowledge about biblical and religious traditions was hidden in the windowless studies of universities and seminaries—away from the
general public. Such research was considered too controversial or too complicated for lay persons to understand. Many scholars, fearing open conflict or even reprisal,
talked only to one another. The churches often decided what information their constituents were "ready" to hear. Through publications, educational programs, and research projects like the Jesus
Seminar, Westar has opened up a new kind of conversation about religion. This is an honest, no-hold-barred exchange involving thousands of scholars, clergy and other
individuals who have critical questions about the past, present and future of religion. Some of the principles guiding the work of Westar are:
- All serious questions about religion—including biblical and dogmatic traditions—deserve research, discussion and resolution; no inquiry should be out of bounds.
- The scholarship of religion should be collaborative in order to expand the base of decisionmaking, cumulative in forming and building on a consensus, and genuinely ecumenical
- Religion and bible scholars should conduct their deliberations in public and report the results to a broad, literate audience in simple, non-technical language
Westar is not affiliated with any religious institution nor does it advocate a particular theological point of view.
Board of Directors
Fellows Founded in 1986 by Robert W. Funk, former head of the leading learned society for
biblical scholars, Westar has enlisted more than two hundred scholars to become Fellows of the Institute. Fellows hold an advanced degree in religious studies or related
disciplines from accredited universities worldwide. All scholars with appropriate credentials may become Fellows. By special invitation, published authors who are
recognized authorities in the field of religion but lack an advanced degree may also become Fellows. More about becoming a Westar Fellow Learn more about the credentials of Westar Fellows
Associate Members Westar is supported by Associate Members around the world who provide—through
their membership dues and contributions—the financial foundation of the Institute. Westar Associates play an important role: They alert scholars to public concerns and
perspectives, insure that the technical language of scholars is translated into terms that can readily be understood by non-specialists, and serve as a sounding board for Seminar decisions.
Members are invited to observe Westar Seminars at work and to participate in the work of the Institute through workshops, lectures, and forums. Other benefits include
- an annual subscription to Westar's magazine, The Fourth R
- discounts on books, audiotapes, videotapes and selected Westar events
- early news and announcements about Westar activities
Join now or find out more about becoming a Westar member
Interested in becoming a Westar member but would like to know more? Email us and request a free copy of a recent issue of The Fourth R: members@westarinstitute.org
Be sure to include your mailing address. Or, read an article from the Fourth R magazine on this site. |
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The Jesus Seminar & Other Westar Seminars The first and best-known project of Westar Institute is the Jesus Seminar. Launched in
1985, the Seminar was organized to discover and report a scholarly consensus on the historical authenticity of the sayings and events attributed to Jesus in the gospels.
Recently, the Fellows of the Seminar have begun to develop and analyze the various profiles of the historical Jesus that emerge from current research.
Other Westar Seminars are also at work. The Paul Seminar is considering the authenticity and integrity of the Pauline letters. The Canon Seminar is debating which
early Christian works, canonical or non-canonical, should be included in a new New Testament. An Acts Seminar, which began deliberations in 1999, will evaluate and
report on the historical authenticity of the Acts of the Apostles, in much the same way as the Jesus Seminar reviewed the sayings and events in the gospels. Westar Seminars convene twice a year at the
Westar Institute National Meetings. Deliberations and voting center on working Seminar Papers prepared by scholars and
distributed in advance of the meeting.
Voting Voting developed in the Jesus Seminar as a way to spur decision making and to
ascertain whether a scholarly consensus exists on a given point. In the case of the Jesus Seminar's deliberations on the words of Jesus, for example, it was deemed
entirely consonant with the mission of the Seminar to decide whether, after careful review of the evidence, a particular saying or parable did or did not fairly represent the
voice of the historical Jesus. The color-coded voting ranges from red (likely authentic) and pink (somewhat likely) to gray (somewhat unlikely) and black (unlikely).
In keeping with the principle of public accountability, the results of the deliberations of the Jesus Seminar have been reported in a number of books, including the comprehensive reports The Five Gospels: The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus (1993) and The Acts of Jesus: The Search for the Authentic Deeds (1998). The voting results from the Special Fall 1999 Once & Future Jesus Conference are available on this site.
More about voting
Scholars Version Translation
The first step in the work of the Jesus Seminar was to inventory and classify all the words attributed to Jesus in the first three centuries of the common era. This led in turn
to a Westar project as innovative as the Jesus Seminar itself: the ongoing Scholars Version translation. The Scholars Version (SV) is a fresh translation of the gospels and other early
Christian texts from the original languages. Unlike other major translations into English, the Scholars Version is being created free of ecclesiastical and religious control. The
language is meant to produce in the reader an experience comparable to that of the first readers—or listeners—of the original.
The Scholars Version of the gospels is the basic English translation found in all Jesus Seminar reports, including the comprehensive reports The Five Gospels and The Acts of Jesus. The complete set of SV translations of all known gospels and gospel fragments through 300 C.E. are found in the The Complete Gospels.
The Scholars Version translation panel has turned its attention to other texts including
the letters of Paul, the Acts of the Apostles, and a variety of non-canonical texts.
Events Westar National Meetings Westar holds its national meetings twice a year in Santa Rosa, California, in the heart of Sonoma County's wine country. These Spring and Fall Meetings are open to the
public and feature a variety of programs and events: Westar Seminars (Jesus Seminar, Paul Seminar, Canon Seminar) - Attendees are
welcome to observe the deliberations, to participate in unofficial voting on items being considered by the Seminar, and to engage in lively forum discussions after the sessions.
Lectures and Workshops - The first days of each meeting are devoted to lectures and full-day workshops featuring leading figures in the world of religion and biblical
scholarship. Among the presenters have been Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, Robert Funk, Gerd Lüdemann, Lee McDonald, Schubert Ogden, Elaine Pagels,
Thomas Sheehan, John Shelby Spong, Krister Stendahl, and Walter Wink. Church Leaders' Roundtable - Church leaders attending Westar Meetings may
take part in a roundtable discussion on issues concerning the the interests of churches and church organizations in making use of the work of the Westar Institute. Social Events
- One hallmark of Westar's work has been the importance of scholars and non-scholars engaging in lively and informal conversation. Each meeting features a
series of social events and receptions to help foster that conversation, culminating in a closing night banquet. Recent and Upcoming Westar Meeting
Jesus Seminar on the Road While thousands have been able to attend the twice-yearly Westar Institute Meetings,
many more have missed the opportunity to see and hear Fellows demonstrate the work of the Jesus Seminar and talk about the results and the implications. This led to development of the Jesus Seminar on the Road—educational programs that bring Westar Fellows to communities across North America. These two-day
programs, featuring a lecture and workshops, have been held in or are scheduled for British Columbia, California, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, New Mexico,
New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Schedule of upcoming Jesus Seminar on the Road programs
Westar Periodicals Westar produces three different periodicals based on its work and on the latest developments and thinking in religion and biblical scholarship. The Fourth R is Westar's bi-monthly magazine that covers issues and trends in
religion and biblical scholarship, written for the literate general reader. It also includes the latest news about Westar Seminars and scholars, and announcements of upcoming
meetings, events and programs. An annual subscription to The Fourth R is included with Westar membership.
Forum, the academic journal of the Westar Institute, publishes the scholarship emerging from Westar Institute Seminars, including the Jesus Seminar. Included in the
pages of the Forum are many of the Seminar Papers that inform the deliberations and conclusions of the Jesus Seminar. Recommended for scholars and advanced students of religion, Forum
appears twice a year and is available by subscription. Seminar Papers are the working papers of Westar seminars. Prepared by Westar Fellows and distributed in advance of each semi-annual national meeting, the Seminar Papers form the basis for deliberations at the Westar Meetings. Seminar Papers are
available by subscription or may be purchased individually in advance of Westar meetings.
Books The Fellows of the Jesus Seminar have produced several book-length reports on the
results of their research and deliberations. The two comprehensive reports on the sayings and events in the gospels are The Five
Gospels: The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus (1993) and The Acts of Jesus: The Search for the Authentic Deeds (1998). The Fellows of the Jesus Seminar have
also produced other reports of their work that supplement those volumes: The Gospel of Jesus according to the Jesus Seminar (1999); John the Baptist and Jesus (1994); and The Parables of Jesus: Jesus Seminar Red Letter Edition (1988).
More about books on biblical and religion scholarship by the Jesus Seminar and other scholars Copyright |
