James L. Rowell

I have been fascinated by the field of world religion and ethics for decades. Raised in a broad-minded Christian tradition, I later became gravitated by the idealism of Mohandas K. Gandhi, as well as the realism of Reinhold Niebuhr. I’m interested in a universal and inclusive view of religion and ethics, that tries to make sense of the larger picture of our world. This is not an easy project. Coming from Western Massachusetts, I’ve spent much time on Cape Cod, but have been teaching world religion in Florida for over a decade. I received my PhD in religion from the University of Pittsburgh in 2002. I’m a big fan of Star Wars and J.R.R. Tolkien. I enjoy a lot of creative hobbies, but deeply appreciate subjects that compel me to think creatively about big ideas. "Gandhi and Bin Laden" was my first published book, exploring religion at its absolute opposite poles. My world religion book "Making Sense of the Sacred" was released in May of 2021.