Is it non-intellectual and foolish to believe that God exists? Is there any evidence in the world around us that will demonstrate that God exists and also show us what God is like? Whenever I kiss our cat on his forehead, he begins to purr. When I place my cheek against his, and hear and feel the contentment of his purring, I sense an invisible but palpable energy of love pass between his consciousness and mine. He expresses and responds to love, as do I. When I walked on the beach one wintry afternoon, with a half-moon riding along the clouds that flowed from a sunset over my...

How was the first week of class at Unification Theological Seminary (UTS)? I picked Systematic Theology, a course which is taught by Dr. Theodore Shimmyo to find out more. It is a significant course; the UTS registrar, Mrs. Ute Delaney (UTS’10) says it is required for the Master of Divinity (MDiv) program, and for the “traditional” Master of Religious Education (MRE) program, though not required for the Master of Arts in Religious Studies or the MRE in Interfaith Peacebuilding. (pp 15-19 UTS Catalog). I hoped to overcome my own apprehensions. What is systematic about...

Republished with permission of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce By Michael Anderson  STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — When the Rev. Dr. Demetrius S. Carolina Sr. arrived at the North Shore in 2005, he understood what one of his priorities should be to help the youth in Stapleton. “Education is the greatest equalizer in the world. When people know better, they can do better,” he said. “I’m a lifelong learner. It is my belief that whenever I’m learning something that will benefit me, it will benefit everyone else around me.” Judging by his accomplishments in the last several...

It is almost guaranteed that whenever you have two or more people in a relationship that sooner or later there will be conflict. Multiply this conflict from couples or co-workers, to families, tribes and nations then you have a recipe for misunderstandings – possibly on a global scale. Beyond harsh words and bad feelings, physical confrontation can happen as things escalate. Even without a fist fight or war breaking out, the resulting emotional fall out is devastating for everyone. Dr. Idris (Drissa) Kone, has been working at the forefront of peace making since 2012 when he received...

The Applied Unificationism Blog was founded on May 1, 2013, hosted by Unification Theological Seminary. Its purpose is to explore the application of Unificationism to the wider world, and also occasionally posts significant articles on theology. It generally posts a new commentary article every Monday, as well as occasional film reviews. The AU Blog is broadly read by Unificationists – and non-Unificationists — in the U.S., Europe, Korea, Japan and 200 countries around the world.   Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon addresses the Asia Pacific Summit 2018 in Kathmandu, Nepal, on...

Often visitors to UTS “arrive” through the UTS website. There they see the public face of UTS, the “front end,” where they are introduced to the wonderful programs and courses taught by outstanding professors.  The seminary offers the Master of Arts in Religious Studies (M.A.) which prepares students who seek to integrate their faith with knowledge of religions and their impact on society. It leads to various ministry and career options, including doctoral studies. There are concentrations in Interfaith Peacebuilding, Non-Profit Leadership, Unification Studies, and Theological Studies;...

The foundation course World Religions and Global Conflict [1] recently launched a dynamic discussion when Turkish speakers were invited to speak to the class. In Fall 2018 at the UTS campus in New York, our three guest speakers discussed and shared their experiences about the chaotic and convoluted relationship between the Turkish Government and its unofficial state religion – 98% of the population is Muslim. Turkey is one of the countries experiencing a struggle for dominance between secularism and religion. The first guest speaker in our class was Engineer Suleyman...

The Journal of Unification Studies is a forum for committed engagement with Unification theology and practice, published annually by the Unification Theological Seminary. Its articles address concerns of the theological community and the professional ministry, as well as contemporary social, cultural, political, scientific and economic issues, from a Unificationist perspective. In addition, the Journal promotes dialogue and understanding by presenting papers from diverse viewpoints that engage Unification theology and practice. This article by Dr. Andrew Wilson is adapted, with...

Every Christmas Eve since 1949 the Wall Street Journal has been publishing the same editorial by Vermont C. Royster.  (The Journal doesn’t publish on December 25, the stock exchange being closed.) Vermont Connecticut Royster (April 30, 1914 – July 22, 1996) was an American journalist whose career at The Wall Street Journal spanned half a century. Royster was no ordinary journalist, he studied literature and classical languages—Latin and Greek —and his writings reflected these influences. He tackled the issues that affected people in their everyday lives with thoughtful...