JAMES L. FREDERICKS, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Theological Studies
Loyola Marymount University
One LMU Drive, Suite 3700
Los Angeles, California 90045-2656(310) 338-2857
JFrederi@lmu.edu
EDUCATION
1988 Ph.D. University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
1983 S.T.L. Jesuit School of Theology, Berkeley, California
1976 M.A. St. Patrick’s Seminary, Menlo Park, California
1973 B.A. St. Joseph’s College, Mountain View, California
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2005 Fellow, Jain Studies Program, New Delhi and Jaipur, India
1998-1999 Fulbright Senior Research Scholar, Japan
1998-1999 Numata Research Fellow, Ryukoku University, Kyoto Japan.
1992 - present Theology Dept., Loyola Marymount University
1991 - 1992 Acting Academic Dean, St. Patrick’s Seminary, Menlo Park, CA
1988 - 1992 Systematics Dept., St. Patrick’s Seminary, Menlo Park, CA
PUBLICATIONS
Books
Buddhists and Christians: Through Comparative Theology to a New Solidarity (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, Autumn 2004)
Faith Among Faiths: Christian Theology and the Non-Christian Religions. Mahwah NJ: Paulist Press, 1999. Winner of the Frederick J. Streng Book of the Year Award of the Society for Buddhist -Christian Studies, 2001.
Articles
“Buddhism and Human Rights: The Recent Buddhist Discussion and Its Implications for Christianity,” in Human Rights and Responsibilities in World Religions edited by Joseph Runzo, Nancy M. Martin and Arvind Sharma, (Oneworld Publications Ltd., 2003).
“Abe Masao: A Friendship.” Spiritus 3 (2003), pp. 237-248. Anthologized in The Best Spritual Writing of 2003 Philip Zaleveski ed. (New York:
“Nothing that is Good and True: The Catholic Church and the Other Religious Paths.” Theological Studies, 64 (2003), pp. 225-254. Japanese translation: “Katoriku kyokai to ta-shukyo: genjitsu-de totoi mono-wo haiseki-shinai.” Shingaku Daijesuto, pp. 36-60. Mori Kokushi, translator.
“Buddhist Christian Dialogue” Chicago Studies 41:2 (Fall, 2002), pp. 183-191.
“Theological Pluralism as Repressive Tolerance.” Jeevadhara: A Journal of Christian Interpretation Vol. XXXI No. 183 (2001), pp. 134-137.
“Buddhismus als Herausforderung und Gelegenheit, ein Antwort, die sich auf christliche Spiritualitat grundet.”in Meister Hsin Tao, Weisheit und Barmherzigkeit, Maria Habito ed., Adyar Verlag, Berlin, 2001.
“Practicing with Anger: Reflections for Buddhists and Christians.” Hsi Lai Journal of Humanistic Buddhism Vol. 2 (2001), pp. 39-45.
"Masao Abe and Karl Rahner: Traces of Monism and Dualism," Masao Abe: His Life of Dialogue. Donald Mitchell ed., Rutledge VT: Tuttle, 1998, pp. 242-247.
"Jodo Shinshu’s Mission to History: A Christian Challenge to Shin Buddhist Social Ethics." Engaged Pure Land Buddhism. Kenneth Tanaka and Eisho Nasu eds., Berkeley: Wisdom Ocean Publications, 1998, pp. 48-66.
"Inter-religious Friendship: A New Theological Virtue." Journal of Ecumenical Studies 35:2 (Spring 1998), pp. 159-174.
"The Cross and the Begging Bowl: Deconstructing the Cosmology of Violence." Buddhist-Christian Studies 18 (1998), pp. 155-167.
"The Desire for God and the Great Compassion." The Pure Land, Journal of the International Association for Shin Buddhist Studies12 (1995), pp. 171-187.
"The Incomprehensibility of God: A Buddhist Reading of Aquinas." Theological Studies 56:3 (Fall, 1995), pp. 506-520.
"A Universal Religious Experience?" Horizons, Journal of the College Theology Society 22:1 (Spring 1995), pp. 67-87.
"The Far Side of Nothingness." The Eastern Buddhist 27: 2, (Autumn 1994), pp. 130-139.
"Philosophy as Metanoetics: An Analysis." The Religious Philosophy of Tanabe Hajime, Taitetsu Unno and James Heisig eds. (Berkeley: Asian Humanities Press, 1990), pp. 43-71.
"The Metanoetics of Inter-Religious Encounter." The Religious Philosophy of Tanabe Hajime, Taitetsu Unno and James Heisig eds.(Berkeley: Asian Humanities Press, 1990), pp. 163-178.
"The Metanoetics of Inter-Religious Encounter.” Inter-Religio 16 (Fall 1989), pp. 40-54.
"Cosmology and Metanoia: A Buddhist Path to Process Thought for the West." The Eastern Buddhist 22:1 (Spring 1989), pp. 111-127.
"The Kyoto School: Modern Buddhist Philosophy and the Search for a Transcultural Theology.” Horizons Journal, Vol. 15, No. 2, (Fall 1988) pp. 299-315.
Translations
“Toward the Establishment of a Cosmology of Awakening,” by Masao Abe. Published in Zen and Modern Thought: A Third Sequel to Zen and Western Thought, Steven Heine ed. (Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 2003), pp. 127-156. A translation of “Jikaku-teki uchu-ron kakutachi-no tame-ni.
"The Problem of 'Inverse Correspondence' in the Philosophy of Nishida: Comparing Nishida and Tanabe, " by Masao Abe. International Philosophical Quarterly 39:1 (March, 1999), pp. 59-76. (With translator’s introduction). Also anthologized in Zen and the Modern World: A Third Sequel to Zen and Western Thought , Steven Heine ed. (Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 2003), pp.98-118. A translation of “Nishida tetsugaku-ni okeru ‘gyaku-taio’ no mondai.
"The Problem of 'Inverse Correspondence' in the Philosophy of Nishida: Toward a Critical Understanding,” by Masao Abe. International Philosophical Quarterly 35: 4, (December 1995), 419-436. (With translator’s introduction). A translation of “Nishida tetsugaku-ni okeru ‘gyaku-taio’ no mondai: hikaku-teki-na rikai-no tame-ni.”
"Pure Experience, Self-Awareness, 'Basho,'" by Shizuteru Ueda. Etudes
Phénoménologiques18 (1993) pp. 63-86. (With Jan van Bragt). A translation of “Junsui keiken, jikaku, basho.”"'Inverse Correspondence' in the Philosophy of Nishida," by Masao Abe. International Philosophical Quarterly 32:3 (September, 1992), pp. 325-344. A translation of “Nishida tetsugaku-ni okeru ‘gyaku-taio’ no mondai.
LECTURES (Selected)
“Nostra Aetate After Forty Years – The Impact of Our Dialogue With Buddhism.” Rome (Italy). A plenary address given at the Pontifical Gregorian University, 27 September, 2005.
“The Meaning of Our Differences – Nostra Aetate in the Context of Globalization.” Vienna (Austria), Third Official Consultation of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, 11 September, 2005.
“Loneliness and the Communion of the Saints – Two Religious Goals in Dialogue.” Ladnun, Rajastan (India). Jain Vishva Bharati Institute, 8 July, 2005
“Diversity and Solidarity in the Los Angeles Region.” Keynote address for the International Meeting of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies. Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple, Hacienda Heights, CA, 7 June, 2005.
“Forms of Anger in Buddhism and Christianity.” Lecture at Tsing-hua University, Beijing, 25 March, 2005.
“Theoretical Foundations for a Dialogue in Depth Between Civilizations.” Address given at the Iranian Institute for Philosophy, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, 28 April, 2004.
“The Dialogue of Civilizations: Inter-Religious Friendship as a form of Resistance.” Address given to the Mohatari Conference, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, April 27, 2004.
“From Exclusivism to Comparative Theology: Reflections on Barth and Shinran.” Conference on Pure Land Buddhism in Dialogue with Christian Theology, Loyola Marymount University, September, 2001.
“Interreligious Dialogue as a Resource for Ecumenical Dialogue.” National Workshop on Christian Unity, San Diego, May, 2001.
“The Effort on the Part of Organized Religious Groups to Forgive Third World Debt.” Conference on War and Peace in the World Religions, 23 April, 2001.
“Schoenberg’s Atonalism: Dealing with the Devil or Awakening to Buddhist Nothingness?” Syn-Think Conference, Loyola Marymount University, November, 2000.
“Modeling Diversity and Commitment: The Pedagogical Use of an Inter-Religious Dialogue Group in a Los Angeles Classroom.” Conference on the Teaching of Asian Religions, California State University, Long Beach, October, 2000.
“The Dialogue of Life: Friendships Between Buddhists and Christians.” Buddhist-Christian Dialogue Conference, Tacoma WA, August, 2000.
“The Face of the Other: Levinas, Rosensweig and Inter-Religious Friendship.” Buddhist-Christian Dialogue Conference, Tacoma WA, August, 2000.
“Shinjin in a World of Faiths: Pure Land Buddhism and Comparative Theology.” International Conference on Pure Land Buddhism and Christianity, Chikushi Joshigakuen, Dazaifu, Japan, June, 2000.
“After Om Shinri-kyo: A Plea to Christians and Buddhists in Japan.” International Conference on Pure Land Buddhism and Christianity, Chikushi Joshigakuen, Dazaifu, Japan, June, 2000.
“The Method of Correlation: Buddhist Theology as a form of Buddhist Practice.” International Conference on Pure Land Buddhism and Christianity, Chikushi Joshigakuen, Dazaifu, Japan, June, 2000.
“Buddhist “Theology” in the West.” Ryukoku University, Kyoto, Japan, May, 2000. (In Japanese)
“Mateo Ricci’s Study of the Confucian Classics: Christian Theology in Dialogue with Chinese Civilization.” Shangdong University, Jinan, China, March 2000.
“Theravada Buddhism and Human Rights: Two Thai Perspectives.” Loyola Marymount University, Ethics and Religion for a Global 21st Century Conference, 25 March, 2000.
“Honen’s Nembutsu Samadhi: The Protestant Model of Pure Land Buddhism and the Future of Pure Land Buddhist Studies.” Bukkyo University, Los Angeles Campus, October, 1999.
“Doing Theology Comparatively: An Invitation to Pure Land Buddhists” The Numata Lecture, Ryukoku University, Kyoto Japan, June, 1999
CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
2005 (June): Conference Director, Seventh International Meeting of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies
2001 (Fall): Conference on Pure Land Buddhism in Dialogue with Christian Theology
2001 (Spring): Tibet Week at LMU
1997 (Fall): Casassa Lecture, Violence Unveiled (Rene Girard)
1995-1998: CTSA: Comparative Theology group
The Theological Significance of Islam
The Hidden Ground of Grace: Reflections on the Holy Spirit in the Light of Hindu Approaches to Spiritual Liberation
Is the Theology of Religions Obsolete?
Interreligious Friendships: A New Theological Virtue
GRANTS AND HONORS
2002 Permanent member, Theta Alpha Kappa
2001 The Frederick J. Streng Book of the Year Award of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies
1998-1999 Fulbright Senior Research Scholar to Japan
1998-1999 Numata Buddhist Studies Fellow, Ryukoku University, Kyoto
1996-1997 Casassa Chair in Social Values, Loyola Marymount University
1993 Loyola Marymount University Asian Studies Research Grant
1983-1987 University of Chicago Fellowship Grant
1982-1983 Fellow, Institute for Spirituality and Worship, Berkeley
UNIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY SERVICE
2006 - 2008 Vice President, Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies
2004 - 2006 Member of the Board of Directors, Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies
2003 - Hsi Lai University Doctoral Program Advisory Committee
2002 - 2003 Treasurer, Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies
2002 – 2003 Chair, Frederick J. Streng Book Award Panel, Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies
2001- 2002 Director, Bellarmine Forum II: Globalization and Ethics
2001 Research and Publications Committee, Catholic Theological Society of America
2001 Curriculum Committee, Department of Theological Studies, LMU
2000 Book Review Editor, Religious Studies Review
2000 Faculty Advisor, LMU Students for a Free Tibet
2000 Faculty Advisor, LMU Kyodai (Japanese student group)
2000 - 2001 Advisory Board, Marymount Chair
1999 Advisory Board, Global Ethics and Religion Forum
1996 - 2000 Advisory Board, Loyola Marymount University Honors Program
1994 - 1995 Loyola Marymount University Faculty Senate
1994 - 1995 Loyola Marymount University Social Justice Committee
1994 - 2000 Graduate Admissions Committee, Department of Theological Studies
1993 - 1996 Loyola Marymount University Library Committee
1993 - 1995 Loyola Marymount University, Computer Advisory Committee
1993 - 1994 Loyola Marymount University, Fulbright Scholarship Review Committee
1992 - Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Buddhist-Christian Dialogue Group
1989 - 1992 Archdiocese of San Francisco, Ecumenical Commission
1980 - 1981 Member, Board of Directors, Catholic Youth Organization, Hawaii
Jim Fredericks is a priest of the Archdiocese of San Francisco and a member of the Department of Theological Studies of Loyola Marymount University. He is a specialist in inter-religious dialogue, especially the dialogue between Buddhism and Christianity. He has worked as a Fulbright Scholar in Kyoto, Japan and is a member of the Los Angeles Buddhist-Catholic Dialogue and the Bay Area Chan, Zen, Catholic Dialogue. In addition to many articles, he is the author of Faith Among Faiths: Christian Theology and the Non-Christian Religions (Paulist) and Buddhists and Christians: Through Comparative Theology to a New Solidarity (Orbis). He has lectured on inter-religious understanding in Kyoto, Tehran, Rome, Vienna, Beijing and other parts of the world.
Revised: November, 2005