Another Great Resource for Chaplains - and For Religion Nerds of All Types

My regular readers will know that I am something of a nerd. I work in a research environment. I grew up in a research household. So, I can get a real rush just from seeing and thinking about an interesting article title.

So, I want to share with you a resource that just tickles the nerd in me like nothing else. There is an organization called the Institute for the Bio-Cultural Study of Religion. According to their web site,

IBCSR's mission is three-fold, involving research, training, and outreach.Research: IBCSR aims to conduct leading-edge research into the biological and cultural foundations and functions of religion.Training: IBCSR aims to train researchers in the bio-cultural study of religion at the very highest level.Outreach: IBCSR aims to reach out to researchers, scholars, and the general public to build professional networks and to share information about the bio-cultural study of religion.Also, the core values of IBCSR's institutional identity include the following:

• maintaining the highest intellectual standards in all phases of our work;

• acting ethically toward our business partners and funding sources;

• maintaining neutrality regarding the ideological promotion or critique of religious traditions, faith communities, and political outlooks; and

• remaining institutionally agile, with minimal institutional overhead.

From their web site, one can subscribe to the monthly IBSCR Research Review. It comes with pages and pages of citations of published research and abstracts, all published in the previous calendar month. With that and access to a good library, there's a wealth of information. Beyond general interest in the academic study of religion, there are large sections dedicated to research relevant to Religion and Health. For chaplains and others, the articles can be of real value. Best of all, the IRR is free! 

So, take a look at the web site, and think about subscribing. This can be an exciting resource for all of us interested in research on religion, and especially those of us working in  settings where research is the currency of the realm