John Kelsay
Encyclopedia
John Kelsay is an author
and a Research Professor and Richard L. Rubenstein Professor of Religion at Florida State University
. He received his Ph.D. in 1985 in Ethics from University of Virginia
. He mainly focuses on religious ethics, particularly in relation to the Islam
ic and Christian
traditions. His research interests include comparative religious ethics, political ethics, and religion and war.
Kelsay's 1993 book, Islam And War: A Study in Comparative Ethics, discussed the Islamic concept of jihad
as compared with the Christian concept of just war
. His 2007 book, Arguing the Just War in Islam, was praised by the New York Times for helping to bring greater understanding of Islamic views of war and peace to the non-Islamic world.
In 2007 Kelsay visited Oman
and urged students there to challenge fellow Muslims who used the concept of jihad to justify acts of violence.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and a Research Professor and Richard L. Rubenstein Professor of Religion at Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
. He received his Ph.D. in 1985 in Ethics from University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. He mainly focuses on religious ethics, particularly in relation to the Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic and Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
traditions. His research interests include comparative religious ethics, political ethics, and religion and war.
Kelsay's 1993 book, Islam And War: A Study in Comparative Ethics, discussed the Islamic concept of jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
as compared with the Christian concept of just war
Just War
Just war theory is a doctrine of military ethics of Roman philosophical and Catholic origin, studied by moral theologians, ethicists and international policy makers, which holds that a conflict ought to meet philosophical, religious or political criteria.-Origins:The concept of justification for...
. His 2007 book, Arguing the Just War in Islam, was praised by the New York Times for helping to bring greater understanding of Islamic views of war and peace to the non-Islamic world.
In 2007 Kelsay visited Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
and urged students there to challenge fellow Muslims who used the concept of jihad to justify acts of violence.
Books
- Human Rights and the Conflict of Cultures (co-authored; University of South Carolina, 1988)
- Just War and Jihad (co-edited; Greenwood Press, 1991)
- Islam and War: A Study in Comparative Ethics (Westminster/John Knox, 1993)
- Arguing the Just War in Islam (Harvard University Press, 2007)
Articles
- "Islam and the Comparative Study of Religious Ethics: Review of Selected Materials, 1985-1995," in Religious Studies Review 23.1 (January 1997): 3-9.
- "Bin Ladin's Reasons," in Christian Century 119.5 (February 27-March 6, 2002): 26-29.