Professor Andrew Sharp

Andrew Sharp is Research Scholar at the Institute of Advanced Studies in Culture where he serves as Project Manager for the Thriving Cities Project. He is also Affiliate Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. His training is in Eastern Christianity, Islamic Studies, and Muslim-Christian Relations and his areas of interest include: historical and contemporary relations between Muslims and Christians, religion and identity in Muslim majority countries and within Eastern Orthodoxy, religion and environmentalism, refugee resettlement, interfaith dialogue, and comparative study of Sufism and Hesychasm (Islam and Eastern Christianity’s mystical traditions).

His writings have appeared in the Oxford Dictionary of Islam, Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, and the International Journal for Orthodox Theology and his book,Orthodox Christians and Islam in the Postmodern Age, was published by Brill in 2012. His current work includes entries for the Islam section of the Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception, (De Gruyter); an article titled “Orthodox Christians, Muslims, and the Environment: The Case for a New Sacred Science” (Brill, 2015); a chapter on “Orthodox-Muslim Relations in Lebanon” in Eastern Christian Encounters with Islam (Routledge, 2015); a chapter on “The Eastern Churches and Islam” in The Routledge Handbook on Christian-Muslim Relations (Routledge, 2015), and a book length project titled Orthodox Christians, Muslims, and the Environment.

Andrew received a BA in French/Sociology from Pacific University, an MA in Theology from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, an M.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia, and a PhD in Theology and Religious Studies from the University of Birmingham (U.K.). He was previously Visiting Instructor of Islam at the College of William and Mary and held positions in public administration, including work with Virginia’s Refugee Resettlement Program. Andrew has also participated in ecumenical and inter-religious activities, such as the Institute for Pastors and Pastoral Workers on Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations at Georgetown University. (Source: University of Virginia)