Jared is an independent scholar living in Madison, Wisconsin with academic interests in philosophy of religion, Islamic studies, comparative religion, metamodern spirituality, and interfaith dialogue. His work in these areas seeks to offer robust responses to issues of inter-religious conflict, contemporary nihilism, and the "meaning crisis," among other things. Jared graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in 2018 with degrees in religion and Scandinavian studies and currently works for the Center for Process Studies, the Cobb Institute, and the Psychedelic Medicine Association.
academic projects
Reading Groups & Learning Circles
Following the completion of his undergraduate education, Jared has continued his studies through organizing online seminar-style courses centered around great works in religious studies and philosophy.
To date, Jared has lead seminars on these texts:
•Keiji Nishitani, Religion and Nothingness
•Farid al-Din ʿAttar, The Conference of the Birds
•Henry Corbin, Alone with the Alone: Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn 'Arabi
•Alfred North Whitehead, Religion in the Making
•Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Knowledge and the Sacred
•Tim Winter, ed., The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic Theology
•Alfred North Whitehead, Process and Reality
•Muhammad Iqbal, The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam
Students from his courses report not only deep comprehension of these difficult texts, but the development of a personal connection to the ideas presented, leading to an impact that is more than purely academic.In early 2022 Jared also lead a learning circle on "Islam and Process Thought," sponsored by the Cobb Institute and Process & Faith. The learning circle explored points of contact between Islam and traditions of process philosophy and theology, offerings Muslim participants insight into process traditions and non-Muslim participants a greater understanding of the richness of this Abrahamic faith.
Lectures and pop-ups
In addition to seminars and learning circles, Jared has also given public lectures on a number of topics. He regularly hosts pop-up events through Process & Faith where he delivers a presentation on a particular topic before facilitating a discussion on the subject.
Check out his recent lecture, "Alternative Sources for Metamodern Spirituality."
publishing
Jared is also the founder and director of 'Alif: Traditional Wisdom in Review which is a digital publication specializing in accessible academic content at the nexus of classical Islamic thought and Western intellectual traditions. Working with an international group of Muslim and non-Muslim authors, 'Alif is able to publish content from a wide variety of perspectives, all of which address our current age of pluralism in different ways.
You can find 'Alif's publications on Medium.
Outside of Islamic studies, Jared also publishes regularly on his personal Medium account, where he discusses topics such as philosophy, religion and spirituality, political and cultural issues, and more.
Achievements & Awards
• Graduated Magna Cum Laude from Gustavus Adolphus College, June 2018
• Two-time recipient of the George Hall Award for excellent scholarship in religion at Gustavus Adolphus College, April 2017 & May 2018
• Grant awarded to the Gustavus Interfaith Lodge through the Gustavus Adolphus College Association of Congregations for excellent religious stewardship on campus, May 2018
• Inducted into Phi Beta Kappa Society ETA of Minnesota Chapter, April 2017
• Inducted into Theta Alpha Kappa National Honor Society for Religious Studies, April 2016
