International Society for Science and Religion Archives - International Society for Science & Religion (ISSR)

September 2026 Blog

September 2026 Blog

The Science and Theology of Chanting Fraser Watts Scientific research on spiritual practices is very unevenly distributed. So far there has been most research on yoga and mindfulness, but relatively little on many other spiritual practices. Correcting that was the motivation behind the series of grants given by TWCF for research on the Science of Religious and Spiritual Exercises (SORSE). ISSR received one of those grants, with a particular focus on comparing practices that use human psychological resources in different ways. ISSR has also helped with the administration of another SORSE grant to Miguel Farías, From the Heart: Testing the Efficacy of Heart-Centered Contemplation. Chanting is a widely used spiritual practice, found in almost every faith tradition (e.g. Sheldrake, 2017, chapter 6). Until recently there was

By Fraser Watts|2026-09-14T21:48:17+01:00September 14th, 2026|Categories: Blog|Tags: academic religion, academic science and religion, academic spirituality, academic theology, acoustic neuroscience, acoustics and spirituality, altered states and chanting, ancient chant, ancient Christian chant, ancient Christian music, ancient liturgy, attention and music, attention and religion, attention and spirituality, attention stability, auditory attention, auditory cognition, auditory neuroscience, biomarkers and chanting, biomarkers and spirituality, Buddhist chanting, Buddhist studies chanting, calming music research, cathedral acoustics, chant acoustics, chant and contemplation, chant and eternity, chant and liturgy, chant and religious experience, chant and spiritual experience, chant and transcendence, chant revival, chant rhythm, chant studies, chant therapy, chant traditions, chanting, chanting across religions, chanting and affect, chanting and attention, chanting and autonomic nervous 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ISSR 2026 Book Prize Winners

ISSR 2026 Book Prize Winners

For the seventh year, the International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR) has continued to run the ISSR Book Prize, which began with a generous donation from the Templeton World Charity Foundation. The Prize was established to understand ‘religion’ and ‘science’ broadly and to seek excellence in both content and communication. We aim to reward books from the past two years that make a major contribution to the field, especially those with the potential to take it in new directions. We offer prizes for one book in each of three categories: (1) suitable for a general audience (‘the public’); (2) for an academic audience; and (3) for a professional audience (e.g. ministers/pastors or school teachers). For 2026, ISSR is pleased to award the following prizes: In

By Anthony K Nairn|2026-09-03T21:07:16+01:00September 3rd, 2026|Categories: ISSR Statements|Tags: academic book awards, best science and religion books, book prizes 2026, Cambridge University Press, deep incarnation, eco-theology, ecological trauma, Fordham University Press, Helen De Cruz, history of science and religion, International Society for Science and Religion, ISSR, ISSR 2026 Book Prize, ISSR Book Prize, Peter Harrison, philosophy of science and religion, philosophy of wonder, Princeton University Press, psychology of awe, religion and science, science and faith, science and religion, science and theology, science communication, secular age, secularisation, Some New World, Some New World Myths of Supernatural Belief in a Secular Age, supernatural belief, Templeton World Charity Foundation, Timothy Middleton, trauma theology, Witnessing a Wounded World, Witnessing a Wounded World A Theology of Ecological Trauma, Wonderstruck, Wonderstruck How Wonder and Awe Shape the Way We Think|