Sikh scholar to speak at SJU on God and diversity

Rahuldeep Singh Gill, associate professor of religion and director of the Center for Equality and Justice at California Lutheran University, will present "The Oneness of God and the Diversity of Religions: A Sikh Perspective" at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, in the Centenary Room (room 264), Quadrangle Building, Saint John's University.  

The lecture, sponsored by the Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning, is free and open to the public.   

"The Sikh Holy Scripture, Guru Granth Sahib (compiled in 1604), begins with the assertion that 'God is One,' and this theme of God's oneness pervades not only the 1,430 pages of Guru Granth Sahib but also the subsequent Sikh tradition," said John Merkle, director of the Jay Phillips Center.  

"At the same time, Sikhism promotes the idea of religious diversity as a divine good for the human family," Merkle said. "In his lecture at Saint John's, Professor Gill will explore these Sikh teachings and explain why he regards them as true and necessary."  

Gill earned his master's and doctorate degrees in religious studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Twice voted Diversity Professor of the Year at California Lutheran University, he also has served as visiting professor of Sikh Studies at Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California.  

"Professor Gill is an expert not only in Sikh studies but also in the field of interfaith dialogue," Merkle said. "And he is widely known in interfaith circles as an engaging and enlightening speaker."  

Gill's writings have been published in scholarly journals and encyclopedias, and well as in popular media outlets such as the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post newspapers, and The Huffington Post. His first book, "Drinking from Love's Cup: Surrender and Sacrifice in the Vars of Bhai Gurdas," was published this year by Oxford University Press. He is working on a second book called "Pluralists: Great Leaders in History Who Brought People Together."