Dear Readers:

Welcome back to Religious Studies News! I hope the academic year started well for you.

The October RSN issue is our most robust issue of the year. We have a lot of News to share: proposed bylaws changes; officer elections; CAW survey; awards; regional meeting calls for papers; etc. Our Spotlight on Teaching topic is “Teaching for Civic Engagement” and our Features cover a wide array of topics.

Many of you will be joining your friends and colleagues at our Annual Meeting in Atlanta later this month. You will find that this October issue has a large amount of information concerning the meeting as we wish to alert you to many of the special events and featured sessions.

Have you ever had trouble balancing your academic career with your personal life? Our Focus issue approaches work/life balance on a variety of levels and colleagues provide recommendations and strategies for promoting balance in your lives.

As promised, we have added several items to the website in the months since our last issue. Inside the Resources Menu are several delightful additions to the website, including:

• Ask Academic Abby: Advice given on professional concerns and how to navigate the occasionally treacherous waters of academe. Additions have been made to this section.
• Archives: Past issues of RSN. Additions have been made to this section. We now have the past two years’ issues of Spotlight on Teaching and Spotlight on Theological Education.
• Recommended Reading: Influential, pivotal, seminal, or otherwise important publications in various fields of religion and theology. Additions have been made to this section.

We hope you enjoy this October issue and look forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting! We welcome your feedback, so please feel free to contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Sincerely,
Stephanie Gray
RSN Editor