About the Academy

2013 Enrollment

For the Interfaith Seminary We are now accepting applications. If interested, please visit our registration page. Our Academy Calendar has more details. To enroll as a full time student or to take specific modules, please visit this page to pay the registration fee of $50 via PayPal and to complete the Application for Enrollment.  We look forward to meeting you!

Support

The Academy is a nonprofit corporation in the United States and has 501(c)3 IRS status in the U.S. In addition, the Academy is an Asociacion Civil called ACADEMIA INTERNACIONAL DE LAS VERDADES UNIVERSALES in Mexico. We offer courses in English and Spanish. There are many ways to support the Academy. Please look here for more information.

Programs

Information on Academy programs can be found here.

Mission

The Academy provides (1) training to enhance knowledge about the major (and some of the minor) world religions, (2) training for those who wish to become Interfaith Ministers, and (3) training to become more effective at helping other people.

Academy People

Rev. Dr. Thomas D. Lynch

Rev. Dr. Thomas D. Lynch

President

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Rev. Dr. Cynthia E. Lynch

Rev. Dr. Cynthia E. Lynch

Texas Director

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Other Board Members

Wayne Ford, Salvador Orozco Guillen, and Sylvia Elguea serve on both the boards of the American and Mexican corporations.

Faculty

click on the name in the table to see specific Academy Faculty Pictures and their Biographies.

Faculty of The International– Academy for Interfaith Studies
Rev. Dr. Thomas Lynch

Rev.Dr. Cynthia Lynch

Mr. Herb Wilson

Mr. Larry Stone

Dr. Alex Krem

Dr. Sharon Parsons

Rev. Robbin Melchiorre

Dr. Judith Jenya

 Rev. Jean Leone

Rev. Nancy Wurlitzer

Mrs. Sylvia Elguea

Rev. Dr. Thomas Pearson

Rev. Tim Miner

Rev. Andrea Rudolph

Dr. David Stea

Dr. Linda Sonna

Our Training Approach

All programs and modules are developed from a secular point of view and are not designed to promote one religion over another or atheism. Instead stress is placed on promoting religious understanding and appreciation for its contribution to human society.

Training will be done OnLine and in person in San Miguel de Allende or other locations using lectures and discussions based on assigned readings and study questions. Trainees will be asked to read the assigned readings before each session, be ready to discuss the readings, and develop tentative answers to study questions. After each session, students will update their answers and submit them for review and commit by an Instructor. Many of the questions and answers shall be used in the end of the year review

Students will also be assigned independent or group exercises, which will be reviewed and commented upon. Students will be encouraged to work together in study groups.

Legal Structure

The legal structure for the International Academy for Interfaith Studies consists of two nonprofit corporations. In the USA, our corporation is in Texas and is called the INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY FOR INTERFAITH STUDIES, Inc. In Mexico, our corporation is an Asociacion Civil and is called ACADEMIA INTERNACIONAL DE LAS VERDADES UNIVERSALES. The minutes including financial information of both corporations will be posted in the Academy Blog.

NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY (recommended IRS language)

The International Academy for Interfaith Studies admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

 

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