It has just come to my attention that the Society of Christian Philosophers has a new web site. It's a serious upgrade over the old site with better layout, navigation, and seriously better resources.
For what it's worth, if you meet the membership requirements you ought to think about joining. You can now register on-line using PayPal.
Does anyone know why it is that the SCP has not put Faith and Philosophy online? Is there something preventing the SCP from doing so, or is it just lack of resources? I think it's a shame that the only way one can get F&P is by hardcopy.
This issue struck me as I was categorizing philosophy of religion papers at www.philpapers.org. Loads of stuff from Religious Studies, The International Journal of Philosophy of Religion, etc. But nothing at all from what seems to be the premier journal in philosophy of religion. This is unfortunate. The primary way most philosophers (so it seems to me) get articles is online. So what has been published in F&P over the years is more or less invisible to those who weren't subscribers or who don't have easy access to the hardcopies. And even if one *does* have access to the hardcopies, going to the library to go through them all takes a lot more effort than quickly perusing past issues online.
Perhaps with the new website, the SCP is becoming more online-friendly? Might we soon see F&P go online? Or is there something I'm missing here?
By the by, if you all haven't been to philpapers yet, you really should check it out! It is already a tremendous resource, and should be more so when the categorization project is further along.
Good question, Patrick, and one I've wondered about. I guess one of us should ask the folks at the SCP; and by that I mean you. :)
Actually, I'll try to find out and let you know what I find.
F&P was available online through POIESIS, but if I recall correctly the coverage was always spotty. I think part of the challenge is that because the journal isn't owned by a large press, they have to go to some third party to provide online access. I'd like to see the journal online as well. I'd also like to see them do something like Analysis which makes some pre-print articles from each volume available online for free.
I'm on the SCP executive committee. I don't have the details handy here, but we got a briefing recently on the process of getting Faith and Philosophy properly online. So I can't remember how soon it should be available, but I can tell you that Michael Peterson is on the case.
Great! This will also make it much easier to assign papers from it to students.
Great, Mark! Thanks for passing along the info. Do please let us know if you find out anything more.
Mark, I've very glad to hear that, not only for the sake of what you say, but also now because it spares me writing an email! Thanks.
Yes, Michael Peterson (along with a subcontractor) is working hard to digitize the entire archive of "Faith & Philosophy". We'll then determine how it should be made available online--with a priority on ease of access and minimal (if any) cost. I agree that this will help raise the profile of the journal, as well as make it more easily available for student research and class use. Stay tuned for updates!
Incidentally, the journal has also recently received overtures from scholarly outlets (like OUP and Springer), but I think SCP has intentionally resisted going in that direction, largely because editors like Tom Flint and Michael have been doing such a great job, and also because SCP is concerned to keep SCP membership and the journal as affordable as possible.
So let me also add my encouragement for those who aren't currently members to consider joining the Society. Regular membership is only $45, and Student Membership (including graduate students) is a ridiculously low $25--and both include a subscription to _Faith and Philosophy_. And SCP regional meetings can be a great place to carry on meaningful conversations, as well as a hospitable space for young scholars to debut their work.
Hi All,
Might anyone have any new news on this issue? I was looking for an old F&P article today, and had occasion to remember this thread! Thanks!