1. A Review at Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
Dr. Leah Kalmanson (University of North Texas) has reviewed Debating Transcendence: Creatio ex nihilo and Sheng Sheng in Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews (April 3, 2026). The review offers an excellent overview of the book’s central arguments and highlights its major contributions. Readers may find it a helpful introduction before reading the book itself.
One particularly insightful observation concerns methodology. Dr. Kalmanson writes: “At this point, I would have been interested to hear some of Song’s methodological commitments articulated in the language of Ruist scholarly practices, although this dimension is implicit in Song’s overall approach to Ruism as a way of life in other chapters.” I appreciate this thoughtful question. In response, I would emphasize that the book operates with two complementary levels of comparative methodology.
The first is developed in the opening two chapters, which clarify what theology means within the Ru tradition and articulate the general Ruist attitude toward learning from other traditions. The second is presented in Chapter Four, where I propose a concrete method for constructing comparative categories that make cross-cultural comparison both meaningful and philosophically rigorous. Regarding the first level, I draw extensively on classical Ruist sources to develop what I call a “rooted and open inclusivism.” For the second, I build primarily upon Dr. Robert C. Neville’s pragmatist methodology—revised through Jonathan Z. Smith’ hermeneutical approach—and argue that Neville’s method provides an appropriate framework for this rooted, open inclusivism.
Dr. Kalmanson’s observation therefore raises an important question, and I hope the clarification above further explains the point she perceptively noted in the second half of her comment.
2. Harvard-Yenching Institute Announcement
The Harvard-Yenching Institute has also announced the publication of the book on its website. I was a Harvard-Yenching Visiting Fellow from 2011 to 2013. During those two years, I devoted myself to careful study of Liu Shu-hsien and Friedrich Schleiermacher. Looking back, that period planted some of the earliest intellectual seeds that eventually grew into Debating Transcendence. It is especially meaningful to see the Institute publicizing the book as it approaches its centennial in 2028. I extend my best wishes for the continued flourishing of Asian studies in the United States and across the globe under the Institute’s aegis.
3. Washington College Magazine Feature
The Spring 2026 issue of Washington College Magazine includes an interview conducted by the College’s Director of Communications, Mark Jolly-Van Bodegraven, featuring both my new book and my colleague Dr. Peter Weigel’s Reading Aquinas’s Five Ways: The Arguments for God in Summa Theologiae (Cambridge University Press, 2025).
The interview situates Debating Transcendence within the liberal arts tradition inaugurated by Aristotle, suggesting that asking and attempting to answer the deepest human questions liberates the mind, and that such intellectual freedom forms one of the foundations of a robust democracy.
The interview also discusses my co-authored chapter, “When the Fire Came: A Retelling of the Confucian Sacred Story,“ written with Dr. Anna Sun (Duke University) and Dr. Pauline Lee (Saint Louis University). I am also delighted to share that this chapter has been adopted by colleagues at Washington College as a course reading for an environmental literature class co-taught by professors of English and Art History. They have told me that it has become one of the most relevant and engaging readings for the course.
4. American Academy of Religion Book Panel
The 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion in Denver will feature a book panel on Debating Transcendence, co-sponsored by the Confucian Traditions Unit and the Comparative Theology Unit. The official announcement can be found here.
I very much look forward to the thoughtful discussions and intellectual exchanges that this panel will foster among colleagues and friends.
5. American Philosophical Association Book Panel
The 2027 Eastern Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association in Boston will also host a book panel on Debating Transcendence, sponsored by the International Society for Chinese Philosophy. This gathering will provide an opportunity to engage once again with my doctoral advisor, Dr. Robert C. Neville, my dissertation reader, Dr. Stephen Angle, and several close academic friends. I look forward to a stimulating and enjoyable exchange of ideas.
Overall, I am deeply grateful for the warm reception the book has received so far. Seeing it generate thoughtful reviews, public discussions, classroom use, and scholarly panels is both encouraging and humbling. I hope these conversations will continue to advance comparative theology, Confucian studies, and cross-cultural philosophy in the years ahead.
Bin Song 