Expertise

Comparative Religion, Asian Religions, Bahá’í Studies, Philosophy of Religion, Russian Thought, Religion and Modernity, Religion and Art, Apocalyptic Studies, Afterlife Studies, History of Philosophy

Biography

Mikhail Sergeev, Ph.D. (Temple University, 1997), is an American scholar of Russian descent specializing in comparative religion, Bahá’í theology and philosophy, Russian religious thought, and the intersections of religion, art, and modernity.

Over the past three decades, he has published more than two hundred academic, literary, and journalistic works in fourteen countries across North America, Europe, and Asia. He is also the author or contributing editor of sixteen books, including Theory of Religious Cycles (Brill, 2015) and The Crucifixion in Western European Painting(KoLibri, 2024).

Sergeev has taught a wide range of courses in religious studies, philosophy, and modern art at Temple University, the University of the Arts, the Graduate Theological Union, and the Wilmette Institute, where he also served as Chair of the Department of Religion, Philosophy, and Theology (2017–21). 

His public scholarship includes the bilingual educational YouTube channel “Misha Impossible,” which features more than 800 lectures and has over 55,000 subscribers worldwide.

Website

Selected Publications

Scholarly Monographs

• Spiritual Wisdom of Asia: Religious Doctrines and Mystical Practices, Russian edition, Moscow: KoLibri, 2026.
• The Crucifixion in Painting: From the Middle Ages to Post Modernism, Boston, MA: M Graphics, 2023.
• Theory of Religious Cycles: Tradition, Modernity, and the Bahá’í Faith, Leiden–Boston: Brill | Rodopi, 2015.

Edited Volumes

• Religion and Science in the Globalized World, (GFBS Vol. 4) Ed. and Introduction by Mikhail Sergeev. Boston, MA: M Graphics, 2022.
• Studies in Bahá’í Epistemology: Essays and Commentaries (GFBS Vol. 3), Ed. and Introduction by Mikhail Sergeev. Boston, MA: M Graphics, 2021.
• Russian Philosophy in the Twenty-First Century: An Anthology, Eds. M. Sergeev, A. Chumakov, M. Theis. Leiden–Boston: Brill | Rodopi, 2020.

Creative / Literary

• Moscow Arlekin Theater: Conception, History, Performances, (Московский театр Арлекин: Создание, история, спектакли). Compiled and edited by Mikhail Sergeev with Oleg Cherkas. Boston: M Graphics, 2020.
• Poetry of 20th Century Russian Philosophy: An Anthology, (Поэзия русских философов двадцатого века. Антология).Collected by M. Sergeev and L. Stolovich. Boston: M Graphics, 2011.

Book Chapters

• “The ‘End of History’ or the End of the Human Race? Rereading Fukuyama and Huntington During Russia’s War Against Ukraine.” At the Vanishing Point in History, Bloomsbury Academic, 2025.
• “Religion in the Globalized World: Philosophical Reflections.” Philosophical Aspects of Globalization, Brill, 2022.
• “Overview: Bahá’í Theology and Philosophy,” “Progress of the Soul: Life After Death.” The World of the Bahá’í Faith, Routledge, 2022. 

Peer‑Reviewed Articles

• “Theory of Religious Cycles and Its Application to Interreligious Dialogue and Trans‑Religious Theology.” Annales Scientia Politica 9 (2020). Prešov, Slovakia.
• “Religion and Globalization: Crossroads and Opportunities.” Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe 38 (2018).
• “A Time to Laugh: Religious Humor in Contemporary Russia.” Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe 37 (2017).
• “The Model of Religious Cycle: Theory and Application.” SENTENTIA: European Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences 3 (2017).
• “Reflections of the Epistemological Views of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá.” Journal of Bahá’í Studies 22 (2012).
• “Crucifixion in Painting: Historical Considerations and Twentieth‑Century Expressionism.” ARTS: The Arts in Religious and Theological Studies 18 (2006).

Encyclopedia Entries

• “Igor Yefimov (1937–2020).”Filosofia: An Encyclopedia of Russian Thought, 2025.
• “Alexander Yanov (1930–2022).” Filosofia: An Encyclopedia of Russian Thought, 2024.
• “Losskii, Nikolai Onufrievich,” “Zen’kovskii, Vasilii Vasil’evich.” Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2nd ed., Macmillan, 2006.
• “Sophia.” Ideas in Russia: Russian‑Polish‑English Lexicon, vol. 4, Lodz: University of Lodz Press, 2001.

Courses Taught

• American Jesus
• Asian Behavior & Thought
• Asian Religions
• Bahá’í Faith and Philosophy
• Christianity
• Comparative Religion (Judaism, Christianity, Islam)
• Human Potential and the Arts
• Humanities Seminar: Afterlife
• Humanities Seminar: Holy Wars
• Introduction to Bahá’í Theology (online)
• Introduction to Modernism (19th Century)
• Introduction to Modernism (20th Century)
• Introduction to Religion
• Introduction to the Bible
• Modern Russian Thought: Philosophy, Literature, Mysticism
• Religion and Society
• Religion, Art, and the Apocalypse
• Religion in America
• Religion in the World (World Religions)
• Russian Religious Thought
• Search for Wisdom: Philosophy
• Texts and Contexts: Perspectives on the Humanities