Biographical Sketch for Charles Kimball
Dr. Charles Kimball is a professor of religion and chair of the Department of Religion at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC. Dr. Kimball is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and holds the M.Div. degree from the Southern Baptist Theoilogical Seminary. An ordained Baptist minister, he received hi Th.D. from Harvard university in comparative religion with specialization in Islamic studies.
Dr. Kimball's courses at Wake Forest include "Introduction to Religion," "Religions of the World," "Conceptions of the Afterlife," and "Islam." He is a frequent lecturer in universities and church-related settings as well as an expert analyst on issues related to the Middle East, Islam, Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations, and the intersection of religion and politics in the United States.
Before joining the Wake Forest faculty in 1996, Dr. Kimball taught for six years at Furman University where he also served as the Director for International Education. From 1983-1990 he was the Director of the Middle East Office at the National Council of Churches, based in New York. He has made more than 35 visits to the Middle East and worked closely with Congress, the White House and the State Department during the past 20 years.
His articles have appeared in a number of publications, including Sojourners, The Christian Century, The Los Angeles Times, The Christian Science Monitor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Boston Glove. He is the author of four books, including When Religion Becomes Evil (HarperSanFrancisco, 2002). When Religion Becomes Evil was named one of the "Top 15 Books on Religion for 2002" by Publishers Weekly and one of the top ten books of the year by the association of Parish Clergy. His three other books are: Striving Together: A Way Forward in Christian-Muslim Relations (Orbis Books), Religion, Politics and Oil: The Volatile Mix in the Middle East (Abingdon Press), and Angle of Vision: Christians and the Middle East (Friendship Press).
Since the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, Dr. Kimball has been interviewed by more than 400 TV and radio stations as well as major newspapers and broadcast outlets throughout the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, France, Sweden, Australia and South Africa.
Charles and Nancy Kimball have two children: Sarah teaches high school math in Bethesda, MD; Elliot is a first-year student at NC State University in Raleigh.