NOTED AUTHOR AND RELIGION SCHOLAR TAPPED

TO HEAD OU’S RELIGIOUS STUDIES PROGRAM

NORMAN – Charles Kimball, professor of comparative religion at Wake Forest University and one of the leading authors in the nation of books about religion and theology, has been named the new director of the OU Religious Studies Program. His appointment will be effective July 1. Kimball, an ordained Baptist minister who holds a doctorate from Harvard, is broadly admired by members of all religious groups for his teaching, writing and scholarship and for his work to create a better understanding of all religions.

The current director of the Religious Studies Program, Allen Hertzke, is returning to his teaching and research duties in the Department of Political Science.

“We are very pleased that one of the nation’s leaders in religious education has agreed to lead our rapidly growing religious studies program at OU,” said OU President David L. Boren. “I have no doubt that under his leadership, OU will set a standard of excellence for others to follow.”

“We are both pleased and fortunate to welcome Professor Charles Kimball back to his native Oklahoma to assume leadership of our Religious Studies Program,” said Paul B. Bell Jr., dean of the OU College of Arts and Sciences and vice provost for instruction. “Started by OU President David Boren in the wake of 9/11, this program both helps students’ understanding of the world’s religions and prepares them for careers in fields related to religion. Professor Kimball as a noted scholar, gifted teacher and ordained minister is the ideal person to lead this program to new heights of achievement.”

Kimball is a frequent lecturer and 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. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, Kimball has been interviewed by more than 500 television and radio stations as well as major newspapers and broadcast outlets throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Sweden, France, Australia and South Africa.

During the 2006 fall term, Kimball was the Rita and William Bell Visiting Professor at the University of Tulsa.

Kimball chaired the Department of Religion at Wake Forest between 1996 and 2004. Prior to joining the Wake Forest faculty in 1996, Kimball taught at Furman University, where he also served as director of international education. He also has served as director of the Middle East office at the National Council of Churches, which is based in New York. Kimball has made more than 35 visits to the Middle East and has worked closely with Congress, the White House and the State Department during the past two decades.

Kimball’s articles have appeared in a number of publications, including Sojourners, The Christian Century, Los Angeles Times, The Christian Science Monitor and The Boston Globe. He is the author of four books, including When Religion Becomes Evil (HarperSanFrancisco, 2002), which was named one of the top 15 books on religion for 2002 by Publishers Weekly and was selected as one of the top 10 books of 2002 by the Association of Parish clergy. An updated and expanded edition will be released at the end of February 2008. It has also been published in Swedish, Indonesian, Korean and Danish translations. The book identifies and describes five major warning signs where religion is sometimes used for violent and destructive purposes. Kimball’s 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).

Kimball’s When Religion Becomes Evil was selected as one of three recommended texts for the first Renaissance Project at OU and was used throughout campus in conjunction with the project’s theme of “Religion and Democracy” for the 2005-2006 academic year. The Renaissance Project attempts to enhance OU students’ educational experience by engaging the entire university in a yearlong conversation about important issues and ideas of the times, with a single theme being selected for the year.

A native of Tulsa and a graduate of Oklahoma State University, Kimball earned his master of divinity degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and his doctor of theology degree in comparative religion, with specialization in Islamic studies, from Harvard University.

The Religious Studies Program at OU provides undergraduate students with a broad curriculum of study on the diverse expressions of religion. Students learn both about major religious traditions and the different approaches to understanding religion. The program, which draws courses from approximately 30 faculty members in a dozen departments, is interdisciplinary, comparative and global in scope.

Joan Halifax Roshi spoke at Meachum auditorium on March 3, 2008 on "Engaged Buddhism: Practicing Compassion and Fearlessness in An Endangered World"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The University of Oklahoma and the Religious Studies Program announces the completion of the "Reflection Room." The room, behind the Crossroads Restaurant, is available to students, faculty, and staff for quiet reflection. Many thanks to Dr. Barbara Boyd and Outreach Assistant Mary Stanaszek for the tireless effort and energy invested in this project. Thanks to the Union Management and Food Service Staff and the Physical Plant employees who made the room available and ready for use by students, faculty, and staff.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dr. Akbar Ahmed, Ambassador to Britain from Pakistan and Professor of Anthropology and International Relations, made an encore visit to the University of Oklahoma November 3-5, 2006. Dr. Ahmed was the keynote speaker for the Institute for Interfaith Dialogue conference hosted by OU and the Religious Studies Program.

For more information, see the link below the picture.

http://fethullahgulenconference.org/