Author of "When Religion Becomes Evil" to Speak at University of Richmond
September 19, 2002
Charles A. Kimball, whose just-published book "When Religion Becomes Evil" examines truth and falsehood in understanding Islam, will deliver the 16th annual Weinstein-Rosenthal lecture Oct. 7 at the University of Richmond.
"When Religion Becomes Evil" was published on Sept. 11, 2002 and is a direct response to the terrorist attacks on New York, Arlington, Va., and Shanksville, Pa., a year earlier.
"Whatever religious people may say about their love of God or the mandates of religion, when their behavior toward others is violent and destructive, when it causes suffering among their neighbors, you can be sure the religion has been corrupted and reform is desperately needed," Kimball says about religion being used for evil.
In the past year, news media around the world have interviewed Kimball about the role of religion in the Sept. 11 attacks.
Kimball's lecture, "Claiming the Promise of God: Obstacles and Opportunities for the Children of Abraham," will look at relationships among Jews, Christians and Muslims. It is free and open to the pubic and begins at 8 p.m. in Jepson Alumni Center.
Kimball, professor and chair of the Department of Religion at Wake Forest University, 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.
An ordained Baptist minister and the grandson of a Jewish immigrant and a Presbyterian, Kimball received a Th.D. degree in comparative religion with specialization in Islamic studies from Harvard. He is also a graduate of Oklahoma State University and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Kimball was director of the Middle East office at the National Council of Churches from 1983-90. He has visited the Middle East more than 35 times and worked closely with Congress, the White House and the State Department during the past 20 years.