C.S. Lewis Legacy Lecture 2017: Specialist on Islam to Lecture on Religious Terrorism
An international specialist on Islam will speak on religion and terrorism for the annual Harrod-C.S. Lewis Legacy Lecture at 11 a.m., Thursday, February 2, in the Church of St. Mary the Virgin Aldermanbury on the campus of Westminster College.
The Reverend Dr. Charles Kimball, Presidential Professor, Department Chair and Director of Religious Studies at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK, will deliver the lecture, which is free and open to the public.
“Professor Kimball is a noted author, lecturer and international resource on the Middle East, Islam, Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations and the intersection of religion and politics in America,” said Dr. Cliff Cain, Harrod-C.S. Lewis Professor of Religious Studies and Chair of Westminster’s Department of Classics, Philosophy and Religious Studies. “We are fortunate and delighted he has agreed to return and deliver the fifth C.S. Lewis Lecture at Westminster.”
Previously to his position at University of Oklahoma, Rev. Kimball served as Chair of the Department of Religion and the Divinity School at Wake Forest University (1996-2008), and prior to that was Professor of Religious Studies at Furman University.
Among the five books he has authored, When Religion Becomes Evil (revised edition 2008) was named one of the “Top 15 Books on Religion” by Publishers Weekly and one of the Top 10 books of the year by the Association of Parish Clergy.
Rev. Kimball has written articles for a number of publications, including The Los Angeles Times and The Boston Globe, and since the 9/11 terrorist attack, has been interviewed by more than 700 television and radio stations throughout the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, France, Sweden, Australia and South Africa.
He is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and holds the M.Div. degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. An ordained Baptist minister, he received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in comparative religion with specialization in Islamic studies.
The Harrod-C.S. Lewis Legacy Lecture and Professorship of Religious Studies are made possible through the generosity of James W. “Jim” Harrod, Westminster Class of 1957, and his wife Sharon from Horseshoe Bay, TX. The Harrod-C.S. Lewis Professor of Religious Studies researches, writes and teaches on the history, current condition and future of religion.
The Lectures are intended to honor the legacy of the late British theologian, C.S. Lewis, by engaging the campus community and the surrounding community on topics and issues that were important to him and that stimulated his writing.
