James Hathaway, jim.hathaway@asu.edu
(480) 965-6375
March 11, 2004

Talk explores "When Religion Becomes Evil"

This month, as the weather in the Valley begins to heat up, so does the discourse as Arizona State University's Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict brings to the Valley Charles Kimball, TV and radio commentator, best-selling author, government policy advisor, professor of religious studies and ordained Baptist minister.

Kimball, an expert on the religious dynamics of the Middle East and the sources of religiously-based violence, will be delivering a lecture entitled, "When Religion Becomes Evil" as part of the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict's (CSRC) "Religion and Conflict: Alternative Visions" lecture series. The free public lecture is scheduled for 7:00 pm on March 25, 2004 at the ASU College of Law Great Hall (Armstrong Hall, room 113) . The talk will be followed by a book-signing and reception. Reservations are required - for more information see the end of this release.

"Kimball is the ideal person to be delivering the final talk in our 'Religion and Conflict: Alternative Visions' series," said Carolyn Forbes, assistant director of the Center. "His extensive experience as a long-time activist in the area of inter-religious dialogue, as a Middle East policy expert, and as a scholar of Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations, provides us with an excellent opportunity to further our understanding of the contemporary landscape of religion and conflict, and the shared search for solutions."

Kimball's visit will be the third and final installment in this year's series of public lectures and conversations with nationally and internationally recognized writers, scholars, and policy experts. The series explores the sources and consequences of religious conflict and strategies for their resolution. Previous lecturers in the Alternative Visions series included New York Times best-selling author and NPR commentator Bruce Feiler, and Azar Nafisi, a best-selling author and international activist on behalf of women's rights and democracy.

According to ASU President Michael Crow, "In this lecture series, the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict is bringing real insight about some of the biggest issues affecting the outside world home to Arizona."

Dr. Kimball's expertise is comparative religion, with a specialization in Islamic Studies. For over 25 years, Kimball has been working at the borders of conflict, religion, and peace-building. Combining rigorous study with an activist orientation, Kimball has been involved with these issues as far back as the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. Currently a professor of religion and chair of the Department of Religion at Wake Forest University, Kimball helps to further contact among policymakers, religious leaders, scholars and practitioners of diverse faiths.  He brings extensive experience and expertise developed in his work as Director of Interfaith Programs for the Fellowship of Reconciliation and Director of the Middle East office of the National Council of Churches.

For Kimball, understanding the ways in which religion becomes corrupt, identifying these corruptions and finding ways to fix them are essential to solving the problems of the modern world. In the introduction to his best-selling book, When Religion Becomes Evil , Dr. Kimball writes, "Religion is arguably the most powerful and pervasive force on earth. Throughout history religious ideas and commitments have inspired individuals and communities of faith to transcend narrow self-interest in pursuit of higher values and truths . . . Questions about why people do bad things . . . in the name of religion are not new . . . The tragic events of September 11, 2001, underscore the point."

According to Kimball, if we do not solve problems in the Middle East, there may be little hope for living peacefully in the world at large. "If we are not able to find nonviolent ways to move forward toward justice, peace, and security in these lands, it does not bode well for the rest of us inhabiting the religiously diverse, interdependent world community," writes Kimball.

In addition to When Religion Becomes Evil , which was listed by Publishers Weekly as one of the "Top 15 Books on Religion for 2002," Dr. Kimball is the author of three other books about religion and the Middle East: Striving Together: A Way Forward in Christian-Muslim Relations ; Religion, Politics and Oil: The Volatile Mix in the Middle East ; and Angle of Vision: Christians and the Middle East . Kimball's articles have appeared in such publications as The Los Angeles Times , The Boston Globe , The Christian Science Monitor , The Christian Century and Sojourners Magazine .

Kimball has found himself in the middle of a controversy recently over his stand against fundamentalisms of all kinds, an issue he addressed in his controversial article, "Osama and Me: What Falwell and bin Laden Have in Common" ( Sojourners , Jan-Feb 2003)  and Time Magazine interview on the topic "Should Christians Convert Muslims?" in June of 2003.

Seating at the lecture is limited and reservations are required. Call 480-727-6736 or e-mail csrc@asu.edu < mailto:csrc@asu.edu > to reserve seats. Parking will be available at no charge in Lot 40. For more information on the lecture or on the ASU Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict, visit the website http://www.asu.edu/csrc or call 480-965-7187.

ASU