Charles Kimball, expert in Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations, to present 2014 Morrow-McCombs Memorial Lecture

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- Charles Kimball, author of “When Religion Becomes Lethal: The Explosive Mix of Politics and Religion in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam,” will present the 27th annual Morrow-McCombs Memorial Lecture on Feb. 18, 2014.

Kimball, Presidential Professor and director of Religious Studies at the University of Oklahoma, will speak on “Children of Abraham: Obstacles and Opportunities in the 21st Century.” The lecture will be held at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 3041 North Sierra Way, San Bernardino.

The free program begins at 7:30 p.m.

Established 27 years ago with an endowment created at California State University, San Bernardino to advance better relations between Christians and Jews, the Morrow-McCombs Memorial Lecture grew in scope following the 9-11 terrorist attacks to include Muslims. Over the years it has brought nationally and internationally renowned scholars to San Bernardino.

Kimball is a graduate of OklahomaStateUniversity and earned his master’s in divinity degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. An ordained Baptist minister, he received his doctorate in theology from HarvardUniversity in comparative religion with specialization in Islamic studies.

From 1983-1990 he was the director of the Middle East Office of the National Council of Churches. He lived in Egypt in 1977-78 and has made more than 35 visits to the Middle East. He also has worked closely with Congress, the White House and the State Department during the past 30 years. From 1996 to 2008 Kimball served as chair of the Department of Religion and the DivinitySchool at WakeForestUniversity in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Kimball's courses at the University of Oklahoma include "Introduction to Religious Studies," "Comparative Religion," "World Religions in America," "Conceptions of the Afterlife," "Religion and Politics in the Middle East," and "Islam." He is a frequent lecturer in universities and church-related settings, as well as an expert analyst on the Middle East, Islam, Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations, and the intersection of religion and politics in the U.S.

Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, Kimball has been interviewed by more than 700 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.

The Morrow-McCombs Memorial Lecture is jointly sponsored by CSUSB and the city of San Bernardino Human Relations Commission.

Further information about the event is available by calling (909) 886-3666, or the CSUSB Public Affairs Office at (909) 537-5007.