Charles Kimball - When Religion Becomes Lethal: The Explosive Mix of Politics and Religion in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kimball, Charles (Charles Anthony), date

When Religion Becomes Lethal : The Explosive Mix of Politics and Religion in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam / Charles Kimball.

p. cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-470-58190-2 (hardback); 978-1-118-03054-7 (ebk); 978-1-118-03055-4 (ebk); 978-1-118-03056-1 (ebk)

1. Religion and politics. 2. Religious fundamentalism. 3. Abrahamic religions. 4. Christianity and politics. 5. Islam and politics. 6. Judaism and politics. 7. Title.

BL65.P7K5695 2011

201'.7209045dc22

2010052515

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Unless otherwise noted, citations from the Bible are from the New Revised Standard Version. Quotations from the Quran are based, with revisions by the author, on The Meaning of the Glorious Koran , text and explanatory translation by Muhammad M. Pickthall (Mecca: Muslim World League, 1977).

Various perspectives advanced in this book have been shaped and modified over more than three decades. As is always the case, we all stand on the shoulders of and benefit directly and indirectly from predecessors, colleagues, friends, and people who see and interpret events differently. My indebtedness to many people is reflected in the text and notes. What I owe to a great number of othersfrom religious and political leaders and colleagues in religious studies and political science to people I have met in Tulsa, Tel Aviv, Tehran, and many points in betweenwill not be immediately visible. All have helped sharpen and refine my thinking. Among those who have offered valuable assistance and suggestions in the process of preparing this book, I am especially grateful to Chris Chapman, Jay Ford, Lee Green, Scott Hudgins, Jeff Rogers, and Cole Stephenson.

In addition to individuals, several institutions have been enormously helpful. I have enjoyed and benefited greatly from the congenial and supportive environment at both Wake Forest University and the University of Oklahoma. Several other colleges and universities have provided opportunities to present and refine what have become portions of the book. I thank the following institutions for their invitations to deliver lectures and for the constructive feedback from faculty, students, and community members: Oklahoma State University for the Converse-Yates-Cate Lecture, Bates College for the Andrews Lecture, the University of Tulsa for the William and Rita Bell Lecture, Greensboro College for the Jean Fortner Ward Lecture, Franklin and Marshall College for the Peace Lecture, McNeese University for the Banners Lecture, Illinois College for the Khalaf al-Habtoor Lecture, Georgetown College for the Collier Lecture, Stetson University for the Pastors Conference Lectures, Ottawa University for the Hostetter-DeFries Lectures, Oklahoma Christian University for the McBride Lecture, Southern Nazarene University for the Ladd Lecture, and Arizona State University, Franklin College, Pacific Lutheran University, Elon University, Meredith College, Drury College, and Presbyterian College for convocation and campuswide lectures. I am also grateful to many church and other religious communities throughout the United States that also have generously invited me to present lectures or deliver sermons on themes woven into this book.

Steve Hanselman and Julia Serebrinksy of LevelFiveMedia offered wise counsel, invaluable assistance, and personal friendship before, during and after completing this book. Working with Alison Knowles, Joanne Clapp Fullagar, Jennifer Wenzel, Tom Finnegan, and the other professionals at Jossey-Bass has been delightful. Most notably, I am deeply grateful to Sheryl Fullerton, the executive editor who guided my work on this book from start to finish. She has helped both to frame larger issues and fine-tune points through incisive questions and editorial suggestions. No author could hope to work with a more insightful, constructive, or congenial editor than Sheryl.

Writing this kind of book is both a solitary and a family process. Our adult children, Sarah and Elliot, along with my brother, sisters, and other close family members, have been supportive in numerous ways. My spouse, Nancy, has lived through the academic, experiential, and vocational adventures that shaped our lives for four decades. Nancy has been and remains my best friend, confidante, and loving critic.

Finally, I offer a brief word about my Jewish grandfather and Presbyterian grandmother. My paternal grandfather, Julius George Skelskie Kimball, was one of the most wonderful people I knew as a child. Despite the enormous challenges posed by a religiously mixed marriage a century ago, my grandparents remained within the traditions of faith in which they were raised. My grandparents, parents, and extended family membersboth Jewish and Christianmodeled for me how religious diversity and religious commitment can illuminate and enrich our experiences as human beings and as children of God who share life in our community as well as on an increasingly fragile planet. With love and appreciation, I dedicate this book to the memory of my grandfather, whose gentle manor, love of laughter, and warm embrace helped set me on the journey of a lifetime.