Timothy K. Beal (born 1963) is a writer and
scholar in the field of religious studies whose work explores matters of
religion
Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatur ...
, media, and
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
culture, past and present. He is Distinguished University Professor, Florence Harkness Professor of Religion, and Director o
h.labat
Case Western Reserve University in
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
, USA. He has served as Interim Dean of the university’s College of Arts and Sciences (2019), Chair of the Department of Religious Studies (2015-21), and Director (2003-07) and Associate Director (2002-03) of the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities.
Biography
Beal was born in
Hood River, Oregon and was raised in
Anchorage,
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...
. He went to college at
Seattle Pacific University where he earned a B.A. in English in 1986. He earned a Master of Divinity at
Columbia Theological Seminary in 1991, and a Ph.D. in Religion and Certificate in Women's and Gender Studies at
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...
in 1995. Before joining the faculty of Case Western Reserve University, he was an assistant professor of religious studies at Eckerd College in
St. Petersburg,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
(1994-1999). He has been visiting faculty at the Nida School for Translation Studies, the
University of Denver, and the
University of Glasgow
, image = UofG Coat of Arms.png
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms
Flag
, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
. He is married to Clover Reuter Beal, a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). They have two children, Sophie and Seth.
He was the recipient of a Public Scholar Award from the National Endowment for the Humanities (2016) and the Baker-Nord Center Award for Distinguished Scholarship in the Humanities (2019).
Books
''When Time Is Short: Finding Our Way in the Anthropocene'' (Beacon Press, 2022).
''The Book of Revelation: A Biography'' (Princeton University Press, 2018).
''The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and the Arts'' (Editor-in-Chief; Oxford University Press, 2015).
''The Rise and Fall of the Bible: The Unexpected History of an Accidental Book'' (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011).
''Biblical Literacy: The Essential Bible Stories Everyone Needs to Know'' (HarperOne, 2009).
''Religion in America: A Very Short Introduction'' (Oxford University Press, 2008).
''Roadside Religion: In Search of the Sacred, the Strange, and the Substance of Faith'' (Beacon, 2005).
''Religion and Its Monsters'' (Routledge, 2002).
''The Book of Hiding: Gender, Ethnicity, and Annihilation in Esther'' (Routledge, 1997);
''Esther'' (Liturgical Press, 1999)
''Theory for Religious Studies'' (co-authored with William E. Deal; Routledge, 2004)
''Mel Gibson’s Bible: Religion, Popular Culture, and The Passion of the Christ'' (co-edited with Tod Linafelt; University of Chicago Press, 2006)
''Reading Bibles, Writing Bodies: Identity and The Book'' (co-edited with
David M. Gunn; Routledge, 1996)
''God in the Fray: Essays in Honor of Walter Brueggemann'' (co-edited with Tod Linafelt; Fortress, 1998)
Other writings
In addition to scholarly articles, Beal has published essays on religion and culture for magazines and newspapers including ''The Wall Street Journal'', ''Harper's Magazine'', ''The New York Times'', ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'', ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'', and ''The Cleveland Plain Dealer''. He has been featured on radio shows including NPR's ''All Things Considered'' and ''The Bob Edwards Show''.
References
* “Timothy K. Beal,” ''Contemporary Authors'' (Thomson Gale, 2006)
External links
Official siteTimothy Beal's profile at The Case Western Reserve University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beal, Timothy
1963 births
Living people
Seattle Pacific University alumni
American essayists
American religious writers
People from Hood River, Oregon
Emory University alumni
Case Western Reserve University faculty