Paul Williams, Assistant Professor of Religion

Dr. Paul Allen Williams is an Assistant Professor of Religion. Beginning his fifth year of teaching at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, he offers courses in African Religions, History of Christianity, Islam, New Testament, Religion in America, and World Religions. Prior to coming to Nebraska, he taught at St. Xavier University (Chicago, Illinois).

Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and raised in both Congo and Texas, he earned a BA in Anthropology and Asian Studies (1978) from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Arts in Religion (1979) from the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest. At the University of Chicago, he studied history of religions, with an emphasis on African Religions, Buddhism, and the History of Christianity, earning an MA in Religious Studies (1981) and a PhD in History of Religions (2000).  Based on research in the United States and the DRC, his doctoral dissertation was entitled "The Disciples of Christ Congo Mission (DCCM), 1897-1932:  A Missionary Community in Colonial Central Africa."   

In 2002, Dr. Williams was awarded a fellowship to attend a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Institute on "Societal Transformation and the Legitimation of Power in Early Islamic States," at the University of Chicago with Dr. Fred Donner and Dr. Kenneth Hall.

Dr. Williams' current research interests include the history of religion in North America and Central Africa (African Traditional Religion, Christianity, and Islam).  His publications appear in Annales Aequatoria (Mbandaka, DRC), the International Third World Studies Journal and Review (ITWSJR), and the Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement (forthcoming). A member of the American Academy of Religion, the American Historical Association, and the Society of Biblical Literature, he also serves as Editor for The Journal of Religion and Film and as an Associate Editor of the ITWSJR.

In addition to his academic work, Dr. Williams welcomes the opportunity to speak with religious communities and civic organizations about the significance of religion in the world today and the role of religious studies in higher education.

He may be reached via email at pwilliams@mail.unomaha.edu.