BELIEFS
A hierarchy of heinousness: new views on evil

IN THE NORTHEAST
• Leroy Rouner, Boston University professor of philosophy, religion and philosophical theology emeritus, has written about whether virtue can be taught and why good people do bad things. Contact 617-353-2571, lrouner@bu.edu.
• John E. Thiel, professor of religious studies at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Conn., has written a theological reflection on God, evil and innocent suffering. Contact 203-254-4000 ext. 2130, jthiel@mail.fairfield.edu.
• Jack Levin, professor of sociology and criminology and director of the Brudnick Center on Violence and Conflict at Northeastern University in Boston, has written about domestic terrorism, hate crimes, youth violence, ethnic conflict and mass and serial murder. Contact 617-373-4983 or page at 781-748-8106, jlevin1049@aol.com.

IN THE EAST
• Richard Bernstein, philosophy professor at New School University in New York, is the author of Radical Evil: A Philosophical Interrogation (Polity Press, 2002). His new book, The Abuse of Evil: The Corruption of Democratic Politics and Religion Since 9/11, will be published by Polity Press this fall. Contact 212-229-5707, BernsteR@newschool.edu.
• Jacob Neusner, research professor of theology at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., is the editor of Evil and Suffering (The Pilgrim Press, 1999). Contact 845-758-7389, neusner@webjogger.net.
• Michael Welner, a forensic psychiatrist at New York University School of Medicine, is founder of The Forensic Panel, which is developing a standardized "depravity scale" to determine whether specific crimes reflect depraved intent, actions and/or attitudes. Contact at the Forensic Panel, 212-535-9286, drwelner@forensicpanel.com.

IN THE SOUTHEAST
• David Blumenthal, professor of Judaic studies at Emory University in Atlanta, is the author of The Banality of Good and Evil: Moral Lessons from the Shoah and Jewish Tradition (Georgetown University Press, 1999). He notes that both perpetrators and rescuers often say they were just doing what was expected of them. Contact 404-727-7545, reldrb@emory.edu.
• Charles Mathewes, University of Virginia professor of religious ethics, has written about evil and the Augustinian tradition and on Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Hannah Arendt. He says that since 9/11, there has been a "rehabilitation" of the idea that evil is a workable part of a healthy moral and religious worldview. Contact 434-924-3741, CTMathewes@virginia.edu.
• The Rev. Charles Kimball, religion professor at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., is the author of When Religion Becomes Evil: Five Warning Signs (HarperSanFrancisco, 2002). Contact 336-758-5465, kimball@wfu.edu.

IN THE SOUTH
• Jerry Walls, philosophy of religion professor at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky., has written about making sense of evil and Christian conceptions of God. Contact 859-858-2116, jerry_walls@asburyseminary.edu.
• Barry Bryant, professor of United Methodist studies at Memphis Theological Seminary, has written about John Wesley and the origins of evil. Contact 901-458-8232, bbryant@mrscampus.edu.
• Jerome Rosenberg, University of Alabama psychology professor, teaches courses on the Holocaust that examine the dark side of human behavior and the nature of good and evil. Contact 205-348-1918, jrosenbe@gp.as.ua.edu.

IN THE MIDWEST
• Eleanore Stump, professor of philosophy at St. Louis University, has written about narrative and the problem of evil, suffering and redemption. Contact 314-977-3158, stumpep@slu.edu.
• Curtis Hancock, philosophy professor at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Mo., lectures about the problem of evil. Contact 816-501-4017, Curtis.Hancock@rockhurst.edu.
• Dale Stoffer is professor of historical theology and academic dean at Ashland Theological Seminary in Ashland, Ohio. He says that because of increased interest in spiritual realities due to the growth of a postmodern worldview and charismatic Christianity, scholars are more open to viewing evil as a spiritual force in human affairs.Contact 866-287-6446, dstoffer@ashland.edu.

IN THE SOUTHWEST
• Anthony B. Pinn is professor of humanities and religious studies at Rice University in Houston. He is the author of Why, Lord?: Suffering and Evil in Black Theology (Cassell, 1999) and editor of Redemptive Suffering: a History of Theodicy in African-American Religious Thought (University Press of Florida, 2002). Contact 713-348-2710, pinn@rice.edu.
• Hannah Decker, University of Houston history professor, co-taught a course on the history of evil. Contact 713-743-3095, hsdecker@uh.edu.
• Richard E. Wentz, professor of religion emeritus at Arizona State University in Tempe, is the author of Why People Do Bad Things in the Name of Religion (Mercer University Press, 1993). Contact 480-965-4689, Richard.Wentz@asu.edu.

IN THE WEST/NORTHWEST
• Brannon Wheeler, professor of Islamic studies and comparative religion at the University of Washington, says the Quran does not take a moral view of good and evil, but rather views the terms in relationship to people's obedience to God's commands. Contact 206-543-6033, wheelerb@u.washington.edu.
• The Rev. Paul Crowley, professor of religious studies at Santa Clara University, has written about evil for the Encyclopedia of Catholicism (HarperCollins, 1995). Crowley is primarily concerned with how the problem of evil intersects with the problem of suffering. He says today's scholarship is much more concerned with social and historical forms of evil, such as genocide and AIDS. Contact 408-554-4542, pcrowley@scu.edu.
• Philip Zimbardo, Stanford University professor emeritus of psychology, co-authored Violence Workers: Police Torturers and Murderers Reconstruct Brazilian Atrocities (University of California Press, 2002). He has written about the psychology of evil and the politics of fear and about understanding how good people are transformed into perpetrators. Contact 650-723-7498, zim@stanford.edu.
• Daniel Howard-Snyder, philosophy professor at Western Washington University in Bellingham, edited The Evidential Argument From Evil (Indiana University Press, 1996) and has written about God, evil and suffering. Contact 360-650-7767, Daniel.Howard-Snyder@wwu.edu.