Charles Nienkirchen, PhD

Charles grew up in a German Methodist denomination, developed a love for church history and received his PhD in Early Modern European/Reformation History from the University of Waterloo in 1985. He has been honoured both as a Distinguished Alumnus of the Year by Tyndale College in Toronto, ON [now Tyndale University] in 1998 and as Professor Emeritus of Christian History and Spirituality at Ambrose University in Calgary, AB in 2020. For 30 years he also served as Visiting Professor of Christian Spirituality at Tyndale Seminary [now Tyndale University] in Toronto, ON.

For over 40 years his teaching, research, publications on various aspects of Christian history and spirituality and ecumenical retreat ministry focused on the historical, theological and practical dimensions of spiritual renewal. His multi-faceted vocation made him a global traveller across North America, Central America, South America, the British Isles, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. As a result of his travels, he has been extensively exposed to the global Christian heritage and the diverse ways in which the Christian faith has incarnated itself across a broad spectrum of host cultures. In the course of his travels in the Middle East, he also became involved in Christian- Muslim dialogue.

In 2006, while Professor of Christian History and Spirituality at Ambrose University, he received an Award of Distinction for the Internationalization of the Teaching and Learning Practice from the Government of Alberta’s Ministry of Advanced Education for his creation of the Down Ancient Paths Travel Study Program in 2000. The highly successful DAP program has been committed both to exploring and dialoguing with the oldest Christian traditions in the world as well as traversing the biblical landscapes of the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions. It has proved over many years to be a highly effective means for taking the walls off the classroom and replacing them with wheels. Uniquely customized, DAP-styled travel has attracted participants from a broad swath of professional backgrounds belonging to an array of Christian denominations. A book and a bus have been among Charles' best friends.

Throughout his life, Charles' passion for personal and professional travelling has been undaunted. His academic vocation has exuded a rich, international flavour, inspiring his students to think ‘globally’ and travel intentionally. He has been a Scholar in Residence at Oxford University in Oxford, England; Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Jerusalem, Israel; and Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary in Madurai, South India. Additionally, he has been a teacher without borders, having taught courses on selected and underappreciated aspects of Christian spirituality at numerous seminaries and graduate schools identified with an assortment of Christian traditions across Canada, the United States, and Russia. Moreover, he has given lectures and public talks in Mexico, Cuba, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Turkey and Israel. As a graduate of the Pecos Benedictine Abbey School for Spiritual Directors near Santa Fe, NM [1986], the longtime receiving and giving of spiritual direction has been intertwined with his academic life.

'Christian spirituality' in its diverse, often disparate forms of expression, has been a primary focus of Charles' life. He has had life-empowering, formative experiences in Protestant, Roman Catholic, Anglican, Pentecostal/Charismatic and Eastern Orthodox traditions. Charles has sought to understand and teach the unifying points of convergence as well as the divergent differences that exist within the global Christian community while simultaneously giving serious attention to his own commitment to being a committed Christ-follower. For him, teaching ‘the faith’ should not be divorced from living ‘the faith’. Theory and practice are to be integrated for the spiritual wellbeing of both individuals and the church collectively.

As an avid conversationalist who readily becomes involved in the robust discussion of significant ideas related to the past, present and future of Christianity, Charles' life has been about the church, the classroom and the pilgrimage and the dynamic interrelationship between the three.

Always observing trends within the church that exert a strong, shaping impact on how Christianity is understood, articulated, practiced and engages culture, Charles suggests the following:

Evil deceives before it destroys.
Truth can surprise before it liberates.