David Nikkel came to UNCP in 2002. His previous positions include Assistant Professor of Religion and Philsophy and Chaplain at Hastings (Nebraska) College and several United Methodist pastorates in northeastern Ohio. He received his Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Duke University. He is the author of Panentheism in Hartshorne and Tillich: A Creative Synthesis and various articles in scholarly journals. Dr. Nikkel's teaching specialities are theology, philosophy of religion, and religious ethics. He advises Tomorrow's Religious Leaders, a new group for UNCP students considering a religious vocation. His hobbies include playing keyboards, folk and traditional music--especially Cajun and Zydeco, and swimming laps at Jones pool. His wife Lorena Murray is Children's and Youth Pastor at Fayetteville First Christian Church. They have two daughters, Allison and Abby.

Our courses in Religion beyond the basic Introduction to Religion are seminar-size, which makes for stimulating discourse. These Religion courses attract some of UNCP's most verbally gifted students,while many at UNCP bring significant personal interest in and knowledge of religion--add to this mix students' growing knowledge of how scholars study religion, and spirited discussion of issues that matter is the order of the day.