Curriculum Vitae

Education

Baylor University (Waco, Tex.)

• Ph.D. in Religion, Politics and Society (2010)

  • Dissertation: “‘More Desired Than Our Owne Salvation’: The Roots of American Christian Affinity for the State of Israel”

Luther Seminary (St. Paul, Minn.)

• Master of Divinity (2003)

• Master of Arts in Islamic Studies (2003)

  • MA Thesis: “Prolegomenon to Dialogue: A Christian Response to Islamic Criticisms of Nicene Orthodoxy”

Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, Okla.)

• Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy (1998)

  • Senior Thesis: “Circle of Compassion: An Aristotelian Reading of the Gospel Narratives”

Select Publications

Aja Y. Martinez and Robert O. Smith. The Origins of Critical Race Theory: The People and Ideas That Created a Movement (New York University Press, 2025).

Aja Y. Martinez and Robert O. Smith. Harmony & Harassment: A New Critical Race Theory Story (University of California Press, 2026).

Robert O. Smith and Aja Y. Martinez. CRT Attacked!: The New Right's Holy War and the Prophetic Witness of Critical Race Theory (Penn State University Press, 2027).

Robert O. Smith. More Desired than Our Owne Salvation: The Roots of Christian Zionism (Oxford University Press, 2013).

• Foreword from Martin E. Marty

• Reviewed in The American Historical Review; Journal of American History; Politics & Religion; Church History; Teologinen Aikakauskirja (Finnish Journal of Theology)

Göran Gunner and Robert O. Smith, eds., Comprehending Christian Zionism: Perspectives in Comparison (Fortress Press, 2014)

Media & Interviews

Richard Solomon, “‘We just want her home’ | North Texas family continues search for missing teen who's been missing for nearly 11 months,” WFAA ABC Channel 8, Dallas (4 November 2025), (speaking about the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women)

“Critical Historical Views of Christian Zionism,” The Thinking Muslim Podcast (2 September 2025)

“Christian Views on Gaza,” Council on American-Islamic Relations press conference (28 August 2025)

Daoud Kuttab, “At the Baptismal site, theologians discuss effects of Christian Zionism on Christians in the Middle East,” Milhilard (Jordan, 28 January 2025),

"The Roots of Christian Zionism,” Across the Divide Podcast (18 September 2024), (first in a series on the topic)

Awards, Honors, Grants

University of North Texas

• Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

  • Conference Funding Support ($140,000)

• University of California Press

  • First-Generation Writing Grant ($3000)

Baylor University

• Graham Writing Award (First place, Ph.D. category, 2005)

  • “Luther, the Turks, and Islam”

• Doctoral Fellow, J.M. Dawson Institute for Church-State Studies

• Research Fellow, Center for American & Jewish Studies

Luther Seminary

• John Milton Award in Old Testament

  • “The Imprecations of Psalm 69: An Attempt at Political Exegesis”

• G.M. & Minnie Bruce Prize in New Testament

  • “And Hope Does Not Disappoint Us: Reconciliation and Romans 5:1–11”

• Interpretation Award: Outstanding Student, History & Theology Division