Chris Owen is a native of Texas but grew up in Georgia, graduating from Carrollton High School in 1977. By junior high, he knew that he wanted to be a history professor. Obtaining degrees in history from the University of Georgia, Baylor University and Emory University, Chris taught at Centenary College and Wake Forest University before coming to NSU in 1992. Growing up in the Bible Belt, he came to appreciate the role of American religious life and began doing research in religious history at Emory University. He has published one book and several scholarly articles on religion in American society and feels very much at home in Tahlequah.