Ken Waters

Bio of Ken Waters

Words That Shape Us is the culmination of decades of research on how largely unknown religious publications inform and edify their readers. Waters interviewed, wrote for, and commiserated with hundreds of editors of these publication that attempt to keep their evangelical believers aware of how new laws, court cases, and cultural changes affect the faith. The idea for this book arose out of the tumult of Trump 1.0 and the lead-up to Donald Trump's second term in office.

Ken Waters is an emeritus professor of journalism at Pepperdine University. His 32-year career included teaching a variety of writing courses, in addition to Intercultural Communication, Communication Ethics and an occasional public relations class. Waters also served a seven-year stint as Divisional Dean for Communication at the university. In that role, he managed 30 faculty and planned classes for nearly 400 majors. His overseas teaching assignments have taken him to London, Lausanne, and Florence. He’s also written a dozen journal articles, primarily on the intersection of religious publications and culture.

Waters received a B.A. in journalism and history from Pepperdine, and he served as editor of the award-winning student newspaper, The Graphic. He also holds an MA in religion from Pepperdine, and a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California. He and his wife, Julie, are parents to two adult daughters, Katie and Alison. Waters is a life-long resident of Southern California.