You could be forgiven for confusing his biography with something out of an Ian Fleming novel or an Indiana Jones film.

Dr. Charles Aling, a beloved professor of history at University of Northwestern, Saint Paul, served as an intelligence officer on the front lines of the Cold War, and as field director of multiple archaeological expeditions in Egypt. As an Egyptologist, author and a celebrated academic, Dr. Aling is one of the most intelligent people you could hope to meet. Yet he points to someone else as the source of his success and of the courage to keep going in tough and sometimes frightening situations.

It’s a remarkable trek On the Road with Dr. Charles Aling. Here’s where our conversation takes us:

Dr. Aling is a prominent “talking head” (his term… not mine!) in the upcoming film Patterns of Evidence – Exodus. This limited release special chronicles one man’s quest to answer the question, “Did the Exodus really happen?”. He explains the message he delivers in the movie, and also opines on why it matters whether the biblical story happened or not.

Then we track back to the beginning of the good doctor’s story. Was there an early epiphany that led him toward his diverse career? And when did faith become important to him?

We travel with Dr. Aling to his service as an army intelligence officer, as he details clandestine interactions with the Egyptian secret police and men in trench coats on the streets of the capital.

Finally, we get a glimpse of life as an Egyptologist. Dr. Aling explains what a day in the life is like when you’re excavating a royal tomb in the Valley of the Kings. He also explains why his study of archaeology has been a key factor in deepening his own faith and glimpsing the hand of God in history.

Highlight: Staying strong

On the Road with Dr. Charles Aling