March 22, 2013 Follow us on Twitter: @BaylorUMediaCom Media contact: Terry Goodrich, (254) 710-3321 WACO, Texas (March 22, 2013) – Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion will host Paul Harvey, Ph.D., for a lecture titled, “The Battle for Jesus During the Civil War.” The lecture will take place at 3:30 p.m. Monday, March 25, at [...]

March 19, 2013   By Philip Jenkins When the cardinals of the Roman Catholic church considered the qualifications of Jorge Mario Bergoglio to serve as Pope, they found much to admire: his leadership experience, his intellect, his passionate but nuanced views on social justice issues. I doubt if they paid much attention to what might [...]

March 16, 2013 Raging on St. Patrick’s Day By Philip Jenkins Among the many millions who celebrate Irishness every March 17, scarcely any wonder for a second whether there is any historical substance to the figure of St. Patrick, any more than to a host of other medieval wonderworkers. Treating such a tale as serious [...]

Notes from the Global Church A secular Latin America? Mar 12, 2013 by Philip Jenkins In recent months, observers have remarked on the growing number of Americans who claim no religious affiliation (the “nones”), whose numbers are highest among the young. We can argue about just what these numbers mean, but possibly they do mark [...]

March 11, 2013 WACO – Twenty years after a bullet to the forehead abruptly ended his career as God, David Koresh still haunts this Bible-conscious town. At the site of the Branch Davidian compound, where a 51-day standoff between the FBI and Koresh’s followers ended in the fiery deaths of 80 people, tourists snap pictures [...]

Can Pope Francis revive flagging faith? Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY9:51a.m. EDT March 18, 2013 Even heavily Catholic Latin America will be a challenge for Argentine-born Pope Francis Story Highlights South America holds most of the world’s Catholics Catholics are losing market share to other secularism, other religions Falling birth rates can also doom the [...]

By Madison Ferril Baylor Lariat Reporter For many Americans, thinking of Kuwait may spark thoughts of the First Gulf War. However Dr. Alessandra Gonzalez, an alumna and research fellow with the Baylor Institute for the Study of Religion, thinks of feminism. Gonzalez is the author of the book ­ “Islamic Feminism in Kuwait: The Politics [...]

March 1, 2013 Click Here for Free Registration (Please note, you do not have to log in to Register) Follow us on Twitter: @BaylorUMediaCom Contact: Terry Goodrich, Assistant Director of Media Communications, (254) 710-3321 WACO, Texas (Mar. 1, 2013) – Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion welcomes guest lecturer Marvin Olasky, Ph.D., editor-in-chief of the [...]

Americans tend  to accept different beliefs. Less so the government. By PHILIP JENKINS February 21, 2013 – Twenty years ago, on Feb. 28, 1993, a firefight near Waco, Texas, began a weeks-long confrontation between members of the Branch Davidian sect and agents of the federal government. The conflict culminated at the sect’s compound known as Mount [...]

Baylor University criminologist Byron Johnson is the author of “More God, Less Crime: Why Faith Matters and How It Could Matter More.” Johnson, an evangelical Christian, was recently named Big Brothers Big Sisters’ Big Brother of the Year for the North Texas area. Johnson was in Washington earlier this month for a lecture and meetings. [...]