From the perspective of one who values freedom of choice, individualism, and the market, the proliferation of new translations and paraphrases of the Bible must seem, on the whole, a good thing. From a perspective that places a greater value on theological probity, spiritual understanding in the laity, and coherence in the witness of the [...]

CLICK HERE TO VIEW “WHY WE NEED THE WORD EVIL” BY JEAN BETHKE ELSHTAIN

by Patrick Allitt | February 1, 2012 Is it true that the Bible teaches peace and the Koran war? Only if you approach the books selectively, taking the gentlest of Jesus’ teachings and setting them against the harshest of Muhammad’s. Philip Jenkins’ challenging new book Laying Down the Sword shows that the Bible contains incitements [...]

by Ken Camp Published: February 15, 2012 Philip Jenkins told a gathering at Baylor University.”Most religions have somewhat bloody scriptures, and the worst thing we can do is forget they are there,” said Jenkins, who recently joined Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion as distinguished professor of history and co-director of the program on historical [...]

BOSTON, Feb. 13 /CSRwire/ RECAP will bring together experts and delegates for two days of sessions for training, sharing best practices and the latest research findings. Scheduled speakers include: Byron Johnson noted academic and author of “More God Less Crime”; retired police chief Bill Bratton author of the new book “Collaborate or Perish;” Anthony Braga [...]

Philip Jenkins Every few weeks, it seems, Islam makes headlines in the U.S., whether the topic is a television show like All-American Muslim, a state prohibiting Sharia law, or just a grandstanding platform statement in a primary. No less predictable are the basic arguments: Islam is evil, violent and repressive in its basic nature, and [...]

By Grace Gaddy Reporter Killing entire races of people, slaughtering men, women and children and showing no mercy: such topics don’t often make their way into the typical Bible bedtime story, but according to Dr. Philip Jenkins, these darker and often bloodier passages cannot be ignored. Jenkins, a distinguished senior fellow at Baylor’s Institute for [...]

By Joshua Madden A&E Editor Trying to document the history of the world’s largest religion would be a difficult task for anyone, but Baylor Distinguished Professor of the Social Sciences Dr. Rodney Stark decided to fit in all in a book around 500 pages long without sacrificing quality or accuracy. I’m happy to say that [...]

by Qasim Rashid, Muslim Writers Guild of America Posted February 7, 2012 CLICK HERE TO GO TO HUFFINGTON POST A man whom The Economist calls “one of America’s best scholars on religion” has just released his latest book, “Laying Down the Sword: Why We Can’t Ignore the Bible’s Violent Verses.” Author Philip Jenkins presents a [...]

By Joseph Walker, Deseret News Published: Wednesday, Feb. 1 2012 5:00 a.m. MST The life and faith of an LDS sister missionary is explored in great detail this week on the Research on Religion podcast. The podcast, which is sponsored by the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion and hosted by Anthony Gill, a senior [...]