Currents in Religion

Today, we are bringing you a rerun from our very first season. Dr. Chaves' research is a strong reminder of the migration experience and how it shapes religious life. In this episode, Dr. João Chaves discusses what he learned from years of research on Brazuca Baptist churches, that is, Brazilian American Baptist churches. These congregations reveal the way the experience of migration shapes th...

Enjoy this rerun from the Fall 2023 season! What an excellent episode.------------------------- Welcome to our Fall 2023 season! In this episode, Zen speaks with Amy Carr and Christine Helmer about their brand new Baylor University Press book ⁠ Ordinary Faith in Polarized Times: Justification and the Pursuit of Justice. ⁠ Amy Carr is Professor of Religious Studies at Western Illinois University. C...

Today's guest host is Joao Chavez and he speaks with BSIR scholars Paul Fiddes and Raimundo Baarreto on everyday christianity with global voices. João B. Chaves joined the Department of Religion at Baylor University in the fall semester of 2023. His research focuses on the history of religion in the Américas, the influence of U.S. Protestantism in Latin America, and the development of Latin Am...

In today’s episode, Claire is joined by Bruce Chilton to discuss his book Aramaic Jesus with Baylor University Press. Bruce Chilton’s  Aramaic Jesus  is a groundbreaking study in pursuit of this "Aramaic Jesus," a pursuit that requires awareness of the kind of Aramaic in play. In the past, sorting out dialects and types of Aramaic relied on sources composed well after the time of the New...

In today’s episode, I am joined by Eric H. Cline, an archaeologist and ancient historian at George Washington University. He speaks about the time of innovation and change that comes as the Bronze Age collapses and the Iron Age emerges in his book After 1177BC: The Survival of Civilizations . At the end of the acclaimed history  1177 B.C. , many of the Late Bronze Age civilizations of the Aegean a...

In today’s episode, Claire is joined by Ruben Buhner to talkabout his book Negotiating Jewishness: Paul's Ethnicity Between Continuity and Discontinuity . The assertion that Paul remained a Jew throughout his liferequires little further justification. However, questions remain, including: How can his relationship with Judaism be positively articulated? How was that relationship influenced by P...

In today’s episode, I am speaking with James "Jim" Nogalski and Mark Biddle about their book Murder in the Tidwell Building . This is a rare treat for us as one of our very own Baylor Religion professors has written a crime novel set in the Religion Department’s building. A skeleton is found in 2020 in Waco, Texas, on the campus ofBaylor University during the renovation of the Tidwell Bi...

According to some of the most influential thinkers of the modern era, it is madness to subordinate all one’s aims to one end. Such thinkers believe that the church in particular should limit itself to matters of religion, spirituality, and moral values, but in other areas of life submit itself to modern society. Madness, Theocracy, and Anarchism contends instead that the church should refuse to mi...

In this week's episode, Claire is joined by Elizabeth Backfish and Cynthia Shafer-Elliott to discuss their book  Grounded Theology in the Hebrew Bible: Exploring the Cultural Context That Formed Ancient Israel . This book combines archaeology and theology to better understand the everyday life of ancient Israelites and how it shaped their relationship with God. Congratulations Dr. Shafer-Ellio...

In this conversation, Gillian Chu, an assistant professor at Hong Kong Baptist University, shares her journey from a career in accounting to academia, focusing on Hong Kong Christianity. She discusses her experiences at the Baptist Scholars International Roundtable, the global perspective of Hong Kong Christianity, and her research on migration and family dynamics. GIllian emphasizes the role of t...

What if our well-intentioned efforts to promote mental health inadvertently perpetuate systems that cause mental unwellness? What if the resilience we encourage only equips individuals to  endure  rather than  challenge  structures detrimental to their well-being? Why do mental health experiences vary so drastically across cultures, with Western societies seemingly posing the greatest challenges f...

In today's episode, Philip Ziegler joins the podcast to talk about his new Baylor Press book  God's Adversary and Ours . Ziegler leads us on a cautious but determined biblical-theological exploration of the identity, ontology, and agency of "that old serpent," the Enemy, whose image becomes most discernible and salient in direct contact with the person and work of the Savior. Fix...

In this conversation, Beverly and Jamie discuss their new books, exploring themes of Pauline theology, the concept of 'theology on the run', and the interplay between apocalyptic and pastoral elements in Paul's letters. They delve into the cosmic implications of sin, death, and God's glory, emphasizing the transformative power of the gospel and its relevance to contemporary issues....

In this episode of Currents in Religion, a panel of graduate students from Baylor University shares their experiences and insights on applying to PhD programs and navigating graduate school. They discuss the importance of organization, seeking advice, handling rejections, and the emotional support needed throughout the process. The conversation also highlights the excitement of interviews, the cha...

When applying to different PhD programs, prospectivestudents will hopefully make it to the interview process at multiple schools. While each school has its own procedure, Baylor’s Religion Graduate School hosts Preview Weekend. In today’s episode, Michelle Hunt and Madde Ely join me to talk about Preview Weekend, what to expect, and more. Michelle Hunt is a doctoral candidate in the Religion Depar...

Are you applying to PhD programs but not sure where to start? In today's episode, Susan Benton joins Claire to talk about choosing schools, the statement of purpose, and more to help you prepare for the PhD process. Susan E. Benton joined the faculty in Religion in Fall 2023 as a Lecturer and member of the Ministry Guidance team. Susan’s recent research focuses on examining inscriptions featur...

In this episode we are featuring more work from participantsof the Baptist Scholars International Roundtable which you will hear often as BSIR for short. We’ve had some episodes highlighting BSIR before and you can find links to some of those in the episode description. Joao Chavez will be ourguest host for this episode. Dr. Chavez is a professor is an Assistant Professor of the History of Religio...

In this episode, Zen speaks with Katherine Ellis about gettinga PhD in Baylor's Religion Department. We talk about the various stages of the program, from course work to dissertation. We talk about funding and what it's like to be at an R1 institution in Waco. Katherine also confirms that I am the most fun person in the Department. This episode will be of interest to prospective students w...

Are you applying to PhD programs in religion? Or thinking about it? This episode is for you. In this episode, Zen shares about the process for applying to Baylor's graduate program in religion. He speaks with current students, Lanie Walkup and Tyler Fulcher, and Carlos Cardoza-Orlandi, a graduate faculty member. They discuss how to write a strong application and how to survive the process. The epi...

In today’s episode, Claire is joined by Baylor faculty member and GPD Deirdre Fulton. She is a zooarchaeologist that specializes in animal bones in the Southern Levant. Her excavations in Ashkelon, Tel Shimron and as part of the Jezreel Valley Regional Project help inform questions related to diet, sacrifice, and economy. Learn more about this branch of study and how “man’s best friend” shows up i...

Have you ever wondered what happened between the time of the early church and figures like Paul and later Christianity as represented by Augustine? Second-Century Christianity is an often-neglected time period but full of exciting changes in biblical theology, heresiology, and more. Ignatius, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, and Polycarp are just a few of the prominenttheologians of this time period. In t...

In a previous episode, Cynthia Shafer-Elliott, a field archaeologist and professor in Baylor’s Department of Religion, discussed household archaeology and household religion. In this episode, she discusses household worship and figurines in more detail. She further illuminates the place of women within the household structure and how they held a prominent place in subsistence living households. Wh...

In this episode I am joined by Bruce Longenecker to discuss his upcoming Baylor University Press book, The Materiality of Early Christ Devotion: Artistic Innovation at Four Archaeological Sites. He explains how the sites of Ostia,  Dura-Europos, Smyrna, and Pompeii offer an exciting glimpse into the creativity and imagination that these Christfollowers used to express their devotion. They are clev...

In this episode, Claire speaks with Christina Olson about archaeology and its importance when studying the Hebrew Bible. She helps listeners who may not be familiar with archaeology understand the terminology and demonstrates the significance of studying broad cultural contexts to understand the Hebrew Bible. She also shares some of her personal experiences and exciting discoveries. Christina Olso...

In this episode, Zen speaks with Claire Mummert, the incoming host and producer of Currents in Religion. Our Guest Claire is a second year PhD student at Baylor University, specializing in the Hebrew Bible.