Browsing: Religion

New York Times best-selling author and political correspondent Tim Alberta believes November’s presidential election is a turning point for American Christians. Alberta lectured on the intersection of American politics and Christianity at the J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies annual fall lecture on Wednesday evening in the Armstrong Browning Library.

“The opportunity to be in fellowship with our Baptist brothers and sisters stands to cause us to be more conversant and more aware of the work that the Lord is doing through Christians, congregations, conventions and the world,” Still said.

While a space like this has previously existed, it is being “rebranded” and moved to a more central location: the first floor of Moody Memorial Library. One half of the space is a quiet area where people can engage in deep prayer and meditation, and the other is a more relaxed area for people to sit and engage in conversation.

In 1945, a group of Baylor students began leading a series of worship gatherings that came to be known as the Waco Youth Revivals. The meetings sparked a nationwide Youth Revival Movement that is registered as one of the largest student-led revivals in American history. Today, FM72 leaders believe God can “do it again.”

Oftentimes, required classes may seem unnecessary and unhelpful in our everyday lives. However, each one has been chosen to further our education and our perspectives at Baylor. Classes that should be added to this list are those emphasizing cultural conversations. This could include English classes that focus on multicultural literature, history classes that examine a certain ethnic group, medical humanities classes that discuss race in medicine and so many more.

“It’s a relationship, not a religion.” Or at least, so say the Christians of Generation Z, who are attempting to paint their faith in a less legalistic light than their predecessors. However, pretending to be a nonreligious Christian is disingenuous and oxymoronic.

When you replace the word of God and the seriousness of going to church by making it a popularity contest, you start to lose people. There is something so beautiful about having a diverse mixture of friends — some who share your beliefs and some who don’t.

Malcolm Guite — a poet, priest and scholar in theology and the arts from North Walsham, England — will arrive at Baylor on Feb. 25 for a weeklong residency, where he will present the endowed Charles G. Smith lecture.

The problem that exists in attending a church aimed specifically at college students is that it lacks the opportunity for growth. I believe the beauty of attending church is that you can meet a variety of people from all walks of life. Spiritual growth flourishes most when you surround yourself with those who are different from you rather than those who are similar.

Something I have found helpful is to remember that God wants us to be compassionate, kind and loving individuals. There is not a black-and-white distinction between good and bad, contrary to the teachings of Catholicism that many of us grew up with.

As part of a semester project, Baylor student researchers found that there’s an increase in closeness to God connected to an increase in Bible reading, that sororities are more likely than fraternities to have religiosity and that lower- and working-class students feel less sense of belonging at Baylor.

“While most people know that Hanukkah celebrates the victory of the Maccabees over the Greek-Syrians in retaking Jerusalem, many do know that it is not considered a major holiday in the Jewish faith,” Jortner said. “It is not a ‘Jewish Christmas,’ although people often compare them to one another since they are close together on the calendar.”

The idea of eternal punishment insinuates the notion that it’s not possible to grow past your mistakes. What makes the most sense based on this interpretation is purgatory — a temporary place for purification.

It’s natural to be stubborn when you’ve had an opinion for a long time. That being said, I implore nonreligious students to at least try a more in-depth religious course. You could truly learn new things and see the world from a different point of view.

Baylor is most likely first and foremost known for being a Christian university — and with that comes the pressure of following Christian ideas and including religious education in its curriculum. While I think it is great for Baylor to maintain its religious traditions, I think the Chapel requirement should no longer be included in its core curriculum.

Following Jesus, then, isn’t just a call to go to church on Easter or keep a Bible on a bookshelf. It’s a call to become like Him. To think how He thought, to live like He lived, to treat others in light of His sacrifice for them.

In order for the university to uphold its commitment to respecting all people, that would mean providing dietary accommodations for practicing Muslim first-year students specifically, since they are required to purchase a meal plan. These students deserve to feel comfortable eating on campus without fear that they are going against their religious beliefs by doing so.