Are religious individuals and arguments disadvantaged by certain intellectual arguments in our legal system?  Prof. Francis Beckwith, a professor of Philosophy & Church-State Studies at Baylor University, argues that "secular rationalism" has arisen in intellectual circles as a means of dismissing the argumentation of religious individuals on a variety of social and legal issues.  He explains the concept of "secular rationalism," why scholars adhering to it tend to dismiss religious...

Keep on reading: Francis Beckwith on Taking Rites Seriously

Do religious individuals prefer to have their spiritual leaders directly involved in politics?  Whereas the common assumption might be that religious adherents would like to see clergy directly involved in public policy decision-making, Prof. David Buckley (University of Louisville, political science) shows that the opposite is true.  Using data from the World Values Survey, he noted an interesting pattern wherein the more spiritually-engaged a population was, the less likely those...

Keep on reading: David Buckley on the Demand for Clergy in Politics

Is the charter school movement changing the way we think about religious education in the United States?  Prof. Aaron Saiger of Fordham University Law School discusses this topic from a historical and legal framework, demonstrating how various religious communities have adapted to more market-oriented approaches to public education.  We review changes in the educational landscape over the course of the 20th century and how various court cases affected how religion mixes (or doesn't mix) with...

Keep on reading: Aaron Saiger on Religion & Charter Schools (Encore Presentation)

Can modern science, particularly our knowledge of the quantum world and dark matter, be reconciled with a notion of God?  Nancy Ellen Abrams, an independent scholar and author of A God that Could Be Real, discusses her personal journey from atheism to a unique view of the supernatural.  We explore Nancy's own history through her education as well as struggles with eating disorders, not to mention walking in the world of theoretical physics and cosmology.  Ms. Abram's then leads us through a...

Keep on reading: Nancy Ellen Abrams on Spirituality & Science

With Easter just a week away, we examine how one historian and theologian examines the empirical case for Jesus's death and resurrection.  Prof. Michael Licona, an associate professor of theology at Houston Baptist University and author of several books on early Christian historiography, shares how he came to study this topic, discusses the difficulties in using documentary and other evidence from so long ago, and then reviews some of the counter-arguments given by skeptics of the Resurrection....

Keep on reading: Michael Licona on the Historiography of the Resurrection

How have evangelical Christians organized themselves over time to express their political and social views?  Has this coalition remained stable over time, or has it changed?  Nathanael Snow, a a PhD candidate in the department of economics at George Mason University discusses how the analytical tools of public choice theory can be applied to the study of the Evangelical Coalition over time to understand the organizational role that religion can play in political life.

As Tony can never resi...

Keep on reading: Nathanael Snow on the Evangelical Coalition and Public Choice

With the 50th year anniversary of Dignitatis Humanae three months past, the speedy staff at Research on Religion finally get around to celebrating this monumental document with Dr. Keith Pavlischek, a former Marine Corps officer and author of John Courtney Murray and the Dilemma of Religious Toleration.  For those not in the know, Murray was an American Jesuit and theologian whose writings helped to set debate for the Vatican's new direction with respect to religious freedom and church-state...

Keep on reading: Keith Pavlischek on John Courtney Murray and Dignitatis Humanae

When the economy goes down, do people get up and go to church?  Do they pray more?  Does domestic violence increase during times of economic stress and does religion temper this finding?  These are the motivating questions behind a series of research projects being conducted by Dr. Wafa Hakim Orman, an associate professor in the Department of Economics, Accounting, and Finance at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.  Not only does Prof. Orman reveal the religious effects of economic...

Keep on reading: Wafa Hakim Orman on Religion and Economic Crises