Dear friends,
October is a month of change. The leaves change color, and the weather starts to become cooler. October also marks changes at IFL. For many years, October was the month of the Baylor Symposium on Faith and Culture. The Symposium is now in February each year. Instead of focusing on all the last-minute logistical details of the Symposium, we’re settling into the rhythms of the semester, including regular Missio groups, Conyers Scholars meetings, Crane Scholars meetings, and the like.
Another sign of change is that grants are increasingly becoming part of our work rhythm. We’ve wrapped up the In Trust Resource Center grant that allowed IFL to work with a marketing consultant to expand our reach at Baylor and beyond. We also just finished hosting the Lilly R1 Graduate Symposium, generously supported by the Lilly Network, which gave representatives from four different R1 Christian institutions in the Lilly Network the opportunity to learn from leaders of the former Lilly Graduate Fellows Program. Professio, sponsored by a Lilly Network Mentoring grant, is in full swing, and the Chapel Leader Training Program, sponsored by Character in Deeds, has its first cohort meeting in October. This fall will also mark the official launch of the work for the NetVUE Reframing the Institutional Saga grant, which opens space for reflecting on the challenges and opportunities of Baylor’s Baptist heritage.
Although we’re not hosting the Symposium this month, we have several other important events in October. Joseph Vukov will be speaking about artificial intelligence and Christian belief and practice on October 6th. (Be sure to RSVP by October 2nd.) As part of IFL’s greater STEM outreach, spearheaded by Dr. Ian Gravagne, IFL is hosting Dr. Jennifer Heemstra to speak on Christian leadership in the STEM lab. We also invite our friends in Dallas to a dinner where we discuss IFL’s work on October 28, from 5-8 pm at Park City Club.
While a lot of changes are underway this fall, IFL’s mission remains unchanging: forming faculty and staff in their academic vocation for Baylor’s mission as a Christian research university. We’re grateful for your support of this important work and hope to see you at IFL’s upcoming events and programs!
|
|
| |
|
Baylor Symposium on Faith and Culture 2027 Registration
|
|
| Fr. Henry Carter Finch Guest Column
|
|
| Reclaiming Reality, with Joseph Vukov
|
|
|
|
Baylor Symposium on Faith and Culture 2027 |
|
|
|
The Reverend Henry Carter Finch, S.T.L. |
|
|
|
My challenge to all of us – faculty and students – at the beginning of a new academic year is to make this year an erudite year. Insofar as erudition is an aspect of growing in holiness, it ought to shape and form our intellectual endeavors. Erudition is about preventing our minds from petrifying. Bishop Varden again, “There is stone-picking to be done as well as digging and manuring. The Church uses human, concrete imagery redolent of sweat and soil and sun to describe intellectual awakening…this embodied, Catholic approach is encouraging and joyful.” The result of this genuine education, erudition, is, in the words of Cardinal Newman, the perfection of the intellect. Newman describes this perfection in his Idea of a University in poignant words. It is “the clear, calm, accurate vision and comprehension of all things, as far as the finite mind can embrace them, each in its place, and with its own characteristics upon it. It is almost prophetic from its knowledge of history; it is almost heart-searching from its knowledge of human nature; it is almost supernatural clarity from its freedom from littleness and prejudice; it has almost the repose of faith, because nothing can startle it; it has almost the beauty and harmony of heavenly contemplation, so intimate is it with the eternal order of things and the music of the spheres.” That is true erudition…genuine learning…and we ought to commit not only to its pursuit but to awakening the desire for it in others. That is, especially, the vocation of the Catholic educator, and it is an expression of charity.
|
|
| |
|
This is a selected section from Fr. Henry Carter Finch's "Mass of the Holy Spirit". For the full address, click here.
|
|
|
|
Reclaiming Reality: Artificial Intelligence and Its Challenge to Christian Belief and Practice, with Joseph Vukov |
Join the Institute for Faith and Learning for a lecture by Joseph Vukov, whose research explores the intersections of ethics, neuroscience, philosophy of mind, and science and religion. Drawing on his work at the intersection of philosophy, theology, and artificial intelligence, Dr. Vukov will examine the challenges AI presents to Christian belief and practice while considering how Christians can faithfully navigate this rapidly changing technological landscape.
The RSVP deadline has been extended to October 2! Email ifl@baylor.edu to secure your spot.
Lunch will be provided.
|
We welcome you to join Staff Missio for Baylor University staff or Online Missio for Baylor's online faculty and staff where participants will explore the relationship between Christian faith, vocation, and their work at the University.
Junior Faculty Missio will be coming Spring 2027.
Email ifl@baylor.edu if you are interested in joining these Missio opportunities.
|
We are delighted to announce the launch of Professio, a new mentoring program for associate professors.
Professio pairs associate professors with full professors from across the university to reflect together on research, teaching, and service. We are grateful to our inaugural cohort and to the faculty mentors who have generously agreed to take part.
Click here for more information.
|
Women, Work, and Calling 2026 |
Baylor faculty and staff are invited to the Women, Work, & Calling Conference 2026 on Friday, October 30th. Throughout the day, we’ll explore the stories of working women in Scripture and consider how themes of strength, courage, generosity, and purpose can shape the way we lead, serve, and contribute through our work.
Baylor will be hosting the conference. Register here.
|
Faith and Science Colloquium |
The Faith and Science Colloquium is Baylor’s venue for discussing the intersection of science and religion. The weekly meetings include sharing current research or teaching interests, and it is an interdisciplinary group that seeks enriching conversation with colleagues across campus.
The meetings occur most Fridays during the semester from 12 to 1 pm at the Baylor Science Building, although it meets at alternative locations sometimes.
If you're interested in joining, contact Eric_Martin@baylor.edu.
|
Christian Scholars Fellowship |
The Christian Scholars Fellowship, which is open to Baylor graduate students and early-career faculty in all programs and subject areas, meets biweekly over lunch. The aim is to foster discussion about Christian scholarship and help new academics think through the implications of teaching and researching as Christians.
For full details, click here.
|
|
|
|
Faith and Learning Around Baylor Campus |
|
|
|
Faith and Learning Beyond Baylor |
Australian Catholic University’s Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry will be co-sponsoring the Makarios conference on human flourishing in Rome in 2027 along with Boston College, the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard, and the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University. The conference is scheduled for May 20-22, 2027 and the theme is "The Desire to Know in the Christian Tradition." Submit for the call for proposals here by November 1
Executive Director Opening: The Saint Benedict Institute at Hope College is seeking a full-time Executive Director to lead its mission of Catholic intellectual engagement and spiritual formation. The Institute is entering a new phase of growth and is looking for a faithful, experienced leader to guide its future.
Senior Research Associate Opening: The University of Notre Dame is looking for a Senior Research Associate with deep expertise in character education, virtue development, and higher education to become a core member of the Virtues & Vocations team at the Institute for Social Concerns. See the job posting for details.
|
|
|
|
Gifts to our Excellence Fund fuel opportunities for faculty and staff growth and development.
|
|
|
|
Are you hosting an event or working on a project related to faith and learning? We'd love to hear about it! Click the link below, share your information, and we'll follow up with you directly.
|
|
|
|
Institute for Faith and Learning
One Bear Place #97270
Waco, Texas 76798
(254) 710-4805
|
|
|
|
Manage your preferences | Opt Out using TrueRemove™
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.
|
One Bear Place #97026 | Waco, TX 76798 US
|
|
|
|
This email was sent to nathan_hays@baylor.edu.
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.
|
| |
|
|
