When I read about U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles attacking Belmont University, all I could think about was Baylor University. Both are historically Baptist schools, although Belmont in Nashville, Tenn., has more definitively broken with Baptist control than has Baylor in…
In conversation with Christopher B. Hays
Christopher B. Hays is the D. Wilson Moore Professor of Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at Fuller Seminary, where his teaching focuses on biblical languages and the Hebrew Bible. In 1996, his father, Richard, a leading figure in…
Was Baylor’s decision ‘moral courage’ or ‘lack of courage’?
Sixty Texas Baptist pastors signed a “letter of support to Baylor University” saying President Linda Livingston demonstrated “moral courage” by rescinding acceptance of a $634,000 grant to study the exclusion of women and LGBTQ Christians in churches. “We commend Baylor’s…
Crossing that Good Ol’ Baylor Line
Monday, I shared the news with my classmates at SMU’s Perkins School of Theology, where I am pursuing a master of divinity degree, that Baylor University had received a grant from the Baugh Foundation to “foster LGBTQ inclusion in churches,”…
Baylor rejects grant to study LGBTQ exclusion in the church
The president of Baylor University appears to have burned a final bridge with a Texas-based foundation that once was a critical funder of its Baptist identity. President Linda Livingstone has rescinded a $643,000 grant awarded to the Diana Garland School…
UMC can sue SMU over governance, Texas high court says
The Texas Supreme Court says the South Central Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church has legal standing to sue Southern Methodist University over changed bylaws that deprived the regional body of its right to govern the church-owned university located in…
In conversation with Katie Gaitan
This spring, graduating Baylor University English/political science major Katie Gaitan sat with me in back-to-back classes. She was smart and compassionate, always prepared and an incredible resource for me as a professor. As the semester moved toward a close, she…
Baylor and CBF announce new partnership
Baylor University and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship have announced a joint venture that will place three CBF field personnel — missionaries — on campus to guide students in responding to God’s call to ministry. Baylor is a Baptist heritage university…
Baylor international students safe for now
The federal government temporarily reinstated the visas of three international Baylor University students just weeks after revoking them as part of President Donald Trump’s massive immigration crackdown, the Baylor Lariat reported. The student newspaper at the Baptist-affiliated university did not…
Mercer President Underwood will return to classroom next year
Trustees of Mercer University will begin the search for a new president, as William Underwood has announced he plans to return to his position as a tenured professor in the School of Law in 2026. Underwood has led the Baptist-affiliated…
Through it all: Baylor profs celebrate influence of Andrae Crouch
It has been 10 years since the death of Andraé Crouch. It has taken Robert F. Darden and Stephen M. Newby nine of those years to create their biography on the life of groundbreaking gospel singer and composer. Those years…
Trump’s fight against international students hits home at Baylor
The Trump administration’s unexplained revocation of international student visas hit Baylor University April 9. The Waco, Texas, school currently is among a select few faith-based private universities affected by the unannounced revocations of hundreds of study visas at 120 schools…