Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion Welcomes Mark Tooley

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Media contact: Terry Goodrich, (254) 710-3321
WACO, Texas (Jan. 24, 2014) - The Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion will welcome Mark Tooley, president of the Institute on Religion & Democracy, at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 28, in the Cox Lecture Hall of Baylor's Armstrong Browning Library.
Tooley will lecture on the religious left, religious right and Christian political witness of today's society. He will examine questions such as: To what extent should churches address political specifics? What is the future for the political witness of America's churches and Christians? And how can individual Christians apply their faith politically?
The Institute on Religion & Democracy was founded in 1981 and seeks to reform the church's role in public life, protect religious freedom, and support democracy at home and abroad. Before joining the IRD in 1994, Tooley worked eight years for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as an analyst.
Tooley has written articles for The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Weekly Standard, American Spectator, First Things and other publications. His material addresses issues including the church's political witness on national security, Islam, the federal budget, environmentalism, religious liberty, marriage and abortion. He also authored "Methodism & Politics in the 20th Century" and "Taking Back the United Methodist Church."
Armstrong Browning Library is located at 710 Speight Ave. For more information, please call the Institute for Studies of Religion at (254) 710-7555.
The lecture will be recorded and uploaded to the ISR website for future viewing.
by Kristen Bennett, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The university provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating university in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.
ABOUT THE INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDIES OF RELIGION
Launched in August 2004, the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion (ISR) exists to initiate, support and conduct research on religion, involving scholars and projects spanning the intellectual spectrum: history, psychology, sociology, economics, anthropology, political science, epidemiology, theology and religious studies. The institute's mandate extends to all religions, everywhere, and throughout history, and embraces the study of religious effects on prosocial behavior, family life, population health, economic development and social conflict. While always striving for appropriate scientific objectivity, ISR scholars treat religion with the respect that sacred matters require and deserve.