‘Hippies, Baptists, and the Jesus Revolution’ – Baylor University’s Institute for the Studies of Religion Will Present Lecture on Counterculture Christianity

Follow us on Twitter: @BaylorUMedia

Media contact: Terry Goodrich, (254) 710-3321

WACO, Texas (Oct. 16, 2015) – Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion will welcome religious author and scholar Larry Eskridge, Ph.D., for a lecture at 3 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19, in the Cox Lecture Hall of Armstrong Browning Library.

Eskridge is the author of “God’s Forever Family: The Jesus People Movement in America,” which examines the fusion of the hippie counterculture and evangelical Christianity that burst onto the scene in the late 1960s.

The lecture, titled “We had better accept these kids! Hippies, Baptists, and the Jesus Revolution,” will explore the surprisingly large role that Baptists played in the rise of the new era of Christianity. This movement, inspired by a group of countercultural hippies and Pentecostal believers called The Jesus People in the 1960s and 1970s, features “praise and worship” contemporary Christian music, revolutionized the evangelical’s relationship to youth culture and created the first come-as-you-are “seeker-sensitive” churches.

“Dr. Eskridge’s lecture will be a fascinating look at how many Christians – including Baptists – interacted with the counter-culture movement of the ‘60s,” said Thomas Kidd, Ph.D., associate director of the Institute for Studies of Religion.

Eskridge is the associate director of the Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals at Wheaton College. He is the editor of the “Evangelical Studies Bulletin” and received his B.A. from Trinity College, his M.A. from the University of Maryland and his Ph.D. from the University of Stirling in Scotland. His research is primarily focused on the intersections of 20th century evangelicalism, mass media and pop and youth culture.

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is encouraged. Click here to register.

Armstrong Browning Library is located at 710 Speight Ave.

For more information, contact the Institute for Studies of Religion at 254-710-7555.

by Ashton Brown, 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 16,000 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 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.

ABOUT THE INSTITUTE FOR 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. For more information, visit www.baylorisr.org