Baptized With The Soil: Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion Will Welcome Author for Lecture on Christian Agrarianism
Kevin Lowe, Ph.D., will present a lecture based on his most recent book, "Baptized with the Soil: Christian Agrarians and the Crusade for Rural America."
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WACO, Texas (Nov. 12, 2015) – Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion will welcome scholar Kevin Lowe, Ph.D., for a lecture on agrarian Christianity at 3 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, in the Cox Lecture Hall of Armstrong Browning Library.
Lowe is an independent scholar of American religious history and author of “Baptized with the Soil: Christian Agrarians and the Crusade for Rural America,” after which his lecture is titled. His book is a study of ecumenical Protestant Agrarianism.
“From concern for global warming to the proliferation of farmers’ markets, environmental stewardship has become a major priority for many Christians,” said Thomas Kidd, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of History in the College of Arts & Sciences and associate director of the Institute for Studies of Religion. “Kevin Lowe will help explain the ‘roots’ of those concerns.”
In the early 20th century, many Americans were troubled by the way agriculture was becoming increasingly industrial and corporate. Protestant churches came together to promote an alternative: agrarianism, the belief that the health of the nation depended on small rural communities and family farms. They also promoted soil conservation based on their belief that the earth was holy. While they may not have been able to prevent the spread of industrial agribusiness, their ideas helped define significant and long-lasting currents in American culture.
“Kevin Lowe is doing exciting new work on the connection between Christians, ‘agrarian’ movements and environmental stewardship,” Kidd said. “His lecture will be based on his just-released book.”
This event is free and open to the public, but registration is encouraged.
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
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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