Daniel B. McGee Endowed Lecture Series to Discuss Evangelicalism

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by Gabrielle White, student newswriter

WACO, Texas (Oct. 26, 2018) – The department of religion in Baylor University’s College of Arts & Sciences will host the Daniel B. McGee Endowed Lecture series, which this year features Randall Balmer, Ph.D., professor and John Phillips Chair in Religion at Dartmouth College, who will speak on “The Death of Evangelicalism.” The lecture will be held from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30, in Kayser Auditorium (room 101) of the Hankamer Building, 1420 Fifth St.

“Randall Balmer has been one of the most recognizable historians in American evangelicalism,” said Doug Weaver, Ph.D., professor of Baptist studies, director of undergraduate studies in religion and director of J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies. “He has published with Baylor University Press and other well-known publishers. He grew up in the evangelical world, is fascinated with it and can critique it at the same time.”

Balmer is a prize-winning historian and Emmy Award nominee. He teaches arts and sciences at Dartmouth, and is a visiting professor at Princeton, Yale, Northwester, Emory and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. His area of expertise includes religion in North America, evangelicalism in America and sports in America.

“Students have an opportunity to hear a leading interpreter of American religion at the lecture,” Weaver said. “Hearing scholars like Balmer gives students a chance to reflect on the interplay of current issues of faith, American religion, politics and ethics.”

The Daniel B. McGee Lectureship in Religious Studies was established in 2002 to honor Daniel McGee, Ph.D., and provide a space for people to think through ethical issues. McGee taught at Baylor for 40 years, where he pioneered the ethics program, teaching both graduate and undergraduate courses. During his career, he advised the doctoral and master’s theses of students who now serve in academic and religious lives around the world.

The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, visit the department of religion website.

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Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 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.

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The College of Arts & Sciences is Baylor University’s oldest and largest academic division, consisting of 25 academic departments and seven academic centers and institutes. The more than 5,000 courses taught in the College span topics from art and theatre to religion, philosophy, sociology and the natural sciences. Faculty conduct research around the world, and research on the undergraduate and graduate level is prevalent throughout all disciplines. Visit www.baylor.edu/artsandsciences.