Institute for Faith and Learning Summer 2022 Newsletter

The annual Baylor Symposium on Faith and Culture will be October 26-28. The theme this year is "Art Seeking Understanding."

We invite contributions from across the disciplines (including scholars, artists, and other practitioners) as we explore together how art seeks understanding and thus contributes to human flourishing.

Abstracts of no more than 500 words should be submitted by July 15.

After a hiatus of two years due to the pandemic, the Institute for Faith and Learning once again hosted Communio, a retreat for Baylor educators, in May. Featuring David Smith (Calvin University) and Candace Vogler (University of Chicago) as speakers, the retreat offered time for rest and reflection at historic Laity Lodge.

The Crane Scholars Program had a wonderful year, returning to Moon River Ranch for its retreat for the first time since 2019. It was a delightful time for students to bond, learn, and worship together. We were also grateful to be joined by Rev. Dr. Andrew Bennet and Robin Landrith, who gave rich and insightful lectures on integrating faith and public life. Many Crane Scholars have told us that this retreat was the highlight of their year.

The Institute for Faith and Learning's Character Across the Curriculum program was featured on the website of the University of Notre Dame's Center for Social Concerns. Begun in 2016, the program brings together interdisciplinary groups of faculty to discuss how to cultivate character through their teaching.

The Soundings Project, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., partners with churches to reflect theologically and practically about the nature of vocation. The twelve partner congregations represent a spectrum of denominations, sizes, locations, and racial and ethnic compositions. In February, Soundings hosted a retreat of project participants at Laity Lodge. Mark Roberts of Fuller Theological Seminary's Max De Pree Center for Leadership led participants in reflection and discussion.

The Institute for Faith and Learning bids fond farewell to Matthew Bixler, department business manager. Matthew and his family will be moving to the Peak District National Park in the UK this summer where he will serve as a rural ministry resident at Peak Trinity Church, an independent, Baptist church in Bakewell, England. Matthew has been with IFL for seven years, and we wish him and his family blessings in this new journey.