Religion and Public Life Center

At this week’s BI-RPLC Scholars Mtg, @kerbygoff shared data on how Americans define antisemitism & Islamophobia. Findings show more consensus on Islamophobia and deep divides on speech around what constitutes antisemitism. #ReligionAndPublicLife #BoniukInstitute

How do Gulf nations manage religious diversity? Rev. Justin Meyers of Oman’s @alamanacentre explained why Oman’s integrated pluralism—rooted in culture, civility, and restraint—offers a powerful model for coexistence beyond “branded tolerance.”

Just hosted @BoniukInstitute postdoc @josiahtaru to present his research on how African Pentecostal Christianity in Zimbabwe frames faith-driven entrepreneurship as a religious duty amid ongoing economic crisis.

❓Congregations as cultural toolkits❓ Yes. Providence College sociologist Brandon Martinez revealed how church contexts frame how we understand racial inequality.

Last night @RiceRPLC kicked off its Fall 2025 Religious & Civic Leader Gathering at @TexasSouthernU. Jason E Shelton joined Todd Ferguson for a timely convo on The Contemporary Black Church—and how shifting demographics & faith identities shape U.S. public life.

In this week’s Scholars Meeting, Todd Ferguson presented his forthcoming Socius article: “Religion and Racial Bias in AI Large Language Models.” The study asks: Do LLMs replicate religious bias the way they replicate race, gender & sexuality bias? #BiasInAI #AIethics

RPLC director Todd Ferguson introduces our first event of the year - our signature Religious & Civic Leader Gatherings - and guest scholar Jason Shelton.

So happy to be back with our @BoniukInstitute friends! Today was our first Scholars Mtg of the fall semester, and we are excited to welcome both new faces and old friends as we explore research on religion from different angles/ disciplines/ methods! #ReligionAndPublicLife #InterdisciplinaryResearch #Pluralism #ResearchOnReligion

New @RiceRPLC director Todd Ferguson is excited about the lineup for our fall Religious & Civic Leader Gatherings. Find out who's coming to @RiceUniversity! @UTArlington

👋Introducing @ToddFerguson, sociologist of religion, former pastor, & new director of @RiceRPLC. Get to know him in his own words in the video below! @RiceSociology @RiceSocSci @RiceUniversity @BoniukInstitute

In this quick video, @josiahtaru discusses his newest article, "Science and Religion in the Context of a Good Death," which finds that people creatively blend scientific imagination with spiritual meaning when contemplating life's end. 👉 Watch it below! Read the full article: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00… #PalliativeCare #GoodDeath #ScienceAndReligion

A new article by @BoniukInstitute's @josiahtaru and Elaine Howard Ecklund finds that religious AND non-religious people often blend science + religion at life's end. Peaceful passing means pain managed by medicine, fear eased by faith or spirituality. 👉READ MORE: doi-org.ezproxy.rice.edu/10.1177/003467… #GoodDeath #PalliativeCare

Is your job a calling? @BoniukInstitute's Elaine Howard Ecklund + @wheaton's Denise Daniels discuss their new book "Working for Better" on the @ThinkingChristian podcast with James Spencer. Listen here! omny.fm/shows/thinking…

So happy to celebrate Rachel C Schneider! We know that she will take the spirit of the @RiceRPLC with her to Tennessee and do great things there to continue promoting common ground for the common good.

@BoniukInstitute was pleased to host members of the @AVDF board at @RiceUniversity to highlight “Revitalizing Interfaith Leadership in Houston and Beyond,” current BI research generously funded by AFDF to increase the capacity of religious leaders and organizations to work together for the common good.

The deadline is approaching to register for the @BoniukInstitute's religious literacy-themed professional development series "Global Religion & Public Life." Secondary educators and non-teaching professionals can earn 7 CPE credits while learning about various religious traditions and faith in the workplace. Learn more & register: boniuk.rice.edu/reli-lit-series #ReligiousLiteracy

@RiceRPLC hosted a special Religious and Civic Leader Gathering with special guests from the @AVDF. @InterfaithMinistries’s Jodi Bernstein and Ft Bend County Judge Stuti Patel joined BI's @KerbyGoff to discuss the 🌟opportunities🌟 of interfaith work in Houston. “[in Houston,] we GET to meet other people; to visit other communities,” said Bernstein. “We just have to show up and take advantage of it!”

A 🥳HUGE CONGRATULATIONS🥳 to @BoniukInstitute grad scholar Akpan Ubong-Abasi, who just rocked his comp exam at @RiceUniversity's Department of Religion - Let the dissertation-phase begin! Congrats Akpan!! 👏👏👏👏👏

Have you listened yet? Don't miss our conversation with @curtischangRB , author, consultant, professor, and former pastor about the dangers of partisan idolatry and why he believes that Christians should prioritize faith over political identity. Listen to the #ReligionUnmuted podcast episode here: religionunmuted.libsyn.com/site/faith-pol… @redeemingbabel @TheAfterParty2024 @BoniukInstitute @RiceRPLC @DukeDivinity @FullertonSeminary @RiceUniversity

🎉🎉🎉We are so pleased to celebrate three of our amazing @BoniukInstitute undergraduate scholars--@aditivelgekar8, @AdrienneBradley, and @KennediMacklin--who graduated this weekend from @RiceUniversity! You all have made an enormous contribution to the work of the Institute, and we know that you will do big things in this next phase! CONGRATULATIONS!!!🎆🎇🎆🎇