Baylor Institute for Faith and Learning
Encyclopedia
The Institute for Faith and Learning was founded in 1997 to "assist Baylor University
in achieving its mission of integrating academic excellence and Christian
commitment, and its goal of becoming a university of the first rank committed to its Baptist
and Christian
heritage."http://www3.baylor.edu/IFL/aboutus.htm This is encapsulated in verse 12:2 of the Epistle to the Romans
, which calls for Christians to be transformed by the renewing of their minds, discerning what is good, acceptable, and perfect. In 2000, after independent review, the Michael Polanyi Center
was merged into the institute.
1. To study the role of religion in American higher education.
2. To encourage interested faculty members to develop ways to reconnect religious faith, as expressed in Christian intellectual traditions, to contemporary academic research.
3. To foster a community of scholars dedicated to the integration of faith and learning in teaching and scholarship.
4. To support Baylor's aim of becoming a university of the first rank while maintaining a faithful commitment to its Christian identity.
5. To inspire students, both graduate and undergraduate, to see the importance and vitality of Christian higher education, and to explore service to the academy as a Christian vocation.
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
in achieving its mission of integrating academic excellence and Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
commitment, and its goal of becoming a university of the first rank committed to its Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
and Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
heritage."http://www3.baylor.edu/IFL/aboutus.htm This is encapsulated in verse 12:2 of the Epistle to the Romans
Epistle to the Romans
The Epistle of Paul to the Romans, often shortened to Romans, is the sixth book in the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by the Apostle Paul to explain that Salvation is offered through the Gospel of Jesus Christ...
, which calls for Christians to be transformed by the renewing of their minds, discerning what is good, acceptable, and perfect. In 2000, after independent review, the Michael Polanyi Center
Michael Polanyi Center
The Michael Polanyi Center at Baylor University was the first center at a research university exclusively dedicated to intelligent design study. It was founded in 1999 "with the primary aim of advancing the...
was merged into the institute.
Mission
Officially, the Institute is to “serve as a local, national, and international house of study that cultivates careful reflection, rigorous scholarship, and vital practice that substantively unite the life of the mind and the faith of Christians.”http://www3.baylor.edu/IFL/aboutus.htm The Institute then lists five directives:http://www3.baylor.edu/IFL/aboutus.htm1. To study the role of religion in American higher education.
2. To encourage interested faculty members to develop ways to reconnect religious faith, as expressed in Christian intellectual traditions, to contemporary academic research.
3. To foster a community of scholars dedicated to the integration of faith and learning in teaching and scholarship.
4. To support Baylor's aim of becoming a university of the first rank while maintaining a faithful commitment to its Christian identity.
5. To inspire students, both graduate and undergraduate, to see the importance and vitality of Christian higher education, and to explore service to the academy as a Christian vocation.