Panel convenes to discuss religious issues in America

Posted by Mark Hendricks

University News Service

Nov. 1, 2007

A panel of scholars of religion will convene Wednesday, Nov. 7, at Texas State University-San Marcos to discuss the topic “What Every American Needs to Know about Religion – and Why.”

The panel discussion will take begin at 6:30 p.m. in the LBJ Student Center Teaching Theatre (Room 4-16.1) on the Texas State campus. Admission is free and the event is open to the public.

Panelists include Kelley Coblentz-Bautch of St. Edward’s University, Laura Hobgood-Oster from Southwestern University, Lester Kurtz of the University of Texas-Austin and Leah Renold of Texas State University. The panel discussion will be moderated by Rebecca Raphael of Texas State.

Kurtz is a sociologist who has written about religion and social conflict in the contemporary world.  He is affiliated with the UT Department of Sociology and is on the steering committee for UT’s new Department of Religion.

Hobgood-Oster is an historian of Christianity with interests in religion and ecology, and feminist studies.  She serves as chair of the Department of Religion at Southwestern University in Georgetown. 

Coblentz-Bautch is a biblical scholar with specializations in Second Temple Judaism and apocalyptic literature. 

Renold’s field of expertise is the history of India, including its religious history. 

Raphael coordinates the religion minor in the Texas State philosophy department.

The event is supported by the Texas Humanities Council, Texas State College of Liberal Arts, Departments of Philosophy, History, Anthropology, Sociology, Political Science, and the Center for Multicultural and Gender Studies.