Boniuk Institute

This week’s BI-RPLC Scholars Mtg unpacked how Americans understand antisemitism & Islamophobia. Findings indicate more agreement on what counts as Islamophobia vs antisemitism. Views often align with education, political ID, and religious attendance.
#ReligiousLiteracy #ReligionAndPublicLife

📢Calling all friends, alumni, students, and colleagues! Join @boniukinstitute.bsky.social & @riceuniversity.bsky.social's Dept of Religoin for a reception at AAR in Boston. We'd love to see you!

👉 RSVP tinyurl.com/5cb5t7sf
#AARSBL25

Rev. Justin Meyers of the Al Amana Centre joined this week's @boniukinstitute.bsky.social Scholars Mtg to discuss lived pluralism in Oman.

His message: real pluralism grows from quiet, everyday encounters that build empathy and mutual respect. #Pluralism #Dialogue #Peace

Friends, faculty, students + alums - Join @BoniukInstitute, @RiceRELI & @RiceRPLC for a reception at #AAR2025 in Boston! Hope to see you there 👉http://bit.ly/4h6PzHf

Is entrepreneurship a divine calling? @boniukinstitute.bsky.social postdoc @josiahtaru.bsky.social shared with our BI-RPLC scholars how Pentecostal Xians in Zimbabwe view it not just as a survival tactic, but as a divine calling that provides spiritual security, hope, and networks for business.

"Black and Hispanic Christians are often DOUBLY MARGINALIZED - racially and religiously - at work."

New #ReligionUnmuted episode with Ecklund, Daniels & Scheitle: youtu.be/k0QFYb1CU0s?...

Do whiter churches change how members see racial discrimination?

Providence College sociologist Brandon Martinez unpacked the data with @boniukinstitute.bsky.social Scholars and reveals how church contexts frame how we understand racial inequality.

"People bring their religions with them to work - whether orgs want it or not." - Elaine Howard Ecklund

New #ReligionUnmuted podcast episode with Ecklund, Daniels & Scheitle

🎧Listen: youtu.be/k0QFYb1CU0s?...
#FaithAtWork

@ruthbraunstein.bsky.social joined the @boniukinstitute.bsky.social-RPLC Scholars Mtg for an interesting & practical convo about the content of her book "My Tax Dollars" and the methods used to write it. A fantastic lesson in public scholarship for our BI Scholars!

key takeaways from Monday's Religious and Civic Leader Gathering

RPLC director Todd Ferguson with sociologist Jason E Shelton

Shelton and Ferguson in conversation at Monday's Religious and Civic Leader Gathering

Jason Shelton's new book "The Contemporary Black Church"

Last night our Religion & Public Life Center kicked off its Fall 2025 Religious & Civic Leader Gathering at TX Southern U. Jason Shelton joined Todd Ferguson for a conversation on The Contemporary Black Church—and how shifting demographics & faith identities shape U.S. public life.

BI Sr Scholars Marla Frederick, @tariqmodood.bsky.social, @johninazu.bsky.social have shaped the narrative on religion+civil life. Nom the '27 Senior Scholar & recognize outstanding contributions to the public understanding of religious pluralism and tolerance. lnkd.in/gZPka3Sc

BI director Elaine Howard Ecklund wrapped up her week @cornelluniversity.bsky.social with the Faith and Work Accelerator convening at Chesterton House where she participated on panels about faith and academic work, sharing the research of @boniukinstitute.bsky.social with a wider academic audience!

Quote from sociologist Oneya Okuwobi from the Religion Unmuted podcast.

What's the real cost of diversity initiatives? And who pays the price when they fail?

In the newest episode of #ReligionUnmuted, Oneya Okuwobi discusses these vital questions.

Tune in to hear how we can create more equitable systems. youtu.be/B1pqHhetGmA?...

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

🎉 NEW EPISODE ALERT 🎉
Check out "Why Diversity Efforts Fail," the new episode of Religion Unmuted w Rachel Schneider & @oneyaokuwobi.bsky.social. Explore diversity, equity & the challenge of creating change
🎧 religionunmuted.libsyn.com/site/when-di...

Scholars of the Fall 2025 Boniuk Institute-Religion and Public Life Center Scholars Meetings

So happy to be back with our @boniukinstitute.bsky.social friends! Today was our first Scholars Mtg of the fall semester, and we are excited to welcome new faces and old friends as we explore research on religion from different angles/disciplines/methods! Learn more boniuk.rice.edu/scholars-mee...

Today is the day! "Working for Better" is now available from @ivpress.bsky.social. Read it. Rate it. Review it!

Find it on Amazon or wherever books are sold!
www.amazon.com/Working-Bett...

In this quick video, @josiahtaru.bsky.social discusses his newest article 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/...

YouTube video by Boniuk Institute Working for Better: A New Approach to Faith, Work, and Human Flourishing

You can also watch this video as well as others with commentary and insights by Elaine Howard Ecklund on the @boniukinstitute.bsky.social YouTube channel. Check it out: youtu.be/Um8jpUsTqY0?...

🥳 NEW BOOK COMING SOON!
In "Working for Better," we explore how people of faith can help build inclusive, values-driven workplaces.

Here's author Elaine Howard Ecklund with a quick preview of what's inside.
#WorkingForBetter #FaithAtWork #Leadership #BookPreview

Most people - religious AND non-religious - see science and religion as partners at the end of life:
1) science eases pain
2) religion or spirituality eases fear

doi-org.ezproxy.rice.edu/10.1177/0034...
#PalliativeCare #GoodDeath

picture of stars in space

In a new article, @josiahtaru.bsky.social finds that even non-religious people often hold afterlife beliefs (like becoming stardust or merging with the universe) that mirror religious ideas. doi-org.ezproxy.rice.edu/10.1177/0034...
#GoodDeath #EndOfLifeCare #ScienceAndReligion

A new article by @josiahtaru.bsky.social and Elaine Howard Ecklund finds that (non)religious people often blend science + religion at life's end. Peaceful passing = pain managed by medicine, fear eased by faith or spirituality. doi-org.ezproxy.rice.edu/10.1177/0034... #GoodDeath #PalliativeCare

Such an important book! If you haven't read it already, order it!

"Religion in a Changing Workplace" explores how people navigate faith on the job. What did our distinguished critics - @oneyaokuwobi.bsky.social, @ruthbraunstein.bsky.social, and @evanstewart.bsky.social - have to say about it?

At the ASA/ ASR annual meeting in Chicago, Elaine Howard Ecklund, Denise Daniels, & Chris Scheitle discussed their book "Religion in a Changing Workplace" alongside a panel of expert critics. How does faith fit into today's diverse work culture? #ASA2025 #ReligionAndWork

John Inazu, the 2026 Boniuk Institute Senior Scholar

The Boniuk Institute Senior Scholar Award honors scholars shaping public understanding of religion.

We’re proud to include Marla Frederick, Tariq Modood – and now John Inazu – in this distinguished group.
#SeniorScholarAward #ReligiousPluralism

Working for Better: A New Approach to Faith at Work Working for Better: A New Approach to Faith at Work [Ecklund, Elaine Howard, Daniels, Denise] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Working for Better: A New Approach to Faith at Work

"You can't talk about faith at work." Authors Elaine Howard Ecklund and Denise Daniels heard that over and over again, but is that really the most optimal workplace policy? Their new book "Working for Better" suggests not. shorturl.at/NrHkV
#WorkingForBetter #FaithAndWork #NewBook