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Francis J. Beckwith

Francis Joseph Beckwith is Professor of Philosophy and Church-State Studies at Baylor University, where he is also Affiliate Professor of Political Science and Resident Scholar in the Institute for Studies of Religion (ISR). In May 2025 he was appointed by the White House to serve on the Advisory Board of Legal Experts for the Presidential Religious Liberty Commission. His many books include Taking Rites Seriously: Law, Politics, and the Reasonableness of Faith (Cambridge University Press), winner of the American Academy of Religion’s 2016 Book Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion in the category of Constructive-Reflective Studies.

Vaccines

Attorney General as State Theologian: Florida’s Vaccine Mandate and the Freedom of the Church 

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If the Florida bishops determine that immunizing their students is required for the common good, then their policy of mandatory vaccinations is, contra the Florida AG, supported by Catholic teaching.
oath

Disintegrating Conscience in a Fragmented Age 

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Although one might find oneself disagreeing with Smith, as I have on occasion, one will be better for it. And I can say that with a clear conscience.  
Clear circular glasses on the table with blurry background

Is Bias Actually Bad?

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If we take seriously Thomas Kelly’s ideas about bias blind spots, then we should seek public universities composed of a high degree of biased parts. Such universities would intentionally hire faculty members and administrators who harbor contrary views on divisive cultural issues. This would probably create campuses that can boast of having teaching and scholarship that have much less pejorative bias than their peer institutions.
Howl Cover

The Censorship of Lawrence Ferlinghetti and the Unbooking of Ryan T. Anderson

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It may seem strange to pair Lawrence Ferlinghetti with Ryan Anderson, who argues against virtually everything for which Ferlinghetti stood. What they have in common is the courage of their convictions, a willingness to challenge the conventional pieties of their respective ages, and to do so in ways that conformist critics are quick to label offensive, obscene, unsafe, or misframed.

Bad (Though Not Entirely Bad) Pro-Life Arguments

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Good intentions are not enough. Pro-lifers need good arguments too. We should avoid the temptation to make these popular, emotionally compelling, but badly reasoned arguments against abortion.
Public Discourse

Not Sentiment, Prejudice, or Tradition: Exploring the Nature of Marriage

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Patrick Lee and Robert P. George’s new book clearly establishes that the case for conjugal marriage is not based on irrational prejudice or sentimental appeal to tradition. It is based on a series of sophisticated arguments that deserve to be answered.
Public Discourse

Interracial Marriage and Same-Sex Marriage

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Why the analogy fails.