Between Pulpit and Policy: Religion at Work in Texas

“People in all kinds of occupations, they by and large want to talk more about their faith at work. They want to do more religious practices at work to the extent that it’s appropriate in workplaces. They want to have more symbols religiously. They just want to share more of themselves… but it's employers and leaders who really bristle.”

— Dr. Elaine Howard Ecklund, faculty scholar at the Baker Institute and director of Rice University’s Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance

About the Episode

As religion becomes more visible in Texas politics, how is it reshaping the modern workplace?
From expanded religious accommodations to the rollback of DEI initiatives, Texas employers are increasingly caught between federal protections, state legislation, and a workforce that is more religiously diverse than ever.

In this episode, Dr. Elaine Howard Ecklund, faculty scholar at the Baker Institute and director of Rice University’s Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance, joins Dr. Michael O. Emerson on the “Texas Briefing” podcast to unpack how religion is experienced at work across industries and regions. Drawing on years of research, Ecklund explores why workers often want to bring their whole selves to work, including their faith, why employers remain hesitant, and how Texas’ growing religious diversity complicates long-standing assumptions about church, state, and labor.

This is the fourth episode in a four-part series, “Between Pulpit and Policy,” exploring the rising influence of faith, particularly Christian nationalism, in Texas politics — and how it’s transforming public policy and governance. The series was produced in partnership with the Baker Institute Student Forum.

This conversation was recorded on Nov. 20, 2025. 

Mentioned in this episode:

• Elaine Howard Ecklund and Denise Daniels, Working for Better: A New Approach to Faith at Work (link).
• Elaine Howard Ecklund, Denise Daniels, and Christopher Scheidel, Religion in a Changing Workplace (2025) (link).
• U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: Religious Discrimination (link).

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About ‘Texas Briefing’

“Texas Briefing” brings expert insights to the policy challenges shaping life in the Lone Star State. Through topical miniseries, institute scholars and their guests untangle issues in health, the economy, climate resilience, and more to understand how policy matters are impacting communities from the Panhandle to the Gulf Coast.

Select episodes of our “Baker Briefing” and “Texas Briefing” podcasts are recorded in front of a live studio audience at Rice University in Houston, Texas. These recordings are free and open to the public. To learn about upcoming recordings and other public programming from the Baker Institute, subscribe to our “Events Digest” newsletter, delivered weekly.

This material may be quoted or reproduced without prior permission, provided appropriate credit is given to the author and Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. The views expressed herein are those of the individual author(s), and do not necessarily represent the views of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.