Emma Fenske

Advisor

Dr. Elesha J. Coffman

Education

M.A., History, Baylor University, 2022

B.S. summa cum laude in Pre-Law/Political Science and History, Indiana Wesleyan University, 2020

Biography

Emma Fenske is a fifth-year PhD Candidate and Teacher of Record in the History Department at Baylor University. Her research interests include pop culture and media, American religious history, and global women’s history. 

Research Interests

My research centers on conservative evangelical women and their thoughts, theologies, and marketplace authority through Christian romance novels during the rise of Billy Graham and the Christian Right. By analyzing this genre of evangelical pop culture, I hope to bring to light the ideas and boundaries that define "who is an Evangelical," from the perspectives of women whose voices are often left within the home. 

Selected Publications

https://www.christianitytoday.com/2024/05/fans-christian-romance-karen-kingsbury-someone-like-you/ (Christianity Today Article, 2024)

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiousbench/2022/03/redemption-redeeming-love-movie-review-marketplace-history/ (The Anxious Bench Blog Post, 2022) 

https://blogs.baylor.edu/baylorlibraries/2026/03/19/bcpm-w-r-poages-bookshelf-female-authors-in-his-personal-collection/ (Baylor University Libraries Blog Post, 2026) 

https://www.faithandhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/55.1%E2%80%932-TOC.pdf (Fides et Historia Book Review, 2024)

 Women’s History Month – Congressional Cookbooks (March 2022)

 Inventing a Holiday: A Glimpse of the History of Attempts to Establish a Holiday Highlighting the Work of Black American Inventors (February 2022)

Bound by the Texas Spirit: The Texas Breakfast Club (October 2021)

Women’s History Month: Finding Voices in the Shadows (March 2021)

Demystifying the Vanishing Hour: A Texas History of Daylight Savings Time (November 2020)

The Redemption of Redeeming Love: A Movie Review and Marketplace History (March 2022)

Selected Activities

Awards

• Indiana Wesleyan Triangle Honor Award, 2020
• Tutor of the Year, Center for Student Success, Indiana Wesleyan University, 2019

Fellowships

• Summer Endowed Teaching Fellowship with The Texas Collection and University Archives (Summer 2026) 

Recent Presentations

“God Gave Rock and Roll to You Round Table” (Spring 2025) – Presentation of the paper discussing Women and Gender in God Gave Rock and Roll to You by Dr. Leah Payne at the American Historical Association Conference, New York City/NY.

“Sex, Surfing, and Softcovers” (Fall 2024) – Presentation of the paper “Producing Evangelical Women: Christian Romance Novels and Storytelling from Softcovers to the Silver Screen” for the Conference on Faith and History (CFH), Birmingham/AL.

“Where Twilight Divides” (Spring 2024) – Presentation of the paper “Leading through Romance: Women’s Religious Authority and Christian Romance Novels” for Women’s History Month at Baylor University.

“The Paper Pulpit: Women’s Religious Authority in Romance, Memoir, and Feminist Zines            (Spring 2024) – Presentation of the paper “Leading through Romance: Women’s Religious Authority and Christian Romance novels for the American Society of Church History National Conference. 

Leadership 

Social Media Coordinator – Conference on Faith and History (2025-Present) 

Study Abroad Leader – Global Scholars Semester Program Professor in Liverpool, England (Fall 2025, 2026) 

Executive Vice President of Communications – Baylor University (2024-2026) 

Teaching Experience 

Teacher of Record – HIS1300 GS1 True Crime and Media in Liverpool England (Fall 2025, 2026) 

Teacher of Record – CHA1088 GS1 – Residential Chapels in Liverpool, England (Fall 2025, 2026)

Teacher of Record – HIS1300 US and Global Perspectives, True Crime and Media at Baylor University (Spring 2025)