Bryan Rennie (historian)

Bryan Rennie is a Canadian scholar specializing in the history of religions, particularly in the areas of Mircea Eliade's work and phenomenological approaches to religious studies. He is a professor emeritus at Westminster College in Pennsylvania, where he taught for many years.

Rennie's academic work is largely focused on critically examining and re-evaluating the methodologies and theoretical frameworks used in the study of religion. He is known for his incisive critiques of Mircea Eliade's concepts of the sacred and the profane, the "hierophany," and the "myth of the eternal return." He challenges the perceived objectivity and universality of Eliade's theories, arguing that they are influenced by Eliade's own personal biases and historical context.

Rennie's publications include several books and numerous articles. Among his most notable works are:

• Reconstructing Eliade: Making Sense of Religion (1996)
• Mircea Eliade: Romania and the Fascist Temptation (2006)
• Religion as Story: An Introduction (2016)

His research often explores the intersection of history, philosophy, and religious studies, aiming to provide a more nuanced and historically informed understanding of religious phenomena. Rennie advocates for a rigorous and critical approach to the study of religion, emphasizing the importance of contextualizing religious ideas and practices within their specific historical and cultural settings. He contributes significantly to the ongoing debates about the proper methods and goals of religious studies scholarship.