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Bob Roberts  |  Multi-Faith Neighbors Network

Infusing Collaboration: Multi-Faith Retreats in Sudan

Sudan’s post-independence history has been dominated by political and civil strife. Most observers have attributed the country’s recurring civil war either to an age-old racial divide between Arabs and Africans, or to recent colonially constructed inequalities. But in September 2022, Pastor Bob Roberts and Imam Mohamed Magid of Multi-Faith Neighbors Network (MFNN) traveled to Sudan on...
John Tomasi  |  Heterodox Academy

Not All Great Minds Think Alike

Higher education in the United States is at a crossroads. Will it maintain its legacy of open inquiry as the path to discovering truth and generating knowledge? Or will it become permanently sidetracked by rigid beliefs and a narrow scope of debate? Before it’s too late, action needs to be taken to safeguard the values of academic freedom that have long assured American higher education’s succ...
Knox Thames  |  Pepperdine University

Charting New Paths to Pluralism

Terrorism in the Middle East. Government-sponsored genocides in China and Burma. Cultural extremism in Pakistan. Tyrannical democracy in Nepal and India. Assaults, destruction, arrests, displacements, and killings in countries throughout the world. The reality is startling. Every day, millions of people around the globe suffer because of their beliefs. Human rights abuses, social instability, and ...
Ben Hurlbut  |  Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict, Arizona State University

Closing the Science, Technology, & Religion Gap

Are we still making progress? Or does a promising future for the next generation seem less likely all the time? These are big questions being asked often these days. From gene editing to generative AI. From medicines to cure aging to the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. From the trauma of Covid to the cinematic retelling of Oppenheimer’s development of the atom bomb. Deeply tangled around ...
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Cristine Legare  |  The University of Texas at Austin

The Larger Significance of Miniature Art

Why do some ancient art forms become a vibrant part of the modern imagination rather than merely a historical footnote? Indian miniature painting originated in the manuscript traditions of the Mughal, Rajput, and other North Indian dynasties and has a history spanning over a thousand years. This art form thrives in Rajasthan, with artistic communities dedicated to its maintenance and evolution. Re...
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Michael Gulker  |  The Colossian Forum

Conflict is Opportunity

The Colossian Forum is building the fourth phase of its program, “The Colossian Way,” which will launch nationally and extend from Christian church communities into Christian schools as well. This program helps people engage in difficult, divisive topics in ways that prompt connectedness and spiritual growth. The Colossian Way offers leadership training, tools and curriculum designed for group...
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Joshua Wilt  |  Case Western Reserve University

Art as a Way of Becoming

At age 84, author Kurt Vonnegut responded memorably to a letter from a high school student. He encouraged his recipient to practice art — any art –“no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.” As with most words of wisdom, these were as much a reflection of Vonnegut’s life experience ...
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Simone Schnall  |  University of Cambridge

Transcendence Through Art: Connecting with Higher Values

An electrical repair for the house, a doctor’s appointment that needs setting, a dish for a school potluck, a procrastinated task at work, feeding the dog, flossing after every meal… These are the immediate personal tasks characteristic of a full, busy life–and that’s just today. Addressing the demands of the day doesn’t seem to allow a lot of space for the needs of others, much less...
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Kendall Bronk  |  Claremont Graduate University

How Young Adults Perceive the Role of Patience in the Search for Purpose

Figuring out one’s purpose in life is not often an easy task. Research suggests it can be anxiety-provoking and stressful. However, uncovering one’s purpose in life is a critical prerequisite to leading a life of meaning that ultimately contributes to individual and societal well-being. The search for purpose is particularly prevalent among college-age young adults, which is also a pivotal tim...
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Anjan Chatterjee  |  The University of Pennsylvania

Framing the Experience of Art with Science

What is it about art, anyway? Why do so many people seek it out, even plan trips around it? Why do major cities throughout the world all have at least one art museum? And why are places of worship so often arch...
Afe Adogame  |  Calvin University

Advancing a New Theology in Africa

It’s home to 25% of the world’s Christians today, predicted to grow to 40% within the next 25 years. In fact, Africa is where Christianity is growing faster than anywhere else in the world. More and more, i...
Simone Schnall  |  University of Cambridge

Transcendence Through Art: Connecting with Higher Values

An electrical repair for the house, a doctor’s appointment that needs setting, a dish for a school potluck, a procrastinated task at work, feeding the dog, flossing after every meal… These are the immed...
Kendall Bronk  |  Claremont Graduate University

How Young Adults Perceive the Role of Patience in the Search for Purpose

Figuring out one’s purpose in life is not often an easy task. Research suggests it can be anxiety-provoking and stressful. However, uncovering one’s purpose in life is a critical prerequisite to leading a l...
Watch Video
Knox Thames  |  Pepperdine University

Charting New Paths to Pluralism

Terrorism in the Middle East. Government-sponsored genocides in China and Burma. Cultural extremism in Pakistan. Tyrannical democracy in Nepal and India. Assaults, destruction, arrests, displacements, and killi...
Read More
Alfonse Borysewicz  |  BBH Literary LLC

Art and Transcendence

Historically, faith traditions have focused on both the written word and images as sources of knowledge and meaning. Some would claim that words have taken undue precedence as theologies have developed, while i...
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Brian Nosek  |  Center for Open Science, Inc.

Advancing Research Transparency

Among human endeavors, scientific research ranks high as a noble pursuit. Most of us trust science to make discoveries that add to the world’s storehouse of knowledge, solve problems, and make our lives bette...
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Oludamini Ogunnaike  |  University of Virginia

The Knowledge Poets Give Us

Culture has long recognized poetry as a unique medium for expressing knowledge and beauty in profound ways. The poets themselves have articulated this in ways only they can. As William Carlos Williams said, ...
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Carl Plantinga  |  Calvin University

Developing Moral Understanding at the Movies

Most of us have experienced strong effects when watching movies or series. We cry, laugh, swoon, tap our feet, flinch, and sometimes even involuntarily call out in alarm or delight. But we also think. We wonder...
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Bob Roberts  |  Multi-Faith Neighbors Network

Infusing Collaboration: Multi-Faith Retreats in Sudan

Sudan’s post-independence history has been dominated by political and civil strife. Most observers have attributed the country’s recurring civil war either to an age-old racial divide between Arabs and Africans, or to recent colonially constructed inequalities. But in September 2022, Pastor Bob Roberts and Imam Mohamed Magid of Multi-Faith Neighbors Network (MFNN) traveled to Sudan on...
Ben Hurlbut  |  Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict, Arizona State University

Closing the Science, Technology, & Religion Gap

Are we still making progress? Or does a promising future for the next generation seem less likely all the time? These are big questions being asked often these days. From gene editing to generative AI. From medicines to cure aging to the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. From the trauma of Covid to the cinematic retelling of Oppenheimer’s development of the atom bomb. Deeply tangled around ...
Jer Clifton  |  The University of Pennsylvania

Discovering People’s Primal World Beliefs

Have you ever noticed this? People can be in the same place at the same time …. and yet have vastly different experiences. Riding a city bus, for example. Some people appear relaxed. They’re taking in the sights, maybe listening to music, pecking away on their devices or exchanging a few words with someone nearby. Others, however, look tense, their eyes furtively darting or focused downwar...
C. Stephen Evans  |  Baylor University

Accountability is Relational Responsibility

In Western cultures, we often talk about accountability in terms of demanding that public officials, big corporations, criminals, etc., be “held accountable” for their actions. What we often really mean is that we want them to be punished. But Dr. Evans and his team are asking the question, “What does it mean to be good at living accountably?” To fully explore this question, we must first ...
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Jonathan Schooler  |  University of California Santa Barbara

Engaging the Brain in Art

You don’t have to spend much time in a gallery, theater, or concert hall to realize that art causes vastly different responses. At the same time, it’s not uncommon to hear someone say, “I just don’t know what to make of it.” It’s a simple acknowledgment that the experience is taking them beyond the filters of what they already know, potentially changing what and how they think. Beyond ...
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Carlos Miguel Gómez  |  Universidad del Rosario

Exploring Artists’ Spiritual Searches

In Colombia, South America, a small group is taking on a very big task as they delve into a mystery that is as confounding today as it has been for centuries. “We want to go very deeply into the exploration of spiritual experience and artistic creation,” says Carlos Miguel Gómez, an associate professor in the School of Human Sciences at Universidad del Rosario and himself a poet and philosop...
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Garrick V. Allen  |  Dublin City University

Words Are Not Enough

It could be said that above all else Sir John Templeton’s aim was “to encourage researches for vastly more spiritual information to supplement the wonderful ancient scriptures.” More concretely, Sir John wanted to encourage researchers to draw on novel sources of data, and to follow progressive methods of intellectual discovery such as we find in the scientific method. ...
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Robert MacSwain  |  The University of the South

Exploring Human Goodness as Evidence of God

Does God exist? It’s a question that nearly everyone confronts at various times in our lives. The existence of God is theology’s most basic concern. It’s also an intensely personal struggle. Our beliefs about the reality of God directly affect our views of ourselves and why we’re here. Whatever we ultimately decide to believe, we can’t help but look for assurances that we got it right. A...
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Bob Roberts, Jr.  |  GlocalNet

Multi-Faith Relationships Change Everything

MFNN provides a platform for people to connect with God and one another by building empathy. Only then can one begin to relate to others who think differently, and thus find common ground. MFNN is intentionally multi-faith. It respects the fact that different religions have exclusivist beliefs about spiritual realities. It is not interested in anyone giving up their faith convictions. Instead, MFN...
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Areas of Focus
Art Seeking Understanding

Putting Aesthetic 
Cognitivism to the Test

Science & Religion in Context

Valuing Science and Religion as Mutually Enriching Sources of Insight

Covenantal Pluralism

Going Beyond Religious Tolerance

Social Consequences of Religion

Exploring Religion as a Transformative Force for Good in the World

Art Seeking Understanding

Putting Aesthetic 
Cognitivism to the Test

Learn More about ASU
Science & Religion in Context

Valuing Science and Religion as Mutually Enriching Sources of Insight

Learn More about SRC
Covenantal Pluralism

Going Beyond Religious Tolerance

Learn More about CP
Social Consequences of Religion

Exploring Religion as a Transformative Force for Good in the World

Learn More about SCoR
About Templeton Religion Trust

We're seeking to enrich the conversations about Religions

Templeton Religion Trust is a global charitable trust established by Sir John Templeton in 1984 with headquarters in Nassau, The Bahamas, where Sir John lived until his death in 2008. TRT has been active since 2012, and supports projects as well as storytelling related to projects seeking to enrich the conversation about religion.