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Expanding Possibilities of New Spiritual Discovery.

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 images seem to have been left behind. Has this shift in focus left us wanting? Art and theology have more in common than is seen at first glance. As the philosopher of religion George Pattiso...
Sean Larsen  |  Syndicate

How Knowledge Works: Engaging Today’s Tangled Problems

Our society relies on academic institutions not merely to educate a workforce, but to be places where people are devoted to think about what’s true, what’s good, what’s beautiful, and what’s just. As a plaque on Bascom Hall at the University of Wisconsin so eloquently puts it: “Whatever may be the limitations which trammel inquiry elsewhere, we believe that the great state of Wisconsin ...
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 ...
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 ...
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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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Andrew Baughen  |  St James Clerkenwell

Building Soulful Enterprises, A Vision for Value

At its core business is about growing and selling, making and marketing, producing and promoting. There is satisfaction in creating useful products and selling to people who are delighted by the value they receive in exchange for their cash. But before there’s a buyer, there’s a seller. Before there’s a seller, there’s a grower or artist or engineer – or all three. And those creators are...
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David Wilkinson  |  Durham University

Science is a Gift from God

ECLAS was born from the conviction that science is a gift from God, but that too often Christian leaders lack the confidence and tools to engage with scientific questions. In an age when faith is often portrayed in opposition to science, ECLAS wants to create opportunities for church leaders to connect with world-class science and scientists, to develop well-informed, theologically grounded, pract...
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Wendy Cadge  |  Brandeis University

Chaplains: Leading Amidst Change

American religious life is changing fast. More people than ever describe themselves as unaffiliated with a religion, especially those under 30. Yet those unaffiliated continue to face unavoidable human challenges such as loss, sickness, life transitions, and death. Chaplains (or “spiritual care providers”) have long served people in the midst of life’s challenges in places like hospitals, ho...
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George Corbett  |  University of St Andrews

Music as a Bridge to Spirituality

Music has long been linked to spirituality – across history, cultures, and religions. Although the forms used in rituals vary greatly – from the wild ecstasy of whirling dervishes to the solemnity of a requiem Mass – all seem to hold the potential to stir our souls. More than any other art form, music seems to provoke an intense spiritual experience. People say they lose themselves in music....
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Alan Cooperman  |  The Pew Charitable Trusts

What’s Really Happening to Religion in America?

Holding steady ….. at least for now. Overall, that’s the status of America’s religious landscape today. After years of decline, the Christian share of the U.S. population has stabilized at slightly more t...
Fern Elsdon-Baker  |  Newman University

Science and Religion: Exploring the Spectrum

The clash narrative between evolution and religion makes life difficult for people with religious beliefs who want to have a career in science. They’ve been put in a box that makes them less likely to be take...
Matius Ho  |  The Leimena Institute

Reclaiming a Culture of Tolerance in Indonesia

More than 1,300 ethnic groups and 652 languages. Adherents of every major world religion plus many local indigenous beliefs. All this in one country of 270 million people. Indonesia is among the most pluralisti...
David Lundie  |  The University Court of the University of Glasgow

Who can lead moral renewal?

One of the challenges of finding the answer to this question is how to get behind language, how to get on the inside of people’s moral reasons. So, to get the answer to a difficult question, we are using ...
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John Azumah  |  The Sanneh Institute

Finding Unity in Diversity

The logo of The Sanneh Institute is a stylized depiction of two conjoined crocodiles. It’s one of hundreds of centuries-old symbols known as adinkra that persist in modern-day Ghana. Launched in 2018 and hous...
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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...
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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...
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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 immed...
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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 l...
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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. ...
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...
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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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David Lundie  |  The University Court of the University of Glasgow

Who can lead moral renewal?

One of the challenges of finding the answer to this question is how to get behind language, how to get on the inside of people’s moral reasons. So, to get the answer to a difficult question, we are using something smart: a smartphone-enabled daily survey method, that asks young people simple questions about their actions and emotions, twice daily over four weeks.  It’s sometimes hard ...
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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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David Shepherd  |  Trinity College Dublin

Art, Light, and Awe: Uncovering the Mysteries of Stained Glass

David Shepherd is a professor of Hebrew Bible and Old Testament at Trinity College, Dublin. Prof Shepherd’s interests in recent years have significantly shifted toward how the visual arts illuminate biblical texts. One art form that has especially captured his attention depends particularly on illumination: the art of stained glass. “Stained glass depends not on reflected light, like most form...
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Matius Ho  |  The Leimena Institute

Reclaiming a Culture of Tolerance in Indonesia

More than 1,300 ethnic groups and 652 languages. Adherents of every major world religion plus many local indigenous beliefs. All this in one country of 270 million people. Indonesia is among the most pluralistic nations in the world. It was formed as an independent nation after World War II on a foundation of peaceful multifaith coexistence and collaboration. These values are embedded in its Panca...
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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.