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Lydia Jaeger  |  Institute Biblique de Nogent-sur-Marne

Training French Evangelicals to Make a Difference

What happens when freedom of religion evolves into norms and laws that make a society free from religion? When expressions of faith are mostly viewed as intrusive, irrational, unproductive, and even threatening? Can religion survive, much less thrive, when such skepticism dominates? Can people of faith remain relevant in any way? If so, how? Answering questions like these has become a crucial chal...
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 housed at the University of Ghana, the Sanneh Institute is a Christian-led academic venture committed to interfaith and interdisciplinary research. It chose its logo because of the message it co...
Patty Van Cappellen  |  Duke University

Measuring Compassion: Respond or not?

Technology brings it instantly into nearly every room of our homes. Almost every day we see victims of distant disasters up close. We hear the distress in their voices even when we can’t understand their words. What’s more, wherever we live or travel, we’re apt to be confronted by people with handwritten cardboard signs: “Homeless. Please Help.” “Hungry. Please Help.” More exposure t...
SCORE  |  Templeton Religion Trust

Good or Bad? Investigating the Social Consequences of Religion

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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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Brandon Vaidyanathan  |  The Catholic University of America

Beauty in Science and Beyond

Dr. Brandon Vaidyanathan and his team of researchers at The Catholic University of America first explored how beauty motivates scientists, before expanding the conversation to consider how beauty is integral to all forms of work. ...
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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...
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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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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 better. True, public trust wavered some during the COVID-19 pandemic. But people still have more confidence in scientists to act in the public’s best interest than they have in the military, po...
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Kori Porter  |  Peacemaker’s Coalition, Inc.

Good Culture: Igniting Peace Among Gen Z

We live in a world of unprecedented social turmoil and division, one desperately in need of peace. While young adults see the suffering and despair and yearn for change, they’re not necessarily turning to...
Robin Jensen  |  University of Notre Dame

When (and Where) Heaven Meets Earth: Sacred Art in the Modern World

There’s a genre of art specifically meant to draw your thoughts toward spiritual matters. Whether it’s the nativity scene your mother unpacked every December or a certain holy ceiling you arched your neck t...
Katie Bringman Baxter  |  Interfaith America

Turning Pluralistic Potential into Action

Today’s college students are eager to engage in religious diversity but often lack the opportunities and skill sets to do so effectively. Moreover, higher education has a halo effect, helping to set a broader...
Austin Tiffany  |  Good Faith Partnership

Shared Virtues: A Catalyst for Societal Transformation

In an age of fragmentation and shifting values, virtues can guide us back to a place of understanding and cooperation. But in the UK’s hyper-diverse society, how do we have meaningful conversations across fai...
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Ozan Isler & Onurcan Yilmaz  |  Kadir Has University

Does Religion Make Us Better? Exploring Faith as Moral GPS

As a visitor to Istanbul, you might find yourself following your traditional Turkish breakfast—sesame bread and coffee—with a tour of the Hagia Sophia. This historic landmark has carried the identity of chu...
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Lydia Jaeger  |  Institute Biblique de Nogent-sur-Marne

Training French Evangelicals to Make a Difference

What happens when freedom of religion evolves into norms and laws that make a society free from religion? When expressions of faith are mostly viewed as intrusive, irrational, unproductive, and even threatening...
Watch Video
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...
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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...
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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 pluralisti...
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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 ...
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...
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...
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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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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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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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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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 taken seriously by their colleagues and peers. The clash narrative means their religious beliefs are seen as an impediment to rational thought and committed scientific enquiry. That’s not the ...
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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 than 60%. The religiously unaffiliated population, after rising rapidly for decades, also shows signs of having leveled off at 29%. And the percentage of Americans who identify with a religio...
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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.