One of the goals of my research agenda is to make my work accessible to a larger audience who will hopefully get a more nuanced and objective understanding of the interaction of politics and religion. Below are links to my work that has appeared in outlets that appeal to a general audience.

Myself and a number of colleagues who study religion and politics wanted to create a forum for scholarship in our sub-field to reach a wider audience. We believe that academics engaging in public scholarship can help shape the debate based on empirical evidence instead of heated, partisan rhetoric. I have published a number of posts regarding text analysis, machine learning, and the measurement of evangelicalism.

My post list is available here

Mainline Protestants Are Still Declining, But That’s Not Good News for Evangelicals. July 13, 2021.

Women and African Americans Now More Likely to Leave the SBC, But So Is Everybody Else. April 7, 2021

Most ‘Nones’ Still Keep the Faith. February 24, 2021.

Evangelicals and Election Day 2020: What We Know – CT Podcast. November 4, 2020.

5 Expert Tips for Following Election Stats. November 2, 2020.

Is God Talk Gone from the Presidential Debates? September 29, 2020.

Trump Can Afford to Slip Among White Evangelicals, But Not White Catholics. September 20, 2020.

Ahead of 2020 Election, White Evangelicals Still Concerned About COVID-19. August 21, 2020.

665K Ministry Jobs Covered by Paycheck Protection Program Funds. July 8, 2020.

Researcher: Most Evangelicals Support Women in Church Leadership. June 30, 2020.

White Evangelicals’ Coronavirus Concerns Are Fading Faster. June 23, 2020.

Where Do White Evangelicals Get Their Coronavirus News? The White House. May 14, 2020.

Churches Should Not Be the First to Reopen.  April 23, 2020

Will COVID-19 Lead to a Long-term Shift in Church Attendance? March 24, 2020.

Faith Over Fear? No, It’s Political Ideology that Keeps People Unafraid of COVID-19. March 15, 2020.

The Possible Decline of the Nones Isn’t a Boost for Evangelicals. March 3, 2020.

Learning About Other Faiths Doesn’t Lead Evangelical Students to Lose Theirs. February 26, 2020.

Despite Stigma, More Divorced Evangelicals Are Going to Church. February 4, 2020.

More Non-Evangelicals Are Calling Themselves Born Again. January 21, 2020.

Religion, Retention, and Why We Stay or Go. December 9, 2019.

Biblical Literalism among American Protestants. December 4, 2019.

Jesus Came to Proclaim Good News to the Poor. But Now They’re Leaving Church. November 27, 2019.

Are Evangelicals More Empathetic? July 16, 2019.

A Deeper Look at Immigration & Potential Targets of the ICE Raids. July 14, 2019

Only Half of Kids Raised Southern Baptist Stay Southern Baptist. May 24, 2019.  

Are Evangelicals More Altruistic than Other Groups? April 25, 2019

Is Religious Decline Inevitable in the United States? April 17, 2019

Race, Religion, and the Future of American Evangelicalism. April 1, 2019

Evangelicals Show No Decline, Despite Trump and Nones. March 21, 2019.

Clinton Voters Much More Likely to Leave Evangelicalism than Trump Voters (with Paul Djupe). April 30, 2018.

50 Years After MLK, Sunday Segregation Isn’t Theological. April 4, 2018.

Congrats, Billy: Stats Show Your Evangelical Movement Is Still Going Strong. March 2, 2018

Where Protestants and Catholics Go When They Leave Their Churches. February 20, 2018

Plenty of the ‘Nones’ Actually Head Back to Church. February 6, 2018

Almost No One in the US Believes in a ‘Consistent Ethic of Life’. September 12, 2017.

Young, Female, and Pro-Trump. July 26, 2017.

The rapid decline of White evangelical America?  July 8, 2021.

The high cost of becoming a none for American Muslims. July 7, 2021.

A great ‘reckoning’ in the Southern Baptist Convention is about to take place. June 14, 2021.

Church membership in the U.S. has fallen below the majority for the first time in nearly a century. March 29, 2021.

Five Myths About Evangelicals. January 22, 2021.

As organized religion shrinks, faith-based charities worry about the future. October 23, 2020.

The pope said he supports civil unions for same-sex couples. American Catholics will approve. The Monkey Cage. October 23, 2020.

Federal loans for small businesses went to thousands of churches and other religious organizations. July 10, 2020.

About three-quarters of U.S. Catholic parishes applied for government paycheck protection. May 8, 2020.

White evangelicals fear atheists and Democrats would strip away their rights. Why? The Monkey Cage. December 23, 2019. (with Paul Djupe)

Why young white evangelicals aren’t likely to leave the Republican Party. The Monkey Cage. September 3, 2019. (with Jeremy Castle and Paul Djupe)

Mormon Leaders Explicitly Ban Guns from Houses of Worship. August 26, 2019.

In God’s Country. August 14, 2019.

Organized Religion is Losing Its Followers. April 15, 2019

Talk of a rising religious left is unfounded. It already exists. April 11, 2019

Are nonreligious Democrats emerging as a counterweight to the evangelical right? April 1, 2019

Regular churchgoing doesn’t make Trump voters more moderate. It makes them more enthusiastic for Trump.  The Monkey Cage. October 9, 2018 (with Paul Djupe)

Romney is running for Senate. Even if he wins, the Mormon Church has already lost powerful status in D.C. February 16, 2018

Hate saying ‘Merry Christmas’ now? Everyone has Trump on the brain. December 22, 2017.

A sin issue or a gun issue? Why evangelicals are deeply skeptical of gun-control laws. November 6, 2017.

Some evangelicals question whether they have overlooked the rural church. December 15, 2016.

Who are the Southern Baptists and why is their 2021 annual meeting so divided? June 15, 2021.

As a pastor I pray my flock comes back. As a religion demographer I’m more realistic. March 9, 2021.

Faith in numbers: Behind the gender difference of nonreligious Americans. February 17, 2021.

Think US evangelicals are dying out? Well, define evangelicalism… January 26, 2021.

What Americans believe about violence against the government. January 14, 2021.

America elected a female vice president. Now will it put women in the pulpit? December 9, 2020.

The GOP’s Catholic voter problem. November 7, 2020.

Senator Mike Lee’s just one example. Mormon men still like Donald Trump. October 29, 2020. – Contributed Analysis.

The 2020 election’s most crucial faith group is one you’ve never heard of. October 15, 2020.

Are Democrats ‘spiritual’ and Republicans ‘religious’? It’s not that simple. October 6, 2020.

On LGBT and women’s equality, stark statistical reality is coming for white evangelicals. August 9, 2020.

Willow Creek, Life.Church among churches that received millions in PPP loans. July 7, 2020. – Contributed Analysis.

Surveys suggest protests, not pandemic, have lost Trump white evangelical support. June 24, 2020.

Racial resentment varies widely among religious groups. June 9, 2020.

Survey Shows Faith Can Prosper in Online. May 13, 2020.

Why this Baptist pastor signed up his church for a Paycheck Protection Program loan. April 22, 2020.

Politics — not faith — can drive coronavirus response. March 19, 2020. – Contributed Analysis.

Why mainline Protestants might fear COVID-19 the most. March 11, 2020.

Democrats lost white Christians. Can they win them back? February 19, 2020. – Contributed Analysis.

Is the rise of the nones slowing? Scholars say maybe. February 11, 2020. – Contributed Analysis.

The age of nones may favor churches that welcome doubters. January 17, 2020.

Atheists prefer cat, Christian love dogs, study says. January 7, 2020.

Where will the next decade take religion? Experts predict the future of faith. December 27, 2019. – Contributed Analysis.

Will young white evangelicals turn their backs on Trump?. December 16, 2019

Postcards from the Protestant Decline in America. December 10, 2019 – Contributed Analysis.

How many Americans believe Trump is anointed by God?  (with Paul Djupe). November 25, 2019

People of faith are heard online — but the partisans are winning. November 18, 2019

Why Joe Biden, blue-collar Catholic icon, may not be enough for the Dems to win. October 22, 2019

Democratic Party is at an inflection point when it comes to courting religious voters. October 1, 2019

For many religious Americans, the word ‘liberal’ has become taboo. September 11, 2019

By their tweets you will know them: The Democrats’ continuing God gap. August 30, 2019

Which religions support gun control in the US? August 29, 2019. – Contributed Analysis.

Just like political parties, religious groups see their rivals as extremists. August 9, 2019

Why do evangelicals support Trump? Blame the suburbs. July 30, 2019

Rise of the ‘nothing in particulars’ may be sign of a disjointed, disaffected and lonely future. July 3, 2019

Most Southern Baptist women would welcome a woman pastor. It’s unlikely to happen. June 11, 2019

Why politics may kill white churches. May 29, 2019

Gallup: Number of Americans who belong to a church or house of worship plummets. April 18, 2019. – Contributed Analysis.

Nones’ now as big as evangelicals, Catholics in the US.  March 21, 2019 – Contributed Analysis.

Why It’s Unlikely U.S. Mainline Protestants Outnumber Evangelicals. July 12, 2021.

Data Shows White Evangelicals And Catholics More Likely To Get Vaccine Than ‘Nones’ And General Public. April 22, 2021.

Are We All Evangelicals Now? How The Term Has Grown To Blur Theology And Ideology. March 11, 2021.

Americans Say Religion Is More Central To Their Identity Than Politics. February 17, 2021.

Black Christians And Black ‘Nones’ Show Little Ideological Divide. January 22, 2021

How Data Explains Extreme Support For Trump. January 7, 2021

The Growing Divide Within American Evangelicalism. December 15, 2020.

How Liberal Are Republicans? How Conservative Are Democrats? Here’s What Religious Americans Think. November 11, 2020.

Post-Election Podcast. November 9, 2020.

Are Democrats Influenced By Religion As Much As Republicans? October 6, 2020. – Video here.

Does College Drive Young People Away From Church? September 29, 2020.

Understanding The American Muslim Vote. September 14, 2020.

In 20 Years, Americans Of All Faiths Have Never Been More Supportive Of Gun Rights. July 2, 2020.

Could Democrats Win Over Mormon Votes? Here’s Where They Diverge From Evangelicals. May 26, 2020.

From abortion and porn to women and race: How Southern Baptist Convention resolutions have evolved. June 11, 2021.

Faith in numbers: Fox News is must-watch for white evangelicals, a turnoff for atheists…and Hindus, Muslims really like CNN. May 24, 2021.

Faith in numbers: Is church attendance linked to higher rates of coronavirus? May 13, 2021.

Faith in numbers: Trump held steady among believers at the ballot – it was the nonreligious vote he lost in 2020. April 8, 2021

Faith in numbers: Behind the gender difference of nonreligious Americans. February 17, 2021.

Think US evangelicals are dying out? Well, define evangelicalism … January 26, 2021.

Two Nations Under God: Evangelicals are Divided Over the Movement’s Support for Donald Trump. The Economist. March 6, 2021.

What is an evangelical Christian? The Economist. March 1, 2021.

Evangelicals struggle to combat coronavirus misinformation, researcher says. WPLG – Miami. February 11, 2021.

Gen Z and growth of the ‘nones’ might have swung presidential election. Baptist News Global. December 28, 2020.

2020 Faith Vote Reflects 2016 Patterns. NPR. November 8, 2020.

Why Evangelicals Aren’t What They Used to Be. New York Times. November 6, 2020.

AP VoteCast: Trump wins white evangelicals, Catholics split. Associated Press. November 6, 2020.

Have White Christians Changed Since 2016? Not Much, Early Data Says. Sojourners. November 5, 2020.

Amid doubt on Catholic vote, expert says it may cost Trump a second term. Crux. November 5, 2020.

Exit Polls Suggest President Trump’s White Evangelical Support Has (Mostly) Stuck Around. RELEVANT. November 5, 2020.

Illinois political science professors see potential gridlock after election. Bloomington Pantagraph. November 4, 2020.

Trump faces an existential risk: Slipping Catholic support. POLITICO. October 31, 2020.

These ‘pro-life’ women won’t vote for Trump. Here’s why. USA Today. October 30, 2020.

Will Catholic Voters Decide the Election? Religion & Politics. October 29, 2020.

Trump Is Losing Ground With Some — But Not All — White Christians. FiveThirtyEight. October 29, 2020.

When pastors go into politics: Who are the religious leaders running for Congress? Deseret News. October 28, 2020.

Final Debate: Litmus Test for Trump & Biden But Not a Game Changer in 2020 Vote, Observers Say. Sputnik International. October 23, 2020.

Inside the fight for LGBTQ2 inclusion in evangelical churches. Broadview Magazine. October 16, 2020.

The church is losing touch with working-class Catholics. America – The Jesuit Review. October 16, 2020.

COVID-19 is changing how Tennessee churches reach people online as in-person attendance lags. Tennessean. October 6, 2020.

For New England evangelical leaders, Maine sermon reflects deepening rifts in the faith community. Boston Globe. September 12, 2020.

‘It’s Not What Christ taught’: How voters of faith are viewing Trump and Biden in Arizona. AZCentral.  September 9, 2020.

Trump vs. Biden Is an American History Rerun. New York Times. August 19, 2020.

Viral Video Seemed to Show BLM Storming a Church. The Real Story is Much Darker. BuzzFeed News. August 9, 2020.

Trump’s faith outreach aims to cast Democrats as the enemy. Associated Press. August 1, 2020.

Exploring Biden’s VP List. World Magazine. July 30, 2020.

Thousands of Texas pastors got taxpayer-funded paychecks. Here’s why that’s historic. Houston Chronicle. July 10, 2020.

Churches of Christ, Christian universities got millions in COVID-19 relief funds. Christian Chronicle. July 9, 2020.

Evangelicals wrestle with racism and their own silence: ‘We repent’. Seattle Times. July 5, 2020.

Trump, Pence Lean Into Evangelical Voter Bloc Ahead Of 2020. Newsy. June 24, 2020.

Vast Majority of White Catholics, Evangelicals Support Trump Over Biden: Polls. Newsweek. June 23, 2020.

Trump lost crucial white evangelical voters during George Floyd protests, analysis shows. Houston Chronicle. June 23, 2020.

More Christians are saying black lives matter. But faith-based support for the police runs deep. Deseret News. June 10, 2020.

Some evangelicals fear the ‘mark of the beast’ from a coronavirus vaccine. Yahoo News. May 14, 2020.

University professors say more churchgoers believe Trump is ‘anointed by God.’ Fox News. May 13, 2020.

Trump Is Staking Out His Own Universe of ‘Alternative Facts’. New York Times. May 13, 2020.

The Ride Home with John and Kathy. Word FM. April 24, 2020.

Freethought Radio. Freedom from Religion Foundation. April 16, 2020.

Nearly A Fifth Of Religious Americans Say They Are Still Attending Services, Despite The Coronavirus Pandemic. BuzzFeed News. March 27, 2020.

Schools, libraries and gyms are shut down. Why are some churches still open? Deseret News. March 27, 2020.

In God We Divide. New York Times. March 25, 2020.

Republicans and Democrats responded very differently to the rise of COVID-19. Is unity still possible? Deseret News. March 21, 2020

The fight against coronavirus faces another threat: declining faith in medicine. America. March 10, 2020.

Behind the Steep Decline in Church Attendance Among Women. Barna Research. March 4, 2020.

Want some good news about the future of faith? Look to Generation Z. Deseret News. March 1, 2020.

Does religion influence your choice of pet? Minneapolis Star-Tribune. February 28, 2020.

CBN Newswatch. February 24, 2020.

For many young evangelicals in Iowa, climate is front and centre. Al-Jazeera. February 1, 2020.

“Evangelicals Are Getting Scammed”: Anti-Trump Evangelicals Are Trying To Figure Out What To Do Next. BuzzFeed News. January 24, 2020.

Ruh-Roh: Study says dog owners more faithful churchgoers than cat owners. Baptist News Global. January 14, 2020.

Wisconsin Public Radio’s Central Time. January 10, 2020.

Atheists put their faith in ‘godlike’ cats. The Times of London. January 6, 2020.

Trump seeks to shore up evangelical support at ‘prosperity gospel’ church. Reuters. January 3, 2020.

One surprisingly simple reason evangelicals love Trump. Vox. December 27, 2019.

Holiness in the midst of pain: Reflections on a year of difficult events. Deseret News. December 22, 2019.

The Rise of the Nones. Bad Christian Podcast. December 11, 2019.

The Evangelical Identity Crisis. Barna Research. December 3, 2019.

Wisconsin Public Radio’s Central Time. November 21, 2019.

The Overstated Collapse of American Christianity. New York Times. October 29, 2019.

Young People Will Come Back to Church, Right?. Barna Research. October 21, 2019.

CBN Newswatch. October 17, 2019.

Losing Our Religion: Finding Meaning Beyond the Pew. NBC Left Field. October 9, 2019.

Piqued by Trump, Colorado Democrats make a play for religious voters. Denver Post. September 29, 2019.

Professor reacts to President Trump impeachment inquiry. WAND News. September 25, 2019.

The Church Where You Don’t Have to Believe in God. The Times of London. September 14, 2019.

Losing faith. World Magazine. September 5, 2019.

We Aren’t Seeing White Support for Trump for What It Is. New York Times. August 28, 2019.

New Data Suggests Trump’s Support Among Young White Evangelicals Is Plummeting. Relevant Magazine. August 20, 2019.

More Americans identify with no religion than ever before but three states see evangelical growth: study. Fox News. July 15, 2019.

Who Do Non-Religious Democrats Prefer? 538. June 3, 2019.

Why Democrats Struggle to Mobilize A ‘Religious Left’ 538. May 29, 2019.

C-SPAN’s Washington Journal Program. April 21, 2019.

At Easter, faith leaders reflect on the future of their churches amid declining attendance. Deseret News. April 18, 2019.

Americans Lose Their Taste for Going to Church. The Times of London. April 16, 2019.

There are now as many Americans who claim no religion as there are evangelicals and Catholics, a survey finds. CNN. April 13, 2019

President Donald Trump wants to add a citizenship question to the census. What about a question on religion? Deseret News. April 11, 2019.

Is America becoming Godless? The number of people who have no religion has risen 266 per cent – one third of the population – in three decades. The Daily Mail. April 4, 2019

The Power of the Pulpit. Governing Magazine. April 2019.

Christianity is losing ground in the US, new survey says. New York Post. April 3, 2019.

‘On Paper, the Election Is the Democrats’ to Lose.’  New York Times. March 27, 2019.

Religious “Nones” Are now a Force to Be Reckoned with. Patheos. March 22, 2019.

Atheists Now Nearly as Numerous as Evangelicals. Beliefnet. March 2019.

Younger evangelicals look an awful lot like older evangelicals post-2016. Vox. November 12, 2018.