Nagel Institute Launches $2.2M Project

The Nagel Institute for the Study of
World Christianity, an educational research institute within Calvin University, has launched a major new research initiative following receipt of a $2.2 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation. The multi-year project brings together leading scholars to explore the ways religion shapes social change and global development.

The project is jointly led by Dr. Damaris Parsitau, a scholar of religion and public life at Calvin University, and by Dr. Robert Woodberry of Baylor University, who has been appointed a senior research fellow at the Nagel Institute for the duration of the grant. Both scholars expressed enthusiasm about the opportunity to deepen global understanding of the societal impacts of religion.

“This project represents an extraordinary opportunity to expand rigorous, data-driven research on how religious ideas and institutions influence long-term human flourishing,” said Woodberry. “I am honored to join the Nagel Institute as a senior research fellow, and I look forward to collaborating on work that has the potential to reshape current debates in the field.”

Parsitau, director of the Nagel Institute, emphasized the significance of the grant for the institute and for Calvin University. “The Nagel Institute has long sought to elevate perspectives from across the world, especially from regions often overlooked in academic research,” she said. “This support from the John Templeton Foundation allows us to expand that mission in transformative ways. We are excited to lead research that not only advances scholarship but also amplifies voices from the Global South and other underrepresented contexts.”

As the project moves forward, the Nagel Institute, situated within Calvin University’s longstanding tradition of global engagement, plans to convene scholars, host public lectures, and publish new research advancing understanding about religion’s role in shaping societies.