As we begin the second quarter of the 21st century, what do the best medical and social science studies tell us about connections between religion and health? The Religion and Human Flourishing series, a three-part research series by Wheatley Institute, answers this question by synthesizing the findings from Koenig, VanderWeele, and Peteet’s Handbook of Religion and Health (3rd ed., 2024)— a collection of hundreds of rigorous and high-quality studies that make up the most comprehensive and methodologically discerning review on religion and health to date. Part one of Religion and Human Flourishing focuses on religion and mental health, while part three focuses on religion and social health.

A surprising number of young adults in real-life romantic relationships are simultaneously maintaining secret romantic interactions with AI chatbot companions.

Today, 80% of Americans say religion is losing influence in American life. Sociologist Christian Smith’s book-length study Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Decline of Traditional Religion (2025) provides data that support this perception. One international study in the last decade that examined national levels of religiosity found that the United States ranked 14% lower in religiosity than formerly communist Russia. Many Americans have replaced religious commitments and identity with devotion to aspects of politics, popular culture, science, or all three.

In May, students, professors, and guests gathered to listen to Bret Stephens— author, Pulitzer Prize winner, and New York Times columnist— speak on the role of the cultural elite in American polarization. The lecture was hosted by Wheatley Institute, the BYU Political Science Department, and the Initiative for Peacemaking, and served as the opening keynote for the 2026 Brigham Young University Peacemaking Conference.

In a collaborative event between Wheatley Institute and BYU's McKay School of Education, leading scholars and educators from across the country discussed the potential for religious faith to help bridge America's widening student learning opportunity gaps.

In honor of America's 250th anniversary, BYU history professor Tyson Reeder, with support from the Wheatley Institute, taught a semester-long history course on the Declaration of Independence. As a culminating learning experience, the entire class, which included several Wheatley Scholars, traveled to key historical sites associated with the Declaration in Virginia, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia.

"Considering the Constitution in light of the Declaration of Independence, these documents suggest that equal justice might involve more than formal legal equality," Wheatley Fellow Bradley Rebeiro writes. "It requires not only the protection of rights through the rule of law, but also a continuing commitment to the conditions that make liberty genuinely available to all."

Some might be surprised by the rate of AI companion use among young adults. But Freya India isn't. "...as an older member of Generation Z, I am not surprised," the writer and Washington Post contributor writes. "To me, this was a predictable step for a generation that grew up with online pornography."

Is rhetoric good or a bad? In his newest op-ed, Justin Collings— academic vice president of Brigham Young University and Wheatley Affiliated Scholar— argues that it's a noble tool. America just isn't using it.