Religion Initiative Director Paul Lambert spoke in the University Forum speaking on Faith and Flourishing in Your Life and Work.

Litigation Update: Legal Developments Surrounding Tithing and Religious Donations

The 2025 Wheatley Institute Seminar on Religion and Politics provided an excellent opportunity for political science and sociology graduate students from around the country to explore the role of religion in society. The seminar explored the history and current landscape of religious identity, influence, pluralism, and its impact on American politics and culture. Students also explored quantitative and qualitative methods and experiential wisdom in studying religion and politics from leading faculty in the field. Learning areas included how to explore data sources for research on religion, how to classify religious groups for more accurate measurements in surveys, how to measure religious behavior and belief, and how to study specific religious traditions.

Wheatley Fellow Thomas B. Griffith wrote an article for the Deseret News about the importance of mantaining public trust in the nonpartisan nature of federal courts, especially when disagreements arise over contentious political issues. He warns that questioning judicial impartiality based solely on disagreement with court decisions is a serious danger to both the judges in question and the Constitution.

This year marks the tenth fielding of the American Family Survey, a collaborative effort between the Wheatley Institute and Center for the Study of Elections and Democrat at Brigham Young University and the Deseret News.

Distinguished Wheatley Fellow Shima Baughman was featured on the Faith Matters podcast, sharing both her current research on the positive impact of faith communities on criminal justice and the powerful story of what led to her passion for justice and mercy.