In a Snapshot
- Role: President, Founder
- Leading Initiatives: Sciences Engaged Theology
- Current Projects: TheoPsych, Art Seeking Understanding, In Search of Theological Scientists, Blueprint Launch
- Developing Projects: Experimental Philosophy of Religion, Cognitive Missiology, Integrated Human Scientists Program
- Unique Tool: World-class synthesizer
- Area of expertise: Cognitive Science of Religion; cognitive approaches to the study of culture; religious development in children
- Life’s Goal: Never stop learning and growing
- Weakness: Biscuits and gravy
Academic Awards, Fellowships, and Education
| Awards & Honors: | Fellow, International Society for Science and Religion, 2016 William Bier Award, 2010, American Psychological Association |
| Fellowships: | TBF Senior Fellow, 2018-2021 Oxford Templeton Visiting Fellow to Latin America, 2016 Diekema Research Fellowship, 2001 Cornell University Sage Dissertation Research Grant, 1997 National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship, 1994-1997 Pew Evangelical Younger Scholars Fellowship, 1994-1997 Calvin College Prospective Minority Faculty Fellowship, 1993-1997 University Sage Graduate Fellowship, 1993 |
| Degrees: | Ph.D., Psychology (Cognitive/Developmental), Cornell University B.A., Psychology, Calvin University |
By the Numbers
| Total grant funding: | $16.7 million |
| Number of grants: | 19 |
| Number of scholarly publications: | Over 120 scholarly publications, most of which concern the scientific study of religion |
| Number of editorial boards: | 5 |
Select Publications
- Why Would Anyone Believe in God? (Altamira, 2004),
- Cognitive Science, Religion, and Theology: From Human Minds to Divine Minds (Templeton Press, 2011),
- Born Believers: The Science of Childhood Religion (Free Press, 2012),
- The Roots of Religion: Exploring the Cognitive Science of Religion (with Roger Trigg, Ashgate, 2014).
- RFP Handbook
- Thriving with Stone Age Minds: Evolutionary Psychology, Christian Faith, and the Quest for Human Flourishing (IVPress, 2021)
- TheoPsych: A Psychological Science Primer for Theologians (Blueprint 1543, 2022)
- The Oxford Handbook of the Cognitive Science of Religion, (Oxford, 2022)
Want to learn more about Justin?
Check out this interview to learn why Justin co-founded Blueprint 1543, his background, what drives him, what he’s excited about, and more.
Also see, his Scopus (ID # 7403498372) and ORCID (0000-0001-7178-5237).
