Jones is the CEO and co-founder of Public Religion Research Institute, a two-year-old nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that studies the role of religion in American public life, seeking to find how many people believe what and how that shapes their social and political views. Jones is also the author of two academic books about religion. He has a Ph.D. in religion from Emory University and a master’s of divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He spoke with The Washington Examiner about his own faith and how he sees religion shaping America’s future. Do you consider yourself to be of a specific faith?
I am first and foremost a scholar of religion, although I have been significantly shaped by my own religious experience. I was drawn to the academic study of religion both by personal history and by seeing how deeply religion influences public debates over critical issues in America. I grew up fairly religious as a Southern Baptist in Mississippi but now attend the Interfaith Families Project, an interfaith congregation in Silver Spring, with my wife who is Jewish. I most appreciate the way religious texts, beliefs and ritual can shape and give deep meaning to people’s lives. I’m fascinated by the power of religion, its ability to inspire both good and bad.
