Research Institute

The Research Institute, an initiative of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, seeks to be a persuasive, prophetic witness engaging the academy and equipping the church.

Assembled from among the most gifted Southern Baptist thinkers across a wide array of disciplines and institutions — law, theology, business, economics, medicine, ethics, foreign policy, and public policy — the Research Institute exists to produce public theology commentary on the complex moral questions of the day, and to do so at the highest levels of academic scholarship for the good of local congregations.

While Research Institute Fellows are neither employees of the ERLC nor spokespersons for the organization apart from when they publish through ERLC content channels, they are invaluable to the work of the ERLC. They help equip Southern Baptists and churches to engage critical issues In the feedback they offer, academic resources they contribute, and through the conversations during their time together each year.

Through active promotion of its Fellows’ work, innovative research, an annual meeting, and theological resourcing through various ERLC content channels, the Research Institute is a cross-disciplinary institution integrating Christian public witness through all spheres of culture.

Disclaimer: Research Institute Fellows often have several other institutional affiliations and many are independent thought leaders and public academics apart from their role as Fellows for the Research Institute. ERLC’s Fellows speak for the organization when publishing through the ERLC and Research Institute’s platforms, but these positions are not intended to reflect the positions of any other affiliations the Fellows may have.