Research Reports

CTI is proud to announce a new series of annual Research Reports from the Center.

This new series distills the fresh thinking of our research groups on a range of global concerns for the wider public.

Report 1: Economic Inequality

The first entry in CTI’s new series of Research Reports comes out of our 2019-2020 Research Workshop on Religion & Economic Inequality. Building on previous consultations and seminars on this theme, CTI convened a team of researchers from around the globe to explore the emerging global concern of economic inequality both within and among nations. How is economic inequality to be defined and measured, and just as important, what moral and theological resources can be brought to bear on evaluating it as a social and moral concern? These are just some of the questions and concerns the CTI research team explored during this workshop. 

Report 2: The Built Environment

Research Report #2 synthesizes the work of eight scholars and practitioners who took part in CTI's 2020-21 Research Workshop on Religion & the Built Environment. This program focused on how the built environment is integral to the flourishing of human communities and explored how religion and theology intersect with the challenges of architecture and urban design.

Report 3: The Natural Environment

The third entry in CTI’s series of Research Reports comes out of our 2021-2022 Research Workshop on Religion & the Natural Environment. As the capstone year of CTI’s five-year Inquiry on Religion & Global Issues, CTI convened a team of researchers from around the globe to explore the global concern of the environmental crisis, from the perspectives of science, environmental policy, art, ethics, and theology. COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference, was held in November 2021, during the first semester of our workshop. This research report includes reflection on this global climate change conference alongside reflection on the CTI workshop, all centered on the question of religion and the natural environment.

Report 4: The Spiritual Loop Project

The fourth Research Report is titled the Spiritual Loop Project on Machine Intelligence and Pastoral Care. CTI has recently completed this pilot project on the impact of video gaming for persons with disabilities in pastoral care and congregational settings.

The project was led by Dr. Erin Raffety, a Research Fellow in Machine Intelligence & Pastoral Care at the Center of Theological Inquiry, and Maria Insa-Iglesias, a computer science student at Glasgow Caledonian University and Technology Fellow for this project. This project was funded by the Templeton World Charity Foundation.