Casting Light on the Issues Where Theology Matters for Our World

The Center of Theological Inquiry (CTI) is the world's only institute for advanced study in Theology. Leading thinkers from multiple disciplines convene for collaborative academic research on the role that Theology can play in casting light on critical issues facing the world today. With the media capabilities of our state-of-the-art facility in one of the world’s premier educational communities, our research insights and programs impact a diverse audience of international stakeholders through publications, podcasts, digital programming, and public engagements.

Scientists have shown that even the earliest hominid species had a belief in the transcendent. Our sense and taste for the transcendent is part of what makes us distinct as human beings. Spirituality is a foundational aspect of human origins and experience, and theological research critically and scientifically engages thousands of years of reflection on religious belief. Even now, around 85% of the global population identifies as religious; and of the 15% who do not identify with a specific religion, around 8% nevertheless believe in God. Theological research is necessary, therefore, to illuminate the complexities of human existence, leading us to new horizons of understanding and action.  In our local and global contexts, rigorous theological and inter-disciplinary research can uncover wisdom yet to be explored for the good of humanity.

As such, CTI incubates collaborative study among the world’s greatest scholars to influence and inform governments and the public. Our past research includes inquiries into global conflict, international law, artificial intelligence, the origins of life, the built environment, human migration, and societal violence. And our ongoing dialogue partners are institutions such as NASA, the International Bar Association, and Cambridge University, as well as Pulitzer-Prize winning authors, Nobel laureates, and academics at the very top of their fields.

Among other inquiries, we are asking at this very moment such critical questions as these:

• What are the rules and practices that will provide the handrails for the use of AI in our daily lives?

• How can our spiritual understandings of hope enlighten the approach mental health professionals take in treating depression?

• How might we shape the teaching in our classrooms to help form virtuous future citizens?

• What might theological reflection offer to the formation of a responsible democratic and civic society?

We proceed in the belief that the finest academic reflection on humankind’s relationship to God should help inform such vital themes if we are to find hope in a society of despair, secure our fundamental human dignity and freedoms, and thrive in contemporary culture.

Under its new director, Dr. Tom Greggs, CTI aims to promote a theological renaissance in relation to all dimensions of faith and reason. We are committed to generating integrative ideas for the benefit of society, culture and all creation, and to emphasizing the importance of theology in addressing contemporary challenges and in generating meaningful and impactful insights.