Byron R. Johnson

Director of Institute for Studies of Religion
Professor, Sociology

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Byron Johnson is Professor of Sociology at Baylor University, Director of the Institute for Studies of Religion (ISR) as well as director of the Program on Prosocial Behavior, both at Baylor. He is a Senior Fellow at the Witherspoon Institute (Princeton), and Senior Research Scholar at the Institute for Jewish and Community Research (San Francisco). He is chief advisor for the Center for the Study of Religion and Chinese Society, Peking University (Beijing). Johnson has directed research centers at Vanderbilt University and the University of Pennsylvania and is currently conducting a series of studies for the Department of Justice on the role of religion in prosocial youth behavior. He is recognized as a leading authority on the scientific study of religion, the efficacy of faith-based organizations, domestic violence, and criminal justice. Recent publications have examined the impact of faith-based programs on recidivism reduction and prisoner reentry. Along with other ISR colleagues he is completing a series of empirical studies on the religious landscape of China. Professor Johnson is also collaborating with other scholars on several studies of religious intolerance and tolerance in America. He is currently collaborating with the Gallup Organization on a series of studies addressing religion and spirituality in the United States as well as internationally. Johnson’s research has been used in consultation with the Department of Justice, Department of Defense, Department of Labor, and the National Institutes of Health.