In the first of a three part series with Science for the Church on how the psychology of polarization can help our congregations navigate division, Ohio State University psychologist, Dr. Kurt Gray, will describe how we form our deepest beliefs and values. His research identifies the place of fear and harm, especially our desire to protect both ourselves and vulnerable others, in our contemporary divisions. It is in understanding the roots of our outrage and polarization, common to both sides of any divide, that he offers ways to find common ground. Science for the Church’s executive director, Drew Rick-Miller, will then suggest how Dr. Gray’s research can inform ministry and congregational practices.

Kurt Gray is a social and moral psychologist at the Ohio State University where he seeks to understand our deepest beliefs and why they matter for society and organizations. He holds the Weary Family Foundation Endowed Chair in the Social Psychology of Polarization and Misinformation and is the inaugural director of the University’s new Collaborative on the Science of Polarization and Misinformation (C-SPAM). 

Dr. Gray grew up in Canada, completed a bachelor’s at the University of Waterloo and did his Ph.D. with the well-known psychologist Daniel Wegner at Harvard. He coauthored his first book with Wegner, The Mind Club: Who Thinks What Feels and Why it Matters, and will present to us material from his second book, Outraged: Why we Fight about Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground, which has been featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and NPR. His spouse is a neuroscientist and they have two children. 

Drew Rick-Miller is the co-founder and executive director of Science for the Church, a ministry seeking to strengthen churches through a deeper engagement with science.