J. Derrick Lemons, associate professor in the Department of Religion, has played a central role in establishing, advancing, and naming a new interdisciplinary sub-field of research: theologically engaged anthropology. A recipient of two major John Templeton Foundation grants, he asserts that theological knowledge can enhance anthropological work on religion, and cultural anthropology can influence theology. His edited book, “Theologically Engaged Anthropology” (Oxford University Press, 2018), is a foundational volume of 20 chapters, many of them authored by senior scholars. This innovative volume places the development of theologically engaged anthropology in an intellectual context and offers a roadmap for developing it. His field-defining success has made him a leading, internationally known mid-career scholar in the humanities and the social sciences. In a new research project, Lemons is developing an ethnographic study exploring relationships between religion and politics in the contemporary world.