Political Scientist Joins Danforth Center on Religion and Politics Faculty

The John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis is pleased to welcome Ryan Burge, who will join the Center as Professor of Practice beginning August 1, 2025.

Professor Burge is a political scientist whose research focuses on the impact of religion on American life, especially politics. His popular Substack newsletter Graphs about Religion has tens of thousands of subscribers and is read millions of times annually. He is a well-known data analyst with work appearing in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, POLITICO, among others, and he has been featured on 60 Minutes.

At Washington University in St. Louis, he will offer courses for undergraduate students through the Department of Political Science in the College of Arts & Sciences. His work on Graphs about Religion will continue, and he will collaborate with the Center’s online journal Arc: Religion, Politics, Et Cetera, while also contributing to the life of the Danforth Center and the university.

“Through his Substack and his many books, Ryan Burge reaches a broad public audience with clear explanations of current data in religion and politics,” said Abram Van Engen, director of the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics. “His voice adds a new and further dimension to the Danforth Center’s many offerings and helps us connect across multiple disciplines. We are thrilled to welcome him!”

Burge previously served 13 years in the political science department at Eastern Illinois University. He earned his undergraduate degree from Greenville University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Following his doctoral work, he served as a postdoctoral fellow at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, where he advised on polling and data analysis. Burge served as a pastor in the American Baptist Church for over twenty years.

His forthcoming book, The Vanishing Church: How the Hollowing Out of Moderate Congregations Is Hurting Democracy, Faith, and Us (Brazos, 2026), examines religious polarization and its broader implications for American society. His other publications include The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going (Fortress Press, 2021), 20 Myths about Religion and Politics in America (Fortress Press, 2022), The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back? (Zondervan, 2023) written with pastors Michael Graham and Jim Davis, and The American Religious Landscape: Facts, Trends, and the Future (Oxford University Press, 2024).

“I’m excited to join the Danforth Center, whose mission includes helping academics engage the public with their work—something I care deeply about,” Burge said. “Becoming part of the Center will only accelerate my ability to bring clear data visualizations and informed discourse into the public sphere. With rising political polarization and increasingly divisive rhetoric, it’s never been more important for scholars to shape the public conversation around religion and politics using rigorous methods and compelling data.”

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The John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics was established in 2010 at Washington University in St. Louis. The Center serves as an open venue for fostering rigorous scholarship and informing broad academic and public communities about the intersections of religion and U.S. politics. The Center offers undergraduate courses and a minor in religion and politics, as well as a vibrant public event program.

For more information about the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis, visit the website at http://rap.washu.edu or contact Debra Kennard at 314-935-7790.