Samuel Perry

Religion, Culture, Race/Ethnicity, Politics, Families, Sexual Behavior

• 2024 Sam K. Viersen Presidential Professorship, University of Oklahoma
• 2022 Vice President for Research and Partnerships Award for Excellence in Research in the Social Sciences, University of Oklahoma
• 2020 Vice President for Research and Partnerships Award for Outstanding Research Impact, University of Oklahoma
• 2018 Irene Rothbaum Outstanding Assistant Professor Award “In Recognition of Distinguished Teaching as Demonstrated Through Scholarship, Dedication and the Ability to Inspire Students to High Levels of Academic Achievement,” College of Arts and Sciences, University of Oklahoma

Samuel Perry is the Sam K. Viersen Presidential Professor of Sociology at the University of Oklahoma. An award-winning scholar and teacher, Dr. Perry is among the nation's leading experts on conservative Christianity and American politics, race, families, and sexual behavior. He is currently recognized as among the top sociologists in the world in terms of research productivity and impact.

Along with well over 100 peer-reviewed articles published in leading academic journals, Dr. Perry is also the author or co-author of five books, including Growing God's Family (NYU, 2017), Addicted to Lust (Oxford, 2019), Taking America Back for God (Oxford, 2020, with Andrew Whitehead), and The Flag and the Cross (Oxford, 2022, with Philip Gorski). His most recent book is entitled Religion for Realists: Why We All Need the Scientific Study of Religion (Oxford, 2024).

Dr. Perry is also a public sociologist. In addition to regular speaking engagements around the country, he has frequently written for outlets like TIME Magazine, The Washington Post, NBC News, and The Dallas Morning News. Dr. Perry's interviews and research findings have also been featured on CNN and The Mehdi Hasan Show, recent documentaries by Frontline and Al Jazeera, and the movie Bad Faith: Christian Nationalism’s Unholy War on Democracy.

• Tables for The Flag and the Cross