Religious Studies

Education

• Ph.D., Religion, Florida State University
• M.A., Religion, Florida State University
• B.A., Religion, University of North Dakota

Biography

Professor McCrary’s research focuses on American religion, especially topics related to religious freedom, secularism, science, and race. He is particularly interested in how “religion,” as a category, operates in politics and culture—how certain people, ideas, and practices are labeled as “religious” and others are not, how those distinctions are made and by whom, and their ramifications. Professor McCrary is the author of Sincerely Held: American Secularism and Its Believers (2022), on “sincerely held religious belief” and its role in the history of American religious freedom. His work has been published in academic journals including the Journal of the American Academy of Religion and Religion & American Culture, as well as popular outlets such as Religion & Politics, The Revealer, and The New Republic.