Samuel L. Perry is Professor of Sociology at the University of Oklahoma. His research explores the interplay of religion and power, most often within the empirical contexts of American politics, race, and sexual behavior. He is the author of five books, including the award-winning Taking America Back for God (with Andrew Whitehead) and The Flag and the Cross (with Philip Gorski). He has recently finished his fifth book, entitled Religion for Realists: Why We All Need the Scientific Study of Religion—Now More than Ever (Oxford University Press, 2024).