Center for Faith and the Common Good

Established in 2022 and headed by co-executive directors Danny DeWalt and Byron Johnson alongside academic director Lee Kats, the Center for Faith and the Common Good takes an academic approach to examining the impact of faith and religion on human flourishing. Partnering primarily with faculty from Pepperdine and sister institution Baylor University, the center focuses on research with the goal of ultimately having a positive impact on public policy and society as a whole. The center has notably done much service-minded work in prison communities, both domestically and internationally, leading programs at the Mississippi State Penitentiary and joining forces with Prison Fellowship International, Prison Fellowship Colombia, and the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute of Colombia.

While the difficulty of reforming the criminal justice system has been illustrated time and again due to governmental budget concerns, the Center for Faith and Common Good leans into the abundance of research that demonstrates the constructive influence of reform methods founded in faith. By integrating religious programming—Bible studies, community worship, and spiritual mentoring—into the lives of prisoners, their rehabilitation rates have frequently increased while their likelihood of returning to illegal activities and subsequent imprisonment is often greatly reduced. Because of these hopeful, evidence-based findings, the center has been bolstered and encouraged to dig deep into prison-specific research and efforts during its inaugural years of service. 

Moreover, with the help of the Pepperdine School of Public Policy’s community members, the center is also focused on restructuring existing public policies that work against or restrict faith-based programs in prisons, serving as another layer to protect the livelihood and personal potential of inmates. Following this initial dedication to criminal justice-focused efforts, the center plans to expand its service to citizens in the future by addressing issues such as homelessness, suicide education and prevention, protection against domestic violence and human trafficking, addiction, the rights of those with disabilities, and more.