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The foundation's charter and bylaws spell out the future in detail. First, the officers of the foundation must read Sir John's books. "You must read his articles and books to know the mind of the donor," Jack says. Every five years, three independent analysts will conduct a review to see if the officers are making grants consistent with Templeton's intent. If they find that Jack is giving 9 percent of the grants to causes inconsistent with his father's intent, he has one year to bring the grants back into line. If not, Jack and his top two people will be fired.

Through shared purpose, father and son have achieved a new level of trust. The foundation's mission brought them closer together.

Former Pew officer Carpenter is confident about the foundation's future. "There are no others I know of so resolutely focused on the one strategic area of faith and science. Should Templeton stay engaged there for the long term, it could help build a depth and range of inquiry to benefit the orthodox Christian community immensely as it seeks a mature perspective on faith and science."

Tony Carnes is a senior writer for Christianity Today.

Copyright © 2005 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

John Templeton died on July 8, 2008.

The John Templeton Foundation has more information about its grants, award winners, a bio of Sir John Templeton, and The Templeton Prize.

The Templeton Foundation Press has a catalogue of books on science and religion, including ones by Sir John Templeton and Jack Templeton.

CT articles on Templeton award winners include:

The Dick Staub Interview: John Polkinghorne | The 2002 Templeton Prize winner sees the Bible as "the laboratory notebook" of the Holy Spirit. (Nov. 4, 2002)

Bottom-Up Apologist | "John Polkinghorne—particle physicist, Gifford lecturer, Templeton Prize–winner, and parish priest" (May 24, 2002)

Examining Peacocke's Plumage | The winner of the 2001 Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion rejects everything resembling Christian orthodoxy, but that doesn't stop him from co-opting the language. (March 12, 2001)

Physicist Wins Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion | Freeman Dyson, "midwife of Quantum Electrodynamics," futurist, and popularizer of science, honored for work on responsible science. (March 20, 2000)

Physicist Wins Religion Award | A physicist-theologian who has studied the religious implications of the Big Bang theory has been awarded the 1999 Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, the world's richest annual prize. (April 26, 1999)

Bright Wins Religion Award | Campus Crusade for Christ International founder and president Bill Bright is the 1996 winner of the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, the world's largest annual award, valued at $1,070,000. Investor John Templeton, 83, awards the prize "to a living person who has shown extraordinary originality in advancing humankind's understanding of God and/or spirituality." (1996)

For more coverage of science and religion, see Books & Culture's The Science Pages and Christianity Today's Science archive.

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September 2005, Vol. 49, No. 9