Among his areas of expertise include spirituality, religion and film, religion and popular culture, and Asian religions in America. He is the editor of the 2016 book about religion in the films of the Coen Brothers, Coen: Framing Religion in Amoral Order, and has published essays on religion in police drama, horror movies, and TV cartoons. Originally from Toronto, Canada, he has an A.B. degree from Harvard University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California at Santa Barbara, all in religious studies.