About


Adam Kunz

Born and raised in rural southeastern Idaho in a town founded by my Mormon ancestors, I spent the first 25 years of my life living in the heart of “Mormondom.” After a life of deep, zealous commitment to Mormonism, I left my home for law school in Washington, D.C., and was air-dropped into a world starkly different from the one I had been raised in. This prompted a decade-long shift in my perspective on faith, society, and the treatment of others.

After three years as an associate attorney at Faegre Drinker, LLP (formerly Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP) in Washington, D.C., I transitioned to academia. Today, I am an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. I have an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, and a J.D. from The George Washington University Law School. I write and teach on tolerance, cults, the limits of freedom of religion, and theories of justice. Additionally, I serve as a board member and the academic liaison for the Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion, supporting leading cult expert, Dr. Janja Lalich. I also act as an expert witness in cases dealing with religious manipulation.

As Christopher Hitchens eloquently put it, combating “the fear of freedom, the wish to be slaves, the wish to be told what to do” sums up my lifelong research interests and professional pursuits. My first book, To Hell with Heaven: An Introduction to Apatheism, argues that religious discourse in the United States is dominated by zealotry, and the way to address it is to respond with critical thinking and reciprocity.

You can find my faculty profile and a link to my current CV here.