Professor Naylor teaches courses in American religious history. His introductory courses, such as African American Religious Traditions and American Religious Movements, highlight religion’s role in shaping group identity and in advancing a variety of social concerns. The interplay of spirituality and religion on the American scene is a key theme for most of his courses, and is the topic of American Spiritualities. He has recently taught advanced courses exploring the religious thought of major figures such as Howard Thurman, Martin Luther king, Jr., Dorothy Day, and Thomas Merton. His recent research interests include reassessment of the social gospel movement, and environmental ethics and the “greening” of American religion.