their preferences and convictions, and dispassionately consider the evidence. Our definition of research takes this expectation into account. Therefore, we define research as the grounded, intentional, and savvy analysis of an object. The object under analysis may be a natural object, such as an archaeological artifact; it may be an idea, such as the Trinity; it may be a social artifact, such as a religious text or a survey of church members. The foundational assumption is that the “object” exists