What do you think?
Rate this book
Spiritual, but not Religious: Understanding Unchurched America
Nearly 40% of all Americans have no connection with organized religion. Yet many of these people, even though they might never step inside a house of worship, live profoundly spiritual lives. But what is the nature and value of unchurched spirituality in America? Is it a recent phenomenon, a New Age fad that will soon fade, or a long-standing and essential aspect of the American experience?
In Spiritual But Not Religious, Robert Fuller offers fascinating answers to these questions. He shows that alternative spiritual practices have a long and rich history in America, dating back to the colonial period, when church membership rarely exceeded 17% and interest in astrology, numerology, magic, and witchcraft ran high. Fuller traces such unchurched traditions into the mid-nineteenth century, when Americans responded enthusiastically to new philosophies such as Swedenborgianism, Transcendentalism, and mesmerism, right up to the current interest in meditation, channeling, divination, and a host of other unconventional spiritual practices. Throughout, Fuller argues that far from the flighty and narcissistic dilettantes they are often made out to be, unchurched spiritual seekers embrace a mature and dynamic set of basic beliefs. They focus on inner sources of spirituality and on this world rather than the afterlife; they believe in the accessibility of God and in the mind's untapped powers; they see a fundamental unity between science and religion and an equality between genders and races; and they are more willing to test their beliefs and change them when they prove untenable.
Timely, sweeping in its scope, and informed by a clear historical understanding, Spiritual But Not Religious offers fresh perspective on the growing numbers of Americans who find their spirituality outside the church.
In Spiritual But Not Religious, Robert Fuller offers fascinating answers to these questions. He shows that alternative spiritual practices have a long and rich history in America, dating back to the colonial period, when church membership rarely exceeded 17% and interest in astrology, numerology, magic, and witchcraft ran high. Fuller traces such unchurched traditions into the mid-nineteenth century, when Americans responded enthusiastically to new philosophies such as Swedenborgianism, Transcendentalism, and mesmerism, right up to the current interest in meditation, channeling, divination, and a host of other unconventional spiritual practices. Throughout, Fuller argues that far from the flighty and narcissistic dilettantes they are often made out to be, unchurched spiritual seekers embrace a mature and dynamic set of basic beliefs. They focus on inner sources of spirituality and on this world rather than the afterlife; they believe in the accessibility of God and in the mind's untapped powers; they see a fundamental unity between science and religion and an equality between genders and races; and they are more willing to test their beliefs and change them when they prove untenable.
Timely, sweeping in its scope, and informed by a clear historical understanding, Spiritual But Not Religious offers fresh perspective on the growing numbers of Americans who find their spirituality outside the church.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
About the author
Robert C. Fuller
23 books6 followersDr. Robert Fuller has received national and international acclaim for his unique contributions in the areas of American cultural history and the interaction of religion and the social sciences. Author of twelve books, including five by Oxford University Press, and numerous articles published in professional journals, he is among the top authorities in his field with a number of his books being used in university classrooms across the country.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Read
August 8, 2024Kinda like Strange Rites, but more focused on the history of the ‘spiritual but not religious’ movement. The two biggest things he says in the book are 1) the ‘spiritual but not religious’ movement has existed since the founding of America and 2) the movement permeates into modern evangelicalism. Perhaps it was profound 20 years ago when it was written, but nowadays this seems like saying the sky is blue or LeBron is the GOAT 🐐
May 20, 2014
Think “spiritual but not religious” is something that was made up in the 21st century? Fuller provides an interesting, broad look at the historic currents of the “unchurched” or “spiritual but not religious” strain in American religion and spirituality. He contends that unchurched spirituality is not a secular orientation, but religious belief and activity outside traditional structures, which has a long American history. Fuller outlines the common themes in unchurched American spirituality as: 1) the individual’s right and duty to establish their own criteria for religious belief through personal experience; 2) spirituality as a sensibility rather than a set of creeds; 3) impatience with institutional religion; 4) the individual self’s infinite potential and direct connection with God; and 5) an interest in what is beyond the physical universe. Fuller’s sympathetic but also critical account is a valuable introduction to a little-studied but significant American phenomenon that is sure to grow as the 21st century continues.
Fuller begins with the fact that in the late 1600s, less than one-third of Americans belonged to a church, and only 15% belonging to a church during the Revolutionary War. However, many were religious in other practices such as astrology, divination, and witchcraft in the lower classes, and Rosicrucianism and alchemy for the literate classes. For these early Americans, magical practice supplied a practical supplement to more otherworldly churched beliefs. Fuller then continues to trace this development through such strands as Swedenborgianism, Mesmerism, Romanticism, and Spiritualism. He also surveys the development of neo-paganism, alternative medicine, and the roots of contemporary psychology in the unchurched tradition. Fuller surveys and refutes many common critiques of unchurched spirituality (both religious and atheist critiques) but also notes its limitations. He then concludes with a look toward possible future, in which churches will continue to be strong with persons desiring communal institutions, but unchurched spirituality growing with more individualistically oriented seekers.
The strong points of this volume for me were the key argument that the “spiritual but not religious” tradition has a long established history in American religious culture, and the realization that many current pastoral counseling practices have their roots outside theology proper in psychology and alternative spiritualities. Recommended for religious scholars (particularly historians and scholars of New Religious Movements), theologians, and religious leaders who want to see the historical roots of a current American religious phenomenon.
Fuller begins with the fact that in the late 1600s, less than one-third of Americans belonged to a church, and only 15% belonging to a church during the Revolutionary War. However, many were religious in other practices such as astrology, divination, and witchcraft in the lower classes, and Rosicrucianism and alchemy for the literate classes. For these early Americans, magical practice supplied a practical supplement to more otherworldly churched beliefs. Fuller then continues to trace this development through such strands as Swedenborgianism, Mesmerism, Romanticism, and Spiritualism. He also surveys the development of neo-paganism, alternative medicine, and the roots of contemporary psychology in the unchurched tradition. Fuller surveys and refutes many common critiques of unchurched spirituality (both religious and atheist critiques) but also notes its limitations. He then concludes with a look toward possible future, in which churches will continue to be strong with persons desiring communal institutions, but unchurched spirituality growing with more individualistically oriented seekers.
The strong points of this volume for me were the key argument that the “spiritual but not religious” tradition has a long established history in American religious culture, and the realization that many current pastoral counseling practices have their roots outside theology proper in psychology and alternative spiritualities. Recommended for religious scholars (particularly historians and scholars of New Religious Movements), theologians, and religious leaders who want to see the historical roots of a current American religious phenomenon.
February 19, 2017
Grants antiquity to the 'new' concept of "spiritual but not religious"...influencial and seemingly rational people in America have held an amazing array of beliefs, and seemingly amazing people have held a rational array of beliefs. Discusses the influences of this always-"new" spiritual marketplace...that's been around forever.
March 4, 2015
This is an important book on the history and impact of the "spiritual but not religious" in America. Fuller shows clearly that this is not a new phenomenon, but rather has been a large aspect of America's culture since its inception. Most importantly Fuller shows the profound impact the spiritual questing of the SBNR has had on mainstream "churched" spirituality in America.
September 18, 2019
Not really what I was expecting, but it was an interesting religious history of unchurched Americans.
December 27, 2023
The first book I read for my thesis! To truly help understand the scope of what I'm studying. Spoiler: not sure if I am describing a "spiritual" or "religious" phenomena... yet!
June 6, 2024
AN INSIGHTFUL LOOK AT SUCH SPIRITUAL “SEEKERS”
Author Robert C. Fuller is professor of Religious Studies at Bradley University. He wrote in the Introduction to this 2001 book, “The purpose of this book is to explore the history and present status of unchurched religion in the United States. This is not an easy task… To define, categorize, and understand it is considerably more difficult. We can with some precision determine how many people regularly attend church and how many almost never do. But many individuals fall somewhere in between… It is probably safe to assume that somewhere between 8 and 15 percent of the total population can be considered wholly nonreligious. Because these people consider themselves neither religious nor spiritual, they are outside the scope of this book.
“A second group of unchurched Americans consists of those whose relationships with organized religion are ambiguous. This group would include both those who belong to a church but rarely attend, and those who often attend church but choose not to join… There is a third group..,. Up to 21 percent of all Americans are unaffiliated with a church, but should nonetheless be considered religious in some broad sense of the term. The largest group of the unchurched, then, is concerned with spiritual issues but choose to pursue them outside the context of a formal religious organization… These seekers, although unchurched, are much more concerned with spiritual development than the vast majority of churchgoers… It has become increasingly common for such people to describe themselves as ‘spiritual’ rather than ‘religious.’ They feel a tension between their personal spirituality and membership in a conventional religious organization... Genuine spirituality, they believe, has to do with personal efforts to achieve greater harmony with the sacred. For them spirituality has to do with private reflection and private experience----not public ritual.” (Pg. 1-4)
He suggests that for “educated Americans… Many began to associate genuine faith with the ‘private’ realm of personal experience rather than the ‘public’ realm of institutions, creeds, and rituals. The word ‘spiritual’ gradually came to be associated with the private realm of thought and experience while the word ‘religious’ came to be connected with the public realm of membership in religious institutions, participation in formal rituals, and adherence to official denominational doctrines.” (Pg. 5)
He continues, “Spirituality exists wherever we struggle with the issue of how our lives fit into the greater cosmic scheme of things… We encounter spiritual issues every time we wonder where the universe comes from, why we are here, or what happens when we die. We also become spiritual when we become moved by values such as beauty, love, or creativity that seem to reveal a meaning or power beyond our visible world… Spirituality, then, pertains to silent reflection or coffeehouse conversations as much as it does to what transpires during a formal worship service… A major thesis of this book is that unchurched spirituality is gradually reshaping the personal faith of many who belong to mainstream religious organizations.” (Pg. 8-9)
He adds, “This book will focus… on the roughly 20 percent of Americans who develop a vital spirituality exclusively on the basis of nonecclesial beliefs and practices… [They] differ from their churched counterparts in two important ways. First, they have usually become dissatisfied with institutional religion … Second, those drawn to unchurched spirituality show a greater interest in personal religious experience. Unchurched forms often have a pronounced mystical dimension, which meets the important spiritual need of having felt-sense of the sacred.” (Pg. 10)
He observes, “Swedenborgianism, Transcendentalism, mesmerism, and spiritualism came together to create the first ‘metaphysical awakening’ in American religious life. Although their origins and theological outlooks were different, they melded neatly in the minds of American seeking new sources of religious edification… Middle-class audiences were attracted to these metaphysical systems as a means of preserving---not repudiating---the core values of American culture. The adherents of these movements felt stifled by the rigidity of existing churches. They were energetically searching for ways of accommodating their religious impulses to the modern world… [They] were the avant-garde of what was to become a long tradition in unchurched American piety.” (Pg. 43-44)
He points out, “Metaphysical ideas have gradually filtered into the general stock of concepts with which Americans---educated and uneducated, churched and unchurched, lowbrow and highbrow---take their bearings on life. One national study shows that 24 percent of church members read their horoscopes every week, 20 percent believe in reincarnation, and 11 percent believe in trance channeling. What is more, this study showed that a majority of church members hold at least one such metaphysical belief.” (Pg. 69)
He summarizes, “First, and most important, spiritual seekers are concerned with the individual’s right, even duty, to establish his or her own criteria for belief… Second, seekers think of spirituality as something more along the lines of a sensibility than a set of creeds…. Personal spirituality has to do with cultivating a mystical feel for God’s presence in the natural world… Third, seekers are typically impatient with institutional religion. They tend to fault churches for becoming stagnant… Fourth, seekers have new understandings of the self and the self’s inner connection with God… And finally, unchurched Americans are surprisingly interested in exploring what lies beyond our physical universe.” (Pg. 75-76)
He observes, “the past two generations of Americans have been exposed to nonbiblical religious ideas to an extent unprecedented in Western cultural history. Respected cultural authorities and Hollywood celebrities alike have endorsed Eastern philosophies and have portrayed them as exciting alternatives to biblical religion. As a consequence, increasing numbers of Americans feel encouraged to adopt an eclectic approach to religious belief. This [also] appears to be true … for an increasing number of churchgoers who no longer believe that their tradition has a monopoly on religious truth.” (Pg. 86) Later, he adds, “For a religion to be viable in our era it must draw eclectically from science, modern psychology, and the best insights of all world religions… it should be primarily concerned with helping us to find fulfillment in the here and now of this life…” (Pg. 98-99)
He summarizes, “The goal of this book has been to show that ‘seeker spirituality’ is hardly new… The process began back in the nineteenth century. Proponents of various metaphysical ‘isms’ … forged pathways that gradually connected seekers who were otherwise separated by geography. They traveled lecture circuits, published journals, and established small organizations both on the local and national level… As the twentieth century progressed, centers offering instruction in Eastern religions or Jungian psychology emerged in larger metropolitan areas… America’s spiritual marketplace burgeoned as dozens of new magazines, journals, and newsletters appeared. Many of these were pioneers in using the communication technologies of the worldwide web.” (Pg. 154-155)
He concludes, “The hard-core constituencies of churched and unchurched spiritualities may be drifting further apart, but there is still lots of room in the middle… Being ‘spiritual, but not religious’ will likely continue to be the only viable option for a growing sector of the American population… Their greatest spiritual need is to view life with a sense of wonder, to feel connected with the sacred meanings and powers that permeate everyday life… This may not be everything we have traditionally expected of religion. But… it would be a shame to hope for less.” (Pg. 171, 173-174)
This is an excellent book not only for such “seekers,” but for those more ��traditional” persons who want to know more about this growing demographic.
Author Robert C. Fuller is professor of Religious Studies at Bradley University. He wrote in the Introduction to this 2001 book, “The purpose of this book is to explore the history and present status of unchurched religion in the United States. This is not an easy task… To define, categorize, and understand it is considerably more difficult. We can with some precision determine how many people regularly attend church and how many almost never do. But many individuals fall somewhere in between… It is probably safe to assume that somewhere between 8 and 15 percent of the total population can be considered wholly nonreligious. Because these people consider themselves neither religious nor spiritual, they are outside the scope of this book.
“A second group of unchurched Americans consists of those whose relationships with organized religion are ambiguous. This group would include both those who belong to a church but rarely attend, and those who often attend church but choose not to join… There is a third group..,. Up to 21 percent of all Americans are unaffiliated with a church, but should nonetheless be considered religious in some broad sense of the term. The largest group of the unchurched, then, is concerned with spiritual issues but choose to pursue them outside the context of a formal religious organization… These seekers, although unchurched, are much more concerned with spiritual development than the vast majority of churchgoers… It has become increasingly common for such people to describe themselves as ‘spiritual’ rather than ‘religious.’ They feel a tension between their personal spirituality and membership in a conventional religious organization... Genuine spirituality, they believe, has to do with personal efforts to achieve greater harmony with the sacred. For them spirituality has to do with private reflection and private experience----not public ritual.” (Pg. 1-4)
He suggests that for “educated Americans… Many began to associate genuine faith with the ‘private’ realm of personal experience rather than the ‘public’ realm of institutions, creeds, and rituals. The word ‘spiritual’ gradually came to be associated with the private realm of thought and experience while the word ‘religious’ came to be connected with the public realm of membership in religious institutions, participation in formal rituals, and adherence to official denominational doctrines.” (Pg. 5)
He continues, “Spirituality exists wherever we struggle with the issue of how our lives fit into the greater cosmic scheme of things… We encounter spiritual issues every time we wonder where the universe comes from, why we are here, or what happens when we die. We also become spiritual when we become moved by values such as beauty, love, or creativity that seem to reveal a meaning or power beyond our visible world… Spirituality, then, pertains to silent reflection or coffeehouse conversations as much as it does to what transpires during a formal worship service… A major thesis of this book is that unchurched spirituality is gradually reshaping the personal faith of many who belong to mainstream religious organizations.” (Pg. 8-9)
He adds, “This book will focus… on the roughly 20 percent of Americans who develop a vital spirituality exclusively on the basis of nonecclesial beliefs and practices… [They] differ from their churched counterparts in two important ways. First, they have usually become dissatisfied with institutional religion … Second, those drawn to unchurched spirituality show a greater interest in personal religious experience. Unchurched forms often have a pronounced mystical dimension, which meets the important spiritual need of having felt-sense of the sacred.” (Pg. 10)
He observes, “Swedenborgianism, Transcendentalism, mesmerism, and spiritualism came together to create the first ‘metaphysical awakening’ in American religious life. Although their origins and theological outlooks were different, they melded neatly in the minds of American seeking new sources of religious edification… Middle-class audiences were attracted to these metaphysical systems as a means of preserving---not repudiating---the core values of American culture. The adherents of these movements felt stifled by the rigidity of existing churches. They were energetically searching for ways of accommodating their religious impulses to the modern world… [They] were the avant-garde of what was to become a long tradition in unchurched American piety.” (Pg. 43-44)
He points out, “Metaphysical ideas have gradually filtered into the general stock of concepts with which Americans---educated and uneducated, churched and unchurched, lowbrow and highbrow---take their bearings on life. One national study shows that 24 percent of church members read their horoscopes every week, 20 percent believe in reincarnation, and 11 percent believe in trance channeling. What is more, this study showed that a majority of church members hold at least one such metaphysical belief.” (Pg. 69)
He summarizes, “First, and most important, spiritual seekers are concerned with the individual’s right, even duty, to establish his or her own criteria for belief… Second, seekers think of spirituality as something more along the lines of a sensibility than a set of creeds…. Personal spirituality has to do with cultivating a mystical feel for God’s presence in the natural world… Third, seekers are typically impatient with institutional religion. They tend to fault churches for becoming stagnant… Fourth, seekers have new understandings of the self and the self’s inner connection with God… And finally, unchurched Americans are surprisingly interested in exploring what lies beyond our physical universe.” (Pg. 75-76)
He observes, “the past two generations of Americans have been exposed to nonbiblical religious ideas to an extent unprecedented in Western cultural history. Respected cultural authorities and Hollywood celebrities alike have endorsed Eastern philosophies and have portrayed them as exciting alternatives to biblical religion. As a consequence, increasing numbers of Americans feel encouraged to adopt an eclectic approach to religious belief. This [also] appears to be true … for an increasing number of churchgoers who no longer believe that their tradition has a monopoly on religious truth.” (Pg. 86) Later, he adds, “For a religion to be viable in our era it must draw eclectically from science, modern psychology, and the best insights of all world religions… it should be primarily concerned with helping us to find fulfillment in the here and now of this life…” (Pg. 98-99)
He summarizes, “The goal of this book has been to show that ‘seeker spirituality’ is hardly new… The process began back in the nineteenth century. Proponents of various metaphysical ‘isms’ … forged pathways that gradually connected seekers who were otherwise separated by geography. They traveled lecture circuits, published journals, and established small organizations both on the local and national level… As the twentieth century progressed, centers offering instruction in Eastern religions or Jungian psychology emerged in larger metropolitan areas… America’s spiritual marketplace burgeoned as dozens of new magazines, journals, and newsletters appeared. Many of these were pioneers in using the communication technologies of the worldwide web.” (Pg. 154-155)
He concludes, “The hard-core constituencies of churched and unchurched spiritualities may be drifting further apart, but there is still lots of room in the middle… Being ‘spiritual, but not religious’ will likely continue to be the only viable option for a growing sector of the American population… Their greatest spiritual need is to view life with a sense of wonder, to feel connected with the sacred meanings and powers that permeate everyday life… This may not be everything we have traditionally expected of religion. But… it would be a shame to hope for less.” (Pg. 171, 173-174)
This is an excellent book not only for such “seekers,” but for those more ��traditional” persons who want to know more about this growing demographic.
October 3, 2007
So far I love this book and wish I had more casual time to read it. It explores many different messages, practices, and avenues of spirituality.
August 22, 2013
A pretty pleasant read, without inscrutable terminologies.
June 16, 2023
A helpful book for tracing the history of the development of the SBNR trend and its impacts among even those would would consider themselves religious.
January 18, 2020
Robert C. Fuller’s Spiritual but not Religious explored faith traditions embraced by the seekers of spiritual growth. These were those individuals who were interested in Swedenborgianism, Transcendentalism, mesmerism, spiritualism, and countless others. But what was of interest to this reviewer was the role played by psychology of such figures like William James, Abraham Maslow, Carl Jung, and Carl Rogers. Gordon Allport, professor of personality theory at Yale University, and James Fowler, director of the Center for Faith Development at Emory University commented on the stages of spiritual growth. These stages could invariably lead to spiritual maturity, but some remain stuck in a traditional religious mode.
A religion like Wicca saw God in the monotheistic religions was patriarchal and women weren’t considered playing leading roles in religious life. God was the Father in the Old Testament; Jesus Christ was his Son in the New Testament. Most of the prophets were male, and it was always them who made decisions concerning women. In the ancient societies of Asia, Rome, Greece, and the Middle East males dominated. For it was the men who were wealthy, held power, and made decisions.
Ancient cultures considered women as inferior. The laws mainly made for men didn’t recognize the rights of women. This was prevalent in the gospels of the New Testament. That’s the reason why all of Christ’s disciples were male. Only Mary – Jesus’s mother was given any importance in the Catholic Church’s teachings. Even the angels were all male. These were divine and celestial beings in the Bible that had the power to carry out God’s plans.
The World’s Religions were no different. In Islam the Prophet Muhammad had many wives. These were his concubines, and for the most part they were young women. The Koran has accounts of women fighting for their equality before Muhammad was able to recognize their rights. Laws were against women and if a woman was unfaithful to her husband the judgment was that she would be stoned to death.
Other aspects of the scared scriptures of the world’s faiths showed that there was rampant class discrimination. Hinduism was known for its caste system. The untouchables were the pariahs in India. This class was condemned to live lives as outcasts. With the coming of India’s independence legislation was instituted to change this law. But this stigma still persists. Buddhism’s outlook was different. Buddha was instrumental in doing away with these class distinctions in his teachings. But still this problem continues to exist in the Eastern tradition culture.
Culturally the sacred texts emphasized values that are skewed in favor of Europeans. In most cultures in the East and West - Asian, and African, Europeans are favored with their lighter complexion. So in the Bible although Jesus was Middle Eastern, countries that have been colonized by Europeans always present God, the Father, and Jesus, his Son, with white complexions. It was only in contemporary times when the religious holiday of Christmas is celebrated that some cultures began seeing Santa Claus not only as white, but of different ethnicities.
Undoubtedly, there have been some changes in people’s spiritual life. Many protestant churches presently have both male and female priests and deacons, but the Catholic Church still insists that their priests should be male. The Episcopal Church and other denominations have gay priests and bishops. But still there is controversy about LGBTQIA’s in the life of congregations. Abortion is hotly debated, so are issues about the environment in the major faith traditions of the world. Change is however inevitable as seekers of a new spirituality are evolving to deal with these issues.
A religion like Wicca saw God in the monotheistic religions was patriarchal and women weren’t considered playing leading roles in religious life. God was the Father in the Old Testament; Jesus Christ was his Son in the New Testament. Most of the prophets were male, and it was always them who made decisions concerning women. In the ancient societies of Asia, Rome, Greece, and the Middle East males dominated. For it was the men who were wealthy, held power, and made decisions.
Ancient cultures considered women as inferior. The laws mainly made for men didn’t recognize the rights of women. This was prevalent in the gospels of the New Testament. That’s the reason why all of Christ’s disciples were male. Only Mary – Jesus’s mother was given any importance in the Catholic Church’s teachings. Even the angels were all male. These were divine and celestial beings in the Bible that had the power to carry out God’s plans.
The World’s Religions were no different. In Islam the Prophet Muhammad had many wives. These were his concubines, and for the most part they were young women. The Koran has accounts of women fighting for their equality before Muhammad was able to recognize their rights. Laws were against women and if a woman was unfaithful to her husband the judgment was that she would be stoned to death.
Other aspects of the scared scriptures of the world’s faiths showed that there was rampant class discrimination. Hinduism was known for its caste system. The untouchables were the pariahs in India. This class was condemned to live lives as outcasts. With the coming of India’s independence legislation was instituted to change this law. But this stigma still persists. Buddhism’s outlook was different. Buddha was instrumental in doing away with these class distinctions in his teachings. But still this problem continues to exist in the Eastern tradition culture.
Culturally the sacred texts emphasized values that are skewed in favor of Europeans. In most cultures in the East and West - Asian, and African, Europeans are favored with their lighter complexion. So in the Bible although Jesus was Middle Eastern, countries that have been colonized by Europeans always present God, the Father, and Jesus, his Son, with white complexions. It was only in contemporary times when the religious holiday of Christmas is celebrated that some cultures began seeing Santa Claus not only as white, but of different ethnicities.
Undoubtedly, there have been some changes in people’s spiritual life. Many protestant churches presently have both male and female priests and deacons, but the Catholic Church still insists that their priests should be male. The Episcopal Church and other denominations have gay priests and bishops. But still there is controversy about LGBTQIA’s in the life of congregations. Abortion is hotly debated, so are issues about the environment in the major faith traditions of the world. Change is however inevitable as seekers of a new spirituality are evolving to deal with these issues.
Read
October 24, 2023wish I had read this at the start of my deep dive on the intersections of medicine and woo. straightforward and easy to read (minus a very short and dumb section about how it’s somehow Vine Deloria’s fault that Anglos don’t understand Native cultures).
November 13, 2022
The book has a clear bias in the final chapter but prior to that he was good at explaining the different perspectives.
October 1, 2020
A well written book on what "Spiritual But Not Religious" means.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews