According to a 2023 study, more than one in four Americans (27%) are religiously unaffiliated. Of that group, 5% identify as atheist, 5% as agnostic and 17% as “nothing in particular.” While an overwhelming majority (72%) of atheists, agnostics and…
Being Secular in Trump’s America
For secular Americans—atheists, agnostics, humanists, and those who are simply uninterested in or indifferent to religion—a central paradox these days is this: our presence has never been so significant, the stigma against us has never been so tempered, and yet…
It’s hard for most Americans to find a progressive church
I hear from progressive Christians all the time who tell me they cannot find a congregation where they fit in and feel comfortable. As one reader said, “I believe we are created to be in relationship, and my spirit desires…
‘When are half your members going to be dead?’
In the concluding chapter of American Mainline Christianity: Its Changing Shape and Future, Wade Clark Roof and William McKinney predicted this: The churches of the Protestant establishment, long in a state of relative decline, will continue to lose ground both…
‘Yes’ to God, but ‘no’ to church – what religious change looks like for many Latin Americans
In a region known for its tumultuous change, one idea remained remarkably consistent for centuries: Latin America is Catholic.
Tuesday was a night for the ‘nones’
Tuesday night marked an interesting election cycle, even for an off-year election. Three major races dominated the conversation: The New York City mayoral race, the New Jersey gubernatorial race, and the Virginia gubernatorial race. What made these races interesting is…
Have We Reached Peak None?
For those who are new to the party, let me explain how quantitative scholars of American religion make sense of the last fifty years of religious change.
Belief Without Religion: Study Finds Spirituality Among The Religiously Unaffiliated
A growing number of people around the world are walking away from organized religion — but that doesn’t mean they’ve abandoned spiritual beliefs altogether.
Do Non-Religious People Actually Hate Religion?
To me, there’s always been a pretty big blind spot when it comes to the study of non-religion in the United States. There are plenty of survey questions that ask about religious attendance and belief in God. However, there are very…
2024 Election Post-Mortem: Nothing in Particulars
When I talk about the size of the “nones,” I see this really interesting conflict play out among the scores of non-religious people in the United States. Whenever I show a graph that indicates that people with the most education…
2024 Election Post-Mortem: Atheists and Agnostics
My first book was entitled The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going. It was published—what feels like a lifetime ago—in 2021. I’m pretty proud of that little volume because it established my approach to thinking…
PRRI: Growth of the religiously unaffiliated is slowing
The growth of the “nones” may have decelerated but has not stopped, according to a new study by Public Religion Research Institute. While the share of religiously unaffiliated in the U.S. has been widely reported to have plateaued, the PRRI…