America’s fastest-growing faith group might be faithless after all.
The Spiritual but Not Religious (SBNR) phenomenon has gained steam in recent decades. Despite its (very) ancient origins, people proclaiming to be SBNR began to sharply rise in the 1990s.
By the 2010s, nearly 20 per cent of American adults considered themselves SBNR; while that number appears to have stabilised for now, that is still a sizeable share of the demographic.
This ‘faith group’ has certain beliefs and practises in common, with some key ones including meditation, yoga, animistic beliefs, and the rejection of any idea of one religion having the definitive truth of ‘God’.
However, theology professor Michael Horton, who has charted the rise of the SBNR, believes that at its root, it is a fundamentally shallow – or even faithless – belief system.
‘Spirituality is like nailing jello to the wall; It’s all mix and match and “make it up as you go”’, he said, speaking on Undeceptions.
Some commentators believe that jumping into institutional religion – literally, any institutional religion – is a good next step for people considering what to do with their interest in ‘spirituality’ (check out episode 157 ‘Why Believe’ with Ross Douthat for more on that school of thought).
But Horton thinks Christianity has something unique to offer not found in the major faiths: historical depth.
‘Christianity is a historical claim, so it’s either true or it’s false, but it’s not something you can make up,’ he said.
‘It’s not something you can add to your Buddhism or to your Islam or to your spirituality. It’s not something you can tack on. It is a completely historical claim that’s either true or not, and if it is true, it’s the beginning of the new creation.’
John Dickson adds that Christianity is unique because it still offers the sense of transcendent experience that so many SBNR’s are seeking, but with added intellectual and historical depth.
‘For Jesus, loving God with all your heart referred to things like praying to God, listening to his word, embodying his virtues, NOT performing state-sanctioned observances,’ he said.
‘This is why Christianity has something in common with the “spiritual but not religious” vibe of the ancient and modern worlds. You can, as an individual, know God in a personal relationship of love. You can know God’s love for you, especially in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and you can respond in love.
‘I think it says something about Christianity that people come to this worldview through either—or both—transcendent experience and intellectual enquiry.’
C.S. Lewis converted to Christianity after earnestly seeking after the ‘true myth’.
Of course, Christianity as an institution has flaws which can drive people away.
However, all human institutions – even the increasingly institutionalised SBNR belief system – have problems; what makes Christianity different is that Jesus Himself is willing to walk alongside his followers despite the problems of His church.
With this in mind, Horton wants to encourage SBNR seekers to give church a go – and see what they find.
‘Jesus says that we are his branches; he’s the vine. Paul says that Christ is the head of the church. He’s not just talking about the invisible church; he’s also talking about the visible church as an institution.
‘If Christ, the head, doesn’t mind being attached to this problematic body, then we have to (be okay with it) as well.
To be united to Christ is to be united to his body … so go to a church that wants to understand this story better, where there are people who welcome you, and want to learn with you and grow with you.
‘Just sit there – you don’t even have to participate – and take it in.’
Adapted by Alasdair Belling from Undeceptions episode 179, ‘Spiritual ≠ Religious’. You can listen to the full episode here.
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