Why are more people foregoing religious affiliation in favor of the term "religious nones"? Here to help Matt, Derek, and Alastair wrestle with this subject is Dr. Tricia Bruce. Dr. Bruce is an accomplished sociologist of religion, award-winning author, and an affiliate with the University of Notre Dame. Join the crew as they seek to understand the shifting cultural and religious ground in our current context.
Timestamps:
Introduction + do religious “nones” actually exist? [0:00 - 6:10]
The demographics of the “nones” [6:10 - 8:23]
Positive and negative reasons why people are identifying as “nones” [8:23 - 11:55]
How “nones” approach religious and spiritual topics [11:55 - 14:45]
Why those identifying as “nones” are more likely to have a religious background [14:45 - 18:03]
The key factors in the last 20 years explaining this sociological shift [18:03 - 21:53]
How the new generation is responding to the crisis of trust in places of authority [21:53 - 27:09]
Leading indicators of further upcoming social shifts and how religious authorities can proactively respond [27:09 - 33:00]
Differences between Protestant and Roman Catholic responses to these issues, and the difference between mainline and evangelical responses [33:00 - 42:45]
Conclusion [42:45 - 44:47]
Books by Dr. Bruce:
Faithful Revolution: How Voice of The Faithful is Changing The Church, Parish and Place: Making Room For Diversity in the American Catholic Church
If you’re interested in supporting the show financially, you can check out our Patreon here.
Finally, as always, follow Derek, Andrew, and Alastair for more tweet-sized brilliance. Thanks to Timothy Motte for his sound editing work. And thanks to The Joy Eternal for lending us their music, which everybody should download out of gratitude for their kindness.
Caleb Wait
Caleb Wait (MATS, Westminster Seminary California) is a writer and the producer of Mere Fidelity. He and his wife Kristin have two children and live in Northern California. You can follow him on Twitter @calebwait and he invites you to email him at ciwait93@gmail.com.
