Being Spiritual but Not Religious: Past, Present, Future(s) [Paperback]

In its most general sense, the term Spiritual but Not Religious denotes those who, on the one hand, are disillusioned with traditional institutional religion and, on the other hand, feel that those same traditions contain deep wisdom about the human condition. This edited collection speaks to what national surveys agree is a growing social phenomenon referred to as the Spiritual but Not Religious Movement (SBNRM).

Each essay of the volume engages the past, present and future(s) of the SBNRM. Their collective contribution is analytic, descriptive, and prescriptive, taking stock of not only the various analyses of the SBNRM to date but also the establishment of a new ground upon which the continued academic discussion can take place.

This volume is a watershed in the growing academic and public interest in the SBNRM. As such, it will vital reading for any academic involved in Religious Studies, Spirituality and Sociology.

Introduction: Framing the Volume, William B. Parsons  Part One: Roots  1 Spiritual but Not Religious: A Brief Introduction, Robert C. Fuller and William B. Parsons  2 The Triumph of the Therapeutic and Being SBNR, Sean Fitzpatrick and William B. Parsons  3 Is God Dead? Christian Atheism and the Rise of the SBNR Sensibility, Leigh E. Schmidt  4 Buddhist Fulfillment of a Protestant Dream: Mindfulness as Scientific Spirituality, Matthew S. Hedstrom  5 Plurals, Hybrids and Nomads: Spirituality and Religious Practice at the Intersections, Joy R. Bostic  Part Two: Circumscriptions  6 Minds of Their Own: Psychological Substrates of the SBNR Senl³’