{"product_id":"spiritual-but-not-religious-understanding-unchurched-america-9780195146806","title":"Spiritual, But Not Religious: Understanding Unchurched America","description":"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? \u003cbr\u003e In \u003cem\u003eSpiritual But Not Religious\u003c\/em\u003e, 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. \u003cbr\u003e Timely, sweeping in its scope, and informed by a clear historical understanding, \u003cem\u003eSpiritual But Not Religious\u003c\/em\u003e offers fresh perspective on the growing numbers of Americans who find their spirituality outside the church.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRobert C. Fuller\u003c\/strong\u003e is Professor of Religious Studies at Bradley University. The author of \u003cem\u003eNaming the Antichrist: The History of an American Obsession\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eAlternative Medicine in American Religious Life\u003c\/em\u003e (both OUP), he lives in Peoria, Illinois.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50318279966994,"sku":"9780195146806","price":58.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_b6a1e94b-0f56-4efd-a01e-5cbf68192085.jpg?v=1727552334","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/spiritual-but-not-religious-understanding-unchurched-america-9780195146806","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}