In 2002 we reported that the fraction of American adults with no religious preference doubled from 7 to 14 percent…
Unchurched believers
belief
Religious “nones” and the future of American religion
A number of recent studies have attempted to analyze the emergent and fast-growing segment of American society that declines any…
The new gurus
In last week’s New York Times Sunday Styles section, Allen Salkin reported on the emergence of a “new wave” of…
Religion for radicals: An interview with Terry Eagleton
Literary critic Terry Eagleton discusses his new book, Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate, which argues that…
The “option” of unbelief
Charles Taylor suggests in A Secular Age that the "default option" in modernity is "unbelief" or "exclusivist humanism," both of…
Critique and conviction
The heated exchange in this forum between Stathis Gourgouris and Saba Mahmood raises a basic question about conviction through which the relationship between…
Beyond beliefs
Pollsters, sociologists and evangelical Protestants don't all agree exactly on who counts as an "evangelical." It is safe to say,…
Is critique secular?
A consequence of hinging our conversation on belief is that it tends to project “belief” in the abstract onto some…
Idealism, materialism, secularism?
When I teach early modern political theory to undergraduates, I begin by trying to conjure a worldview and subjective experience…