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Affirming Pluralism
Spiritual, But Not Religious:
Understanding Unchurched America
by Robert C. Fuller
Oxford University Press, 2001, 212 pages.
Contemporary adherents of traditional religious institutions are often given to lamenting about the presence among us of those who are “spiritual, but not religious.” Spiritual seekers outside established churches are often perceived as flaky, individualistic, unAmerican. They are seen as part of a trend that began in the mid-twentieth century (that catch-all for blame, the Godforsaken 1960s), and thus greatly responsible for everything that is wrong with contemporary society.
In Spiritual, But Not Religious, Robert C. Fuller of Bradley University surveys the landscape of American alternatives to institutional religion and finds that being spiritual, but not religious is as American as apple pie. From transcendentalism to transcendental meditation, from Cayce to Krishnamurti, Americans have from the very start been inclined to spiritual exploration outside established faiths. Indeed, says, Fuller, “the majority of colonists were uninterested in belonging to churches or committing themselves to particular theological creeds.”
The array of spiritual alternatives described by Fuller is in itself informative and fascinating, giving expanded meaning to the phrase “varieties of religious experience.” Fuller offers objective accounts of numerous movements, programs, gurus, and systems of thought. There is none of the snide cynicism that often accompanies religionists’ discussions of such phenomena. The myth that American is a religious, as in churchgoing, nation is given a run for its money and found to be considerably off base.
In his final chapter, Fuller looks at the criticisms leveled at those who are spiritual, but not religious, and their attitudes and practices. Such critique is seen to be much less than evenhanded, leading Fuller to suggest that we apply the standards of the critics to their own churched traditions. He writes, “We might, for example, examine the charge that our unchurched spiritual traditions foster narcissism. This is an especially curious accusation given the fact that evangelical Christians boldly proclaim that ‘Jesus loves me.’ Most people convert to Christianity in hope of procuring individual salvation. And, too, most believe in the power of prayer to coax God into intervening on their behalf. Perhaps the question should be narcissistic compared to what?” When Fuller goes on to apply the criteria of mature faith developed by Allport and Fowler, it becomes clear that mature spirituality has little to do with being part of an established, “accepted” religious tradition.
Spiritual, But Not Religious encourages informed tolerance of the many ways of being spiritual. At the same time it offers a view of American religious history that affirms the pluralism that is an inevitable element of a free society and that must be respected if a free society is to remain that way. It is a welcome addition to the literature of religious freedom.
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