What Does Spiritual But Not Religious Really Mean

“I’m spiritual but not religious.”  You have heard it—maybe even said it. But what does a person mean when they say it? The two things were synonymous for most of my life but now they have come to describe seemingly distinct things. Most sociologists would point to the twin cultural trends of deinstitutionalization and individualism as driving forces moving spiritual practice away from institutional practices to the private experience of God. Ever hear someone say, “I feel closer to God on the golf course than in a church”?

One of my boys just entered into a domestic partnership with an amazing woman who professes “I’m not into religion.”  However, she is a deeply spiritual person. Case in point, her father was recently hospitalized and she asked us to pray for him. She sees prayer as powerful and important. Church…not so much. Her cat ate something poisonous and again she requested our prayers. Both father and cat are doing well as of this writing by the way. While she was in the hospital with her father some people from one of the local churches came by and gave her family some water. She was so touched that she sent me a picture of it with the words, “That is the highlight of my day. We’re not religious, but I love all the values and bonds it creates.”

“That is the highlight of my day. We’re not religious, but I love all the values and bonds it (Religion) creates.”

GROUP 1: I Love Jesus But Not the Church Group

I was visiting someone in the hospital and met one of their children who held some very orthodox views about God, Jesus, and the Bible but when I told her she would make a good Methodist she said, “I will never be in any church…Methodist or otherwise.”  The latest Barna Research on “spiritual but not religious” segment of the population divided the segment into multiple groups. This person fit into the “I Love Jesus but not the Church” group. On certain days, I confess, I feel the same way.

This group tends to have an active prayer life equal to other Christians (83%) but tend to read scripture less frequently than practicing Christians. They are certainly still finding and experiencing God, but they are more likely to do so in nature (32% compared to 24% of practicing Christians), and through practices like meditation (20% compared to 18%), yoga (10% compared to 7%) and silence and solitude (both 15%). 

Many individuals still hold a deep love for Jesus, maintain their trust in Scripture, and embrace most of the core beliefs of Christianity. However, their confidence in the church itself has diminished. While a portion of this group may bear wounds from negative church experiences, prior studies reveal that many Christians who no longer attend do so not because of hurt, but because they believe they can connect with God outside of church (like my friend on the golf course) or feel that church is no longer personally meaningful (like my friend in the hospital).

If churches are to reach this group, they must clearly articulate why the church matters—what unique value does the church bring to one’s faith that cannot be found elsewhere?

If churches are to reach this group, they must clearly articulate why the church matters—what unique value does the church bring to one’s faith that cannot be found elsewhere? It is essential for churches to demonstrate, both to these individuals and to themselves, that there is something distinctive about encountering God within the church community, and that faith is not meant to flourish in isolation. Jesus himself modeled this truth by bringing twelve people around him to do life together.

GROUP 2: Different Views of God

This “spiritual but not religious” segment also includes folks like my son’s domestic partner. They appreciate the Church but tend to hold different views about God than what we would call orthodox. For example, they are just as likely to believe that God represents a state of higher consciousness that a person may reach (32% and 22%) than an all-powerful, all-knowing, perfect creator of the universe who rules the world today (20% and 30%). They tend to have more moderate to liberal political viewpoints than their evangelical counterparts.

TAKEAWAYS

My big take-aways from this latest Barna Research is that in today’s culture to be religious is to be institutional—it is to practice one’s spirituality in accordance with an external authority. But to be spiritual but not religious is to possess a deep personal and private spirituality. Religions point outside oneself to a higher power for wisdom and guidance, while a spirituality divorced from religion looks within. This segment of the population, for example, tends to rarely or never talk to their friends about “spiritual things.”   I wonder if this may not be making the epidemic of loneliness even more stark for this group.

…to be religious is to be institutional—it is to practice one’s spirituality in accordance with an external authority. But to be spiritual but not religious is to possess a deep personal and private spirituality.

My second big takeaway is that by all indications, both groups are growing. Those who love Jesus but not the Church are certainly more favorable toward religion and to re-joining the church. But the second segment of this group displays an uncommon inclination to think beyond the material and desire to experience the transcendent. Such a desire may open the door to deep, spiritual conversations and perhaps, one day, a willingness to hear about Christian spirituality. But conversations with this second group will look vastly different than with the first.

One of my boys who I would categorize as in the “I love Jesus but not the Church” category recently made the decision to become a Catholic. He has found the ritual and structure of “high church” carries him into the presence of God in ways that his Methodist roots no longer did. The “smells and bells” have never done much for me personally but it shows that people will return to the fold if you can let them see Jesus.

There appears to be an increasing openness to discovering the spiritual side of life among our younger generations. The question remains open as to whether we will put ourselves in position to be a part of those conversations or if we will miss this golden opportunity to make disciples for Jesus for the transformation of the world.