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Eugene Exman. Image curtesy of Religion News Service
The Rise of the “Spiritual not Religious”
March 16, 2023
Stephen Prothero talks about Eugene Exmam who was responsible for publishing some of the most important religious books of the 20th century. Then Dr. Linda Mercadante shares her research on the growing number of Americans identifying as "spiritual but not religious."
Stephen Prothero. Photograph courtesy Harper Collins
“God the Best Seller” March 16, 2023
In his book, God, the Best Seller, Stephen Prothro tells the story of  Eugene Exman, responsible for the religious book department at Harper and Brothers from 1928 to 1965. Prothro argues that Exman was partly responsible for the current trend toward “spirituality not religious.” The book highlights Exman’s role in publishing some of the most influential religion books of the 20th century — including The Perennial Philosophy by Aldi Huxley, essays on Zen Buddhism by DT Suzuki, The Long Loneliness by Dorothy Day, and The Religions of Man by Houston Smith.

God the Best Seller by Stephen Prothero-Harper Collins
God the Bestseller
Harper Collins
Linda Mercadante
Who are the “Spiritual but not religious?” March 16, 2023
Dr. Linda Mercadante a Distinguished Research Professor, Emerita, Methodist Theological School in Ohio. and founder of HealthyBeliefs discussed her journey from being "spiritual but not religious" to becoming a scholar of religion. She argues for more research and understanding into the growing numbers of Americans identifying as such. In her book, "Beliefs without Borders: Inside the Minds of the Spiritual But Not Religious," Mercadante shares her research findings from a listening tour across the US, Canada, Mexico, and beyond. She discovered that while sociologically, people identifying as “spiritual but not religious” are quite different, they share many common beliefs — including rejecting the word "God" while still believing in something bigger than themselves.


Belief Without Borders
Oxford University Press




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