Citizens who are Spiritual, Not Religious
MONMOUTH, Ill. – An authority on American religious thought will discuss what he calls “the fastest-growing segment of American religion” during a guest lecture at Monmouth College.
Bradley University religious studies professor Robert Fuller will deliver the talk at 4 p.m. Oct. 9 in the Morgan Room of Poling Hall. Free and open to the public, the talk is titled “Becoming Spiritual, But Not Religious: A Glimpse into the Fastest-Growing Segment of American Religion.”
Increasing numbers of Americans – particularly among the millennial generation – are pursuing spiritual journeys outside of formal religious institutions, says Fuller.
“What do we know about them, their characteristic beliefs and their characteristic moral outlook?” he asks. “Choosing to be spiritual, but not religious, is deeply rooted in American history and appears to have a viable future in the 21st century.”
The author of more than a dozen books, Fuller has received national and international acclaim for the compelling manner in which he ties concepts of religion with the social sciences. A Caterpillar Professor of Religious Studies at Bradley, where he has taught for more than 40 years, Fuller has earned the Samuel Rothberg Professional Excellence Award and the Charles M. Putnam Award for Teaching Excellence.
“Of all the events taking place this semester, this is the one that I am looking forward to the most,” said Monmouth philosophy and religious studies professor Ermine Algaier, who organized the event. “I have been reading Bob’s work for many years and am utterly delighted that our students, as well as the Monmouth community, can spend time with such a prolific and insightful scholar of American cultural history, psychology and religion.”