Who Are Nones, and Which Are Still Reachable?

Friends, I wonder if you've noticed what I've noticed — the fastest-growing "religious" group in America isn't a religion at all. One hundred million Americans now identify as religiously unaffiliated — unprecedented in our nation's history — and I suspect many of us have been operating with assumptions about who these people are that simply aren't true.

 

We've imagined angry atheists arguing on Reddit, or perhaps spiritually wounded refugees from fundamentalism. But what if I told you that groundbreaking new research reveals something far more complex — and far more hopeful? What if over half of one group of "nones" actually pray daily? What if the loudest anti-religious voices represent only 3% of Americans, while the vast majority of the unaffiliated are quietly open, curious, and not hostile to faith at all? What if 20 million of them are, in the researchers' words, "Nones in Name Only" — functionally religious people who simply can't find a home? And here's something that stopped me cold: what if the people who call themselves "spiritual but not religious" aren't actually that spiritual at all?

 

This is an invitation to learn together. Dr. Ryan Burge and Dr. Tony Jones have given us a gift — the largest-ever survey of non-religious Americans, rigorous research that finally lets us see the "nones" not as a monolithic "other" but as four distinct groups with radically different relationships to faith.

In this four-week online class starting in January, we'll explore the NiNos (Nones in Name Only) who pray daily but don't affiliate (these are the ones we might actually reach), the Spiritual But Not Religious who claim transcendence but — when researchers drilled into their actual practices — turn out to be only aspirationally spiritual, the Dones who have genuinely moved on and don't miss God at all (challenging Pascal's famous thesis about the "God-shaped hole"), and the Zealous Atheists who are young, vocal, and — here's the pastoral heartbreak — struggling with meaning and hope more than anyone else in the study.

We'll also confront an uncomfortable truth: there is no data supporting the much-hyped Gen Z revival. The Boomers are dying, and no one is replacing them in the pews.

If you're a pastor in a mainline tradition, you already know that our calling isn't to win arguments but to love our neighbors — and we can't love people we don't understand. This research will challenge your assumptions (it certainly challenged mine), sharpen your focus (hint: stop trying to reach the Dones), and perhaps liberate you from strategies that were never going to work anyway. Join us for a journey into data that reveals something profound: the world has changed, most "nones" aren't angry, many who claim spirituality aren't practicing it, and millions of Americans who look a lot like us simply need an invitation home. The question is whether we're ready to offer one.

Four Livestreamed Sessions with Replays Available

Mondays, January 5th-26th (10am PT / 1pm ET)

In each 90 minute livestreamed session, Ryan Burge and Tony Jones will share a 30 minute presentation followed by an engaging conversation with Tripp and a special guest. We'll continue with a Q&A session with the live YouTube audience where you can ask your questions on the spot!

COST: A course like this is typically offered for $250 or more, but we invite you to contribute whatever you can to help make this possible for everyone!

 

REPLAYS AVAILABLE: You can participate fully without being present at any specific time. Livestreams will be available for replay on the Class Resource Page.

CHURCH GROUPS: You are welcome to use this class for your Sunday School class or small group! More details available in our FAQs.

These resources are part of the ongoing work of Homebrewed Christianity. For over 15 years we have been bringing podcast interviews with scholars from the ivory tower to your ears buds so that you can think, reflect, and wrestle with your faith. Last year, we had over 5 million downloads, and 20,000 people and 300+ churches participated in our online classes. Our mission is to utilize new technology to think with theology nerds globally. We would love for you to join us!

 

Rock On,
Dr. Tripp Fuller
Homebrewed Christianity