Lives of Unbelief
Portraits of nonbelievers from five different countries. Photographs and interviews by Aubrey Wade.
Category: Autumn/Winter 2019
‘Namaste All Day’
Spiritual appropriations and commodifications are always in negotiation with power. By Andrea R. Jain
A Physicist on ‘Absolutes’ and ‘Relatives’
A Q&A with MIT physicist Alan Lightman on his book Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine. By Robert Israel
The Rise of ‘Spiritual but Not Religious’ Is a Story of Hope
Since the 2016 election, teaching Andrew Delbanco’s The Real American Dream and Catherine L. Albanese’s A Republic of Mind and Spirit has become more relevant and constructive, as this religious studies professor has come to view the rise of the spiritual but not religious as a story of hope. By Darryl Caterine
Apocalyptic Grief, Radical Joy
A selected list of readings, films, and art from the course, “Apocalyptic Grief, Radical Joy,” cotaught by Terry Tempest Williams and Matthew L. Potts
Paths to Abstraction: Spirituality in the Work of Three Women Artists
Exploring the link between spiritual liberation and abstract artistic expression in paintings of Hilma af Klint, Hilla Rebay, and Vicci Sperry. By Ann Braude
Filling in the Contours of ‘Unbelievers’
The authors in this issue do not lament or apologize for these shifts; they dive deeper into why they are happening, where the unaffiliated are gathering, and how they are making meaning. By Wendy McDowell
Facing Death without Religion
Nonreligious elders construct meaning making narratives from science and other sources, and these frameworks provide coherence and agency. By Christel Manning
Two Poems by Jory Mickelson
“Judy Blume at Prayer,” and “Nothing Winged” by Jory Mickelson
A Design for Living
Three ministry innovators draw from religious, secular, and spiritual sources to develop programs addressing the existential crisis in the U.S. By Paul Massari
Spiritual, Sexual—and Religious?
Queer spiritual traditions reverse dominant assumptions about sex, understanding it as both an ethical challenge and a site of revelation. By Mark D. Jordan
The Planet: An Emergent Matter of Spiritual Concern?
In this exploration of planetary thinking and deep time, the author argues for humans to cultivate an earth ethic that includes a spirit of reverence. By Dipesh Chakrabarty
Nuns and Nones Meet on the Edge
The pull that some Nones feel toward contemplative, social action has led to an unlikely collaboration with nuns, described as an “apprenticeship in prophetic community.” By Katie Gordon
Will Religious Progressives and Nones Forge Political Alliances?
Will the religiously unaffiliated find their voice in the 2020 election, and what can religious progressives and political parties do to help this growing group participate more actively in political life? By Quardricos Driskell
Jewish Leaders Try Nontraditional Engagement
The 2013 Pew study on Jewish Americans prompted some leaders to take a new approach in engaging intermarried and young Jews disinterested in the traditional religious aspects of Judaism. By Shira Hanau
