Do you believe?
About 1 in 4 Americans say they now belong to no religion. And a record number of teens and young adults are leaving the church altogether.
Researchers call them "religious nones.” They are made up of atheists, agnostics and the spiritual, and they all reject organized religion.
Three local faith leaders and a sociologist joined the conversation to explore why young people are no longer stepping foot inside a church and what the future of organized religion looks like in America.
Listeners also called into the program to share why they have given up on their religious institutions.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
Guests:
Natalia Terfa, associate pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran church in Brooklyn Park
Brandon Gilliam, high school teaching pastor at Eagle Brook church
Vincenzo Randazzo, men’s evangelization manager at the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Josh Packard, associate professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Northern Colorado. He is a sociologist who has been studying dechurched people and wrote a book called: “Church Refugees: Sociologists reveal why people are DONE with church but not their faith.”
Use the audio player above to listen to the segment.
Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.