Nonverts: The Making of Ex-Christian America

by Stephen Bullivant

Overview

An entertaining and insightful exploration of the American ex-religious

The United States is in the midst of a religious revolution. Or, perhaps it is better to say a non-religious revolution. Around a quarter of US adults now say they have no religion. The great majority of these religious "nones" also say that they used to belong to a religion but no longer do. These are the nonverts: think "converts," but from having religion to having none. There are currently has about 59 million of them in the United States.

Nonverts explores who they are, and why they joined the rising tide of the ex-religious. One of world's leading experts on contemporary atheism and nonreligiosity, sociologist and theologian Stephen Bullivant draws on dozens of interviews, original analysis of high-quality survey data, and a wealth of cutting-edge studies, to present an entertaining and insightful exploration of America's ex-religious landscape. Bullivant criss-crosses the country, talking to everyone from ex-Mormons in Utah to ex-Catholics in Pennsylvania, from ex-Evangelicals in Georgia to ex-Muslims in California, showing not only what they have in common but also how the traditions they left behind continue to shape them.

While American religion is not going to die out any time soon, ex-Christian America is a growing presence in national life. America's religious revolution is not just a religious revolution—it is catalyzing a profound social, cultural, moral, and political impact. Nonverts will serve as an indispensable guide to this shifting landscape, as well as the future of American life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780197587447
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/01/2022
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Stephen Bullivant holds professorial positions at St Mary's University, London, and the University of Notre Dame, Sydney. He has doctorates in theology (Oxford, 2009) and sociology (Warwick, 2019). His studies of contemporary nonreligiosity have received wide international coverage, including from the BBC, New York Times, Economist, Financial Times, and Der Spiegel.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Note on Sources and Referencing

1. None the Up and Up
2. When the Saints Go Marching Out
3. None Specifics
4. Flatline Protestants
5. Nothings Come from... Somethings?
6. Exvangelicals
7. The Ex Effect
8. Recovering Catholics
9. Nonvert Nation

Editorial Reviews

"The chapters on individual nonverts are the most engaging in the book. Bullivant has an eye for good human interest stories and a talent for interviewing people." — Mark L. Movsesian, Law and Liberty

"We have been hearing for a long time about the remarkable rise of the nones. Only more recently have scholars delved deeper into the life worlds of America's growing non-religious population. Bullivant provides an accessible guided tour of the growing number of ex-religious Americans that is easy reading and unburdened by heavy theory or complicated statistics. This is the book for those looking for a smooth on-ramp to understanding the big picture facts and issues involved in this major cultural change." — Christian Smith, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Sociology, University of Notre Dame

"We cannot understand the explosive rise of religious "nones" without understanding the rise of "nonverts." With rigor and wit, Stephen Bullivant shows us nonverts matter because our past relationships profoundly shape our present and future lives, often in divergent ways. Religious nonverts commonly share quite different identities and experiences from "Cradle Nones." Just as nonverts who grew up evangelical or Catholic are unique compared to former Muslims or Mainline Protestants. Weaving together compelling personal stories and sweeping quantitative analysis, Bullivant shows us both the brilliant diversity and undeniable commonality of the formerly-religious." — Samuel L. Perry, co-author of The Flag and the Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy

"Nonverts brings America's stunning rise of secularization to life. Stephen Bullivant highlights the humanity of the growing secular population in America—with equal parts brio, rigor, and humor. Many of the stories told within these pages will no doubt resonate with nonreligious readers. Religious readers will benefit from learning why so many others are deciding that religion is not for them. People who are unsure about their religious beliefs will find that their experience is more common than they might think. No matter their background, everyone who reads this book will gain a deeper understanding of how America's 'new secularists' are reshaping the cultural landscape." — David Campbell, author of Secular Surge: A New Fault Line in American Politics

"In Nonverts, Stephen Bullivant threads the difficult needle of being academically rigorous, while also being accessible to a general audience. The backbone of the book is a careful melding of the statistical evidence with very personal and engaging stories of how and why people have left religion behind. It should serve as a key text for anyone who is interested in understanding secularization and its many causes and consequences." — Ryan Burge, author of The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They are Going

"Nonverts will serve as an indispensable guide to this shifting landscape, as well as the future of American life." — David True, Reading Religion

"It is a very approachable book that digests a great deal of factual, statistical information and brings it to bear on the current secularizing trend in America. The result is that we have a clearer picture of the landscape." — Laurie M. Johnson, The European Legacy

From the Publisher

★ 09/01/2022

Mormon missionary rom-coms, evangelical bodybuilders, the shifting fabric of American society, cartoon clergy, and lucidly explained statistical analysis—this book has it all. Theologian Bullivant (St. Mary's Univ., London, and Univ. of Notre Dame, Sydney) gives a persuasive and engrossing tour of the American religious landscape that is as informative as it is fun to read. The rapid rise of the "nones"—those who choose "none" on surveys when asked to identify their religion—has been a much-discussed topic in recent years among sociologists and religious practitioners. However, noting that people choose this category when given the option does little to explain why this is the most fitting selection. This book is an attempt to understand the makeup of this diverse group of people by looking at a large subset of nones: those who were raised religious. The text draws together hundreds of hours of colorfully detailed interviews to illuminate the national survey data and gives readers a glimpse of the human realities underlying the numbers. VERDICT Bullivant is a playful and knowledgeable guide with fascinating insight into the history and future of this phenomenon.—Zachariah Motts

Library Journal