What is significant is that they do not identify with any religious tradition. Not that they don’t belong to any particular institutional religious expression, but that they do not identify with any tradition or strand of any world religion. Nones are nothing. They are not Christian. They are not Muslim. They are not Buddhist. They are not Jewish. They are not Hindu, nor Baha’i, or folk religionist, or Confucian, Taoist, Sikh, Shinto, or even Wiccan. They are not religious. They consider themselves “None of the above.” They are satisfied having no perspective on the world that includes a sacred dimension.
It is kind of hard for someone like me who grew up in a faith-filled family to get comfortable with the idea of going through life with no religious component. Most of the kids I grew up with had some sort of religion, whether Christian (although I grew up in a place and time when “Catholic” and “Protestant” might as well count as two different religions, not just Christian branches), Jewish, Muslim, Seventh Day Adventist, or Mormon. There were a few free-thinkers who decided they weren’t anything, but even they grew up something.
The thing about the modern demographic cohort of Nones is that they are, by and large, a generation reared by a generation of non-believers themselves, so they have essentially no context for religious experience. Some of the inner stirrings they feel they label as “spiritual, but not religious.” They have heard and read about spiritual things, but have absolutely no interest in some sort of organized expression of things on that plane. This makes them religiously rootless. And, from my perspective, it makes them interestingly spiritually rootless! How the church (or any world religion) can helpfully interact with them becomes a wonderful, creative challenge.
And, interestingly, Sunday’s Hebrew Bible story (following last week’s crossing of the Jordan into the Promised Land) concerns Joshua, son of Nun, the new leader of Israel in Canaan. I simply cannot help myself enjoying the ironic pun, Joshua son of Nun and the Nones.
In Joshua 24, Joshua Nun lays out before the people the chance to reaffirm their covenant with Yahweh, God Abraham and Sarah, God of Moses, to follow only God and to be God’s people, with all that entails— obedience, worship, humility, hope. And as he places the challenge, he speaks those famous words, “As for me and my house, we will follow the Lord.” He cannot force anyone to follow God, but he can declare his own allegiance and worship. Gladly, the people affirm that as their choice, too.
We cannot compel Nones even to consider a life of spirituality, but we can invite them to join us. In fact, I believe it will be the sense of being bound into a community of faith that will enfold them far, far more than any appeal to their minds. Feeling the love and support of a family of faith may very well make a difference. Our best appeal will be that Nones see we cope with the troubles that befall us with a tiny bit more grace and a bit more success than those without the support of faith. And it will be a soft, gentler sort of evangelism that catches their attention; we just handle life a bit better. As for me and my family, I will follow God. And I can help you meet the loving God, too!
In Christ,
David
Texts For Sunday Worship:
From the Hebrew Bible Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25
From the Epistle 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
From the Gospels Matthew 25:1-13
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