The Nones, Second Edition

Ryan P. Burge writes with a social-scientist’s mind and a pastor’s heart. The Nones is compellingly written and steeped in a wealth of data analyses, demonstrating the author’s deep grasp of both the social reality and the religious importance of the people who identify themselves as atheists, agnostics, and “nothing in particular.” The second edition adds significant insight into the impact of Covid-19 on the phenomenon and does a great job anticipating readers’ questions as it moves through the data in a clear and convincing way. –Kimberly H. Conger, professor of political science, University of Cincinnati

Not only did Burge conduct groundbreaking research into this important social phenomenon, but he translates it into relevant and thought-provoking insights. As both a political scientist and pastor, there is no one better equipped to write about the future of American faith–or lack of it. –Elle Hardy, author of Beyond Belief: How Pentecostal Christianity Is Taking Over the World

This second edition of The Nones is required reading for anyone attempting to make sense of America’s religious landscape today. In this book, Ryan Burge skillfully takes his reader behind the curtain to examine complex data and social theory in an approachable, practical, and exciting way. Parsing out the nuances within broad religious identifiers, The Nones offers a road map for pastors, professors, field builders, and lay leaders to enter the public sector with confidence, compassion, and a greater awareness around who comprises our society, what they believe, and how we move forward together across lines of difference. –Amar D. Peterman, founder, Scholarship for Religion and Society

Ryan P. Burge is an assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University. Author of numerous journal articles, he is the cofounder of and a frequent contributor to Religion in Public, a forum for scholars of religion and politics to make their work accessible to a general audience. Burge is a pastor in the American Baptist Church.