CCP213: On Americans Losing Faith in Traditional Religion
We’re taking a break from our usual format on the podcast this week. In case you haven’t heard, we’re gearing up for the 2026 Church & Culture Conference on Thursday, October 15. We thought it would be fun for the next two weeks to give you a peek into the type of learning that comes from this annual event. In today’s episode, we’re featuring a conversation between Dr. White and Dr. Christian Smith - one of the leading sociologists of our day - on how Americans seem to be losing their faith in traditional religion.
Episode Links
The conversation focused on Dr. Smith’s latest book, which may be his tour de force. While the “rise of the nones” is now commonly understood, what Smith did in his most recent book - Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith in America - is to examine “why” this has happened. Drawing on extensive survey data and hundreds of interviews, Smith offers the best analysis to date of why so many Americans have lost their faith in traditional religion. You can find his book HERE.
You can get all of the details about this year’s Church & Culture Conference, including the six conference sessions, tiered pricing and more, by visiting the conference website HERE.
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