Spirituality in the Internet Age

How can we live better together?

In a new book, University of Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith explains the cultural, political, and economic forces behind the massive decline in religious affiliation in the United States. Jason Shelton, also a sociologist and director of African American Studies at UT Arlington, joins in discussing the growing shift away from traditional faith institutions toward new forms of spiritual practice.

What do American clergy think about climate change? When, and why, do they engage with controversial political issues from the pulpit? Religion News Service senior editor Yonat Shimron joins Mark Chaves, sociologist at Duke Divinity School, to discuss the National Survey of Religious Leaders and what is tells us about changes in contemporary religious leadership—and what those changes portend.