The “Spiritual but Not Religious” (SBNR) movement embodies a modern, individualized approach to spirituality, where individuals seek personal connection to the "divine" or the "spiritual" outside organized religion. Rooted in Enlightenment ideals of individual autonomy and Romanticism’s emphasis on subjective experience, SBNR values inner “spiritual” journeys over the doctrines, rituals, or moral teachings of established religions. This mindset often stems from a modern distrust of religious institutions and a desire for self-defined belief systems.
Modern Examples
Meditation and Mindfulness Practices: Many SBNR adherents turn to meditation, yoga, and mindfulness as spiritual practices. These are often adapted from Eastern religions but practiced without traditional religious contexts or doctrinal commitments. Apps like Headspace and Calm promote meditation as a spiritual experience focused on self-awareness and inner peace, largely independent of any religious framework.
New Age Spirituality: SBNR individuals often gravitate toward New Age beliefs, including practices like crystal healing, energy work, astrology, and tarot. These practices are marketed as tools for personal empowerment and spiritual growth without the moral and ethical guidelines often found in traditional religions.
Nature Spirituality: Many in the SBNR movement find spiritual significance in nature, viewing outdoor experiences as ways to connect with a sense of "something greater." Practices like forest bathing, ecotherapy, and even outdoor yoga reflect this trend, blending environmental appreciation with spiritual reflection without a structured belief system.
Self-Help and Personal Development: SBNR often overlaps with self-help culture, where the pursuit of inner peace, self-discovery, and personal empowerment is framed as a spiritual journey. Influential figures like Deepak Chopra and Eckhart Tolle promote self-realization and self-empowerment as paths to spiritual awakening, with a focus on personal transformation rather than adherence to religious teachings.
Social Media and Online Communities: Platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok feature influencers sharing personal spiritual journeys and rituals. Hashtags like #spiritualawakening and #goodvibesonly highlight self-discovery and "positive energy," attracting people seeking connection with others on similar spiritual paths, all while remaining detached from religious doctrine.
A Modern Synthesis of Multiple Influences
SBNR combines elements from various traditions—like Eastern spirituality, New Age beliefs, and nature reverence—within a framework that rejects structured worship or accountability to a higher authority. This worldview ultimately aligns with the modern emphasis on self-directed spirituality, prioritizing subjective experience over communal worship or universal moral principles.
Critique from Scripture and Historic Christian Orthodoxy
The Necessity of Community: The Bible emphasizes the importance of the church community for spiritual growth and accountability. Hebrews 10:24-25 urges believers not to neglect gathering together, as God designed faith to be lived within community and structured worship. SBNR, however, prioritizes personal spirituality, downplaying the necessity of the church and missing the biblical view that we are one body in Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-27).
Submission to God’s Authority: Christianity teaches submission to God’s Word and His design for worship, holiness, and truth. Jesus says in John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” SBNR rejects such structures, often favoring self-determined spirituality, which denies the authority and design of God’s revealed truth.
Truth Over Experience: SBNR values subjective, individual experience as primary, often relativizing truth claims. In contrast, Jesus asserts that He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), and Christian orthodoxy maintains that Scripture, not personal feeling, is the final authority on spiritual matters (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Nature of Worship and Holiness: Scripture emphasizes the importance of worshiping God as He instructs, rather than in ways we personally deem fit. John 4:24 says that God seeks worshipers who “worship in spirit and truth,” requiring believers to approach Him as He has revealed Himself, rather than through self-directed spirituality. SBNR’s emphasis on personal experience often leads to self-styled worship that may honor personal preference over biblical reverence.
The Call to Discipleship and Accountability: SBNR places great value on autonomy and individual spiritual journeys, but biblical Christianity involves mutual accountability among believers. Ephesians 4:11-16 highlights the church’s role in discipling one another, with leaders given to equip believers toward maturity and unity. The SBNR model, by rejecting institutional structures, also avoids the biblical model of discipleship, which requires accountability and growth through submission to other believers.
The Centrality of the Gospel: In SBNR’s flexible and personalized spirituality, the gospel’s exclusivity and call to repentance are often minimized or rejected. Yet, the New Testament is clear: salvation comes only through Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). Historic Christianity teaches that our greatest need is forgiveness and new life through Christ’s atoning work, something not attainable through self-defined spirituality. SBNR’s relativism can diminish the gospel’s message of sin, redemption, and transformation.
Historic Christian Orthodoxy
Historically, orthodox Christianity has always held that faith requires submission to God’s Word, participation in the community of believers, and adherence to objective truth about God’s character and ways. SBNR’s approach tends toward self-defined spirituality, risking idolatry by creating a god in one’s own image. Biblical faith calls believers to a life of community, obedience, and truth, qualities that SBNR’s highly individualistic framework lacks.
In sum, SBNR diverges from Christianity’s core teachings by prioritizing personal preference over God’s design, undermining the authority of Scripture, the necessity of the church, and the call to obedience, all of which are essential to historic Christian faith.