It’s no secret that young people aren’t as likely to practice their faith, or any faith at all, as their parents, but this trend appears to be growing across large swaths of other demographics as well. Diana Butler Bass explores this phenomenon in her new book Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening. She gave an interview to NPR’s On Point, explaining how these trends might be the beginnings of a new reformation.

The author suggests that the people in the pews are demanding different, fresh, and new spiritual experiences than their religious leaders are able or perhaps willing to offer. She says that as a result, many are fleeing traditional churches and forging their own paths. The future, she claims, holds the potential for spiritual zeal fueled by conversation among the religious, the seeking, the unaffiliated, and the unbelieving.

Listen to the interview here. 

Michael J. O’Loughlin is national correspondent at America and author of Hidden Mercy: AIDS, Catholics, and the Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of Fear.