The search for a church that isn’t a church

Perry Bacon, who grew up in a highly religious household, shares his journey away from traditional church settings in favor of finding a community that aligns with his evolving values.

Background: Perry Bacon, like many “nones,” no longer feels a connection with traditional religious institutions and is seeking a new spiritual community.
* Bacon and the article’s author both share similar backgrounds, having fathers who preached in church and growing up with mandatory church attendance.
* Bacon started feeling distant from his faith when he began attending college at Yale, distanced from his family’s Black charismatic church.

Shifting values: In his twenties, Bacon found a multiracial church that initially felt like a good fit for him.
* Over time, however, his views on religion were influenced by secular scholars and the Black Lives Matter movement, leading him to question the church’s acceptance of societal norms.
* Additionally, the discovery of his church’s exclusion of a gay man from a leadership role shook his allegiance.

Current stance: Despite identifying as culturally Christian, Bacon is leaning towards a non-traditional expression of spirituality.
* He has entertained the idea of joining the Unitarians in Louisville, or even establishing a new community based on shared values outside of a traditional church context.
* For him, community events like a local farmer’s market provide the sense of community and shared values typically expected from a church environment.

On the search: Bacon continues to grapple with finding the ideal spiritual community for him and his daughter, but is leaning towards non-traditional approaches.
* He is considering ways to develop a community focused on teaching shared values rather than adhering to specific religious beliefs.
* This might not end up being a place that operates just on Sunday mornings, the traditional church schedule, but a space that provides the same functions throughout the week.

View original article on NPR

This summary was created by an AI system. The use of this summary is subject to our Terms of Service.

Contact us about this post

Posted

in

by

Tags:

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *