A new study suggests that more Americans are leaving organized religion in search of personalized faith perspectives that embrace syncretism, a fusion of different religions.
The study, titled "Breaking Free of the Iron Cage: The Individualization of American Religion," was published in the peer-reviewed journal Socius. Researchers tracked 1,348 individuals born in the late 1980s from adolescence to early adulthood, using longitudinal surveys to examine how young adults navigate tensions between institutional religion and personal authenticity amid the rise of religious "nones."
Participants in the National Study of Youth and Religion completed four rounds of surveys between 2003 and 2013, from ages 13 to 17. The researchers noted, “Our analysis shows how young people are responding to the bureaucratization and rationalization that [German sociologist Max] Weber predicted would create an ‘iron cage’ in modern institutions, developing new forms of religious and spiritual expression outside formal institutions.”
They further argued, “We bring the iron cage argument back to religion, making the case that rising individualization and autonomy reflected in the 1960s countercultural movement set the stage for a revolution against the bureaucratization and politicization of religion.”
The findings highlight that the religious marketplace has expanded beyond competing denominations to include options outside formal institutions altogether, from personalized spirituality to individually crafted approaches to faith and meaning. The researchers emphasized that “people are breaking free not with bolt cutters but with deeply personal acts of spiritual rebellion, rejecting the rationalized, systematized, and institutionalized religious constructs of modernity in favor of more dynamic, diverse, and syncretic expressions.”
Regarding younger Americans, the study suggests that politics and concerns about autonomy on issues like gender and sexuality play significant roles in their decision to abandon organized religion, with general individual freedom being the main driver. Schnabel stated, “People aren’t leaving religious institutions passively or only because of partisan politics, but because of more deeply held values — about the sacredness of the individual, their concern for others and feeling that their participation in an institution doesn’t align with being the type of person they want to be.”
The authors argue that the ongoing religious revolution in America reflects a long-standing ebb and flow between organized religion and individual spiritual expression throughout history. Schnabel commented, “Americans are increasingly doing religion their own way, almost like DIY. Spiritual innovation occurs when traditional ways of being religious don't seem tenable anymore. People come up with new ways of exploring their faith, new types of spirituality, new beliefs and practices.”
In 2023, Barna, who serves as director of the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, highlighted research indicating that America is threatened by syncretism and urged churches to respond. Citing data from the American Worldview Inventory, Barna warned, “The ideological and philosophical confusion that characterizes America is perhaps the biggest reflection of the nation's rejection of biblical principles and its decision to replace God's truth with ‘personal truth.’”
The research tracked a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults, revealing the lowest incidence of adults with a biblical worldview among millennials and Gen X. Barna remarked, “Biblical churches must see this as a time for an urgent response to the direction society is taking. While the Left pursues the Great Reset, it is time for the Church to pursue the Great Renewal — leading people's hearts, minds, and souls back to God and His life principles.”
