This is part 2 of 3 talks by Dr. Nathan Jacobs about the "nones", the religiously unaffiliated, a group that has grown dramatically over the past two decades.

In this talk, Nathan Jacobs argues that many who leave are not rejecting God, per se, but a particular vision of God shaped by Western theological developments. Exploring themes like grace, freedom, divine goodness, fatalism, and anthropology, he contrasts key Western trajectories with the vision of the Eastern Church Fathers. The result is a compelling case that Orthodoxy does not suppress the moral and spiritual intuitions of today’s seekers — it fulfills them.

Watch part 1: The Modern Religious Debate Lost Its Audience: https://youtu.be/vun_XtxDt5E

Contribute to the East West Lecture Series fundraiser: http://theeastwestseries.com/

Do you want to watch the Becoming Truly Human documentary? Watch it along with other exclusive content on Jacobs Premium. Use code: LEWIS to get a discount: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/

Timestamps:

00:00 - Coming up next

01:28 - East West series

02:36 - Introduction

05:18 - What the nones believe

10:39 - Rejecting Western Christianity

14:12 - Augustine

18:40 - The nature/Grace divide

25:42 - Protestantism & predestination

31:48 - God's will

39:36 - Competing goods

46:17 - Our world is spiritual

59:02 - Return to talk

59:51 - Man as microcosm

01:01:51 - Was man made mortal or immortal?

01:06:11 - Energies

01:15:02 - What happens after death

01:18:06 - The remedy for divine hiddenness

01:24:34 - Q&A: On trusting your intuitions about God

01:29:21 - Q: Anxiety of the participants

01:30:58 - Q: What about Jesus?

01:33:11 - Q: Discussions about the Trinity

01:36:07 - Q: Using the halo in the documentary

01:40:06 - Q: Do nones go to other religions?

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All the links:

The Theological Letters Substack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcast

X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPod

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Academia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs

Listen and please review the podcast elsewhere:

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Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast

In this episode, Dr. Nathan Jacobs explores the rise of the religiously unaffiliated, a group that has grown dramatically over the past two decades. Drawing from his research, interviews, and the documentary, Becoming Truly Human, he examines the beliefs, intuitions, and spiritual instincts that shape this rapidly expanding demographic.

Far from simple atheism, the world of the “nones” is complex, morally serious, and often deeply spiritual. This lecture begins a three-part series unpacking who they are, what they believe, and how meaningful dialogue might be possible.

This is part 1 of 3 on the religiously unaffiliated, or "nones".

Do you want to watch the Becoming Truly Human documentary? Watch it along with other exclusive content on Jacobs Premium. Use code: LEWIS to get a discount on the highest tier. There's also monthly Q&As and book club meetings: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/store

Life Itself movie trailer (excluded due to copyright): https://youtu.be/b5kwtJkUdpA?si=xw-ismXHDk6-SIh9

Timestamps:

00:00 - Opening

06:09 - Introducing Dr. Nathan Jacobs

09:16 - Becoming Truly Human

16:37 - Outline

19:56 - Trailer for documentary

21:44 - Misconceptions

25:43 - The modern religious debate

30:06 - The numinous

38:52 - What nones believe: 1. Karma

43:22 - Things happen for a reason

46:45 - Life Itself

51:47 - What nones believe: 2. A higher power

53:07 - The moral objection to Christianity

57:21 - What are the nones rejecting?

01:00:11 - Belief in paranormal

01:01:29 - What the nones believe: 3. Spirituality

01:05:27 - What the nones believe: 4. Afterlife

01:11:27 - Q&A: Discerning between intuition and feeling

01:14:18 - Q: Family issues among the nones

01:16:53 - Q: Mental health concerns

01:18:58 - Q: Sample selection

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All the links:

The Theological Letters Substack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcast

X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobs

Academia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs

YouTube link to this same episode: https://youtu.be/vun_XtxDt5E

What do we mean when we say "God"? This week’s episode is part 2 of tracing the concept from ancient pagan philosophy through Plato and Aristotle to uncover how modern assumptions about God emerged—and why many of them are far from obvious. This sets the stage for exploring deeper East–West differences in how God, goodness, and divine knowledge are understood. Part 1 is recapped in the first 10 minutes.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/soThpk45aI0

Listen to part 1: Defining "God" | The Evolution of a Word: https://youtu.be/MU0CFOFOq-A?si=tbzaT4PSiR1nm7Qf

Contribute to the East West Lecture Series fundraiser: http://theeastwestseries.com/

Do you like this content? Join Jacobs Premium to get exclusive access to written essays, exclusive lecture series, monthly Q&A Zoom calls, and our C.S. Lewis book club. Use code: LEWIS to get a discount: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/

Timestamps:

00:00 - Recap

09:36 - The ancient view of God

35:34 - Disagreement among the pagans

01:02:16 - Why this is important for us today

01:21:12 - Essence and energy

01:42:59 - Conclusion and ramifications

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All the links:

The Theological Letters Substack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcast

X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobs

Academia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs