Fuel and Oxygen for Social and Political Change

This timely and groundbreaking study presents some good news about the synergy between spirituality and community engagement. That the more strongly someone identifies as spiritual, the more likely they are to hold prosocial attitudes and take civic action, provides hopeful news about how we can help to heal and revitalize our democracy in the face of such dangerous levels of polarization and while we address the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and racial injustice. 

Throughout the nation’s history, spirituality and religion have inspired and fueled many of the social movements that have reformed and transformed America, from women’s suffrage to civil rights. They have also played a key role in undergirding the pro-life movement and other traditionally conservative causes. While some of the movements of today may on their face seem less rooted in religious institutions than in the past, many activists and leaders, including within the Black Lives Matter movement, continue to be motivated by deep and resilient spirituality.  

These findings provide further insight and evidence that spirituality provides both fuel and oxygen for social and political change.  Spirituality compels people to engage in action and activities tied to creating a better nation and world—and helps to sustain that action.  As a result, nurturing and deepening spirituality serves as both an antidote to combat civic apathy and disillusionment as well as a  catalyst for community and civic engagement.

This Expert Insight is from Rev. Adam Russell Taylor, Executive Director, Sojourners