When "Spiritual but Not Religious" Is Not Enough Seeing God in Surprising Places, Even the Church

People find it comfortable and convenient to create their own version of God--but can they really face the God who created them? The phrase "I'm spiritual but not religious" has become a cliché. How are open-minded "religious people" supposed to react to this hazy--and often lazy--statement of faith? Lillian Daniel responds by telling stories of people looking for God in the midst of everyday life, affirming that religion can be weird, wonderful--and well worth trying. While so-called spiritual life keeps people self-focused and vague, religious people have something that "spiritual" people do not: centuries of careful religious thought, ongoing meaningful debate, and, most important, a supportive community that challenges and strengthens their faith. Humorous and sincere, this is a book about people finding God in the most unexpected, unspiritual places: prisons, airports, yoga classes, committee meetings, and strangest of all, right there in their local church.

Featured in the New York Times and on PBS, Lillian Daniel's work has been described as biting, hilarious, pitch perfect, tender, and often stunningly beautiful. She has taught preaching at Chicago Theological Seminary, the University of Chicago Divinity School and at her alma mater, Yale Divinity School, but she can't be held responsible for everyone who falls asleep in church.

She writes for a wide audience in the Huffington Post, Christian Century, Leadership Journal, Christianity Today, Relevant Magazine, and Books and Culture, but on Sundays you can find her preaching at First Congregational Church in Dubuque, Iowa, where she serves as Senior Minister.