Writing in the 1830s, the French political philosopher described the cultural underpinnings and assumptions that drive Americans this way:

"It is rare that an American . . . settles forever on the soil he occupies. A man carefully builds a dwelling . . . and sells it . . . plants a garden and . . . rents it . . . embraces a profession, and quits it. He settles in a place from which he departs soon after, so as to take his changing desires elsewhere . . . . An eternal motion reigns in the hearts of such a society . . . no one knows repose in it.” (Democracy in America, University of Chicago Press, 2000, translated by Harvey Mansfield and Delba Winthrop).

The same phenomenon is observable in matters of faith. Denominational migration has long been a factor in American life. Religious pluralism has flowered in our consumer society to produce the characteristic that de Tocqueville observed in the 1830s and Pew notes in 2008. Fundamentally, this is still a nation of seekers.

About three years ago, religion writer Eric Gorski wrote in the Denver Post that Americans who claim no religious affiliation had doubled in the previous decade to about ten percent of the population. These are the people who, when asked in a survey to identify their religious belief, tend to opt for “none of the above.” According to Gorski and the people he cites, the explosion in “nones” can be traced to “an increasingly mobile society; a consumer culture that gives people choices about everything.”

Switching from faith to faith or describing oneself as “unchurched” is not the same as dropping out of religion or spirituality altogether. These “nones” are not non-believers. They may well consider themselves to be spiritual, or religious. They may be profoundly moral. They just don’t identify with a particular church. They are the religious equivalent of political independents, who may lean one way or another depending on how relevant they find the message. And so we have a religious landscape that is complex and unusual, if not unique, in the world.

Is that landscape healthy or sick? It depends on your perspective. The apostle Paul warned against being “tossed about by every wind of doctrine,” and elsewhere observed that some people are "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” This seems to apply to those who want to sample a little bit of everything, but draw back from ever making commitments. I believe their kind of quest is ultimately unfulfilling. But the fact that people are asking questions about faith is not a problem. It would be a bigger problem if they stopped asking questions. More “seekers” actually mean good news for evangelizing faiths like mine, whose toughest enemy is indifference.

Students of religion have noted that the religious organizations that continue to grow and show stability are those that:

• Maintain a moral anchor in the face of shifting moral and family values.
• Keep to their core message over time.
• Require the most of their members.
• Have a well-defined sense of community.

The essence of a church is that it is a community of believers, requiring mutual support and encouragement as well as opportunities for service, and therefore for growth. People need other people. Disintegrating societal and familial ties and a profound sense of “not belonging” pervade America, and churches can offer a home for restless souls.

At least equally important is an understanding that personal sacrifice is vital to religious faith. Delivering a stirring sermon or feel-good, entertainment-based services with no contribution from the worshipper typically will not lead to stability and depth of religious experience. People come to love and be loyal to that in which they invest themselves. Churches that expect too little of their people will find ultimately that their congregations will not thank them for it.

President Gordon B. Hinckley, who until he passed away at the end of January at the age of 97 was president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said this at a meeting of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council in 2002 (the Church operates worldwide with an unpaid, volunteer ministry):

"The great genius of this church is work. Everybody works. You do not grow unless you work. Faith, testimony of the truth is just like the muscle of my arm. If you use it, it grows strong. If you put it in a sling, it grows weak and flabby. We put people to work. We expect great things of them, and the marvelous and wonderful thing is they come through."