July 2025: PI David McPherson contributed to a symposium in National Review in remembrance of philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre, and he discussed MacIntyre’s quest for God with the aim of showing how one might be drawn to God in an increasingly secularized culture, considering MacIntyre’s quest for God on three levels: as a response to modern anomie, as a philosophical quest, and as a desire-driven quest.

June 2025: The Second Two-Day Workshop for Project Team at the University of Florida a Great Success! We discussed drafts of the project teams’ contributions to the grant project’s edited volume on Spiritual Yearning in an Age of Secularization: Sociological, Psychological, and Philosophical Perspectives.

April 2025: PI David McPherson has signed a contract with Oxford University Press for his book monograph, Spiritual Alienation and the Quest for God, which is one of the main outputs for the grant. This ten-chapter book should be coming out late 2026 or early 2027 (McPherson is completing the last few chapters this year).

December 2024: PI David McPherson went on sociologist Brandon Vaidyanathan’s popular podcast “Beauty at Work” to discuss project along with project team member Daryl Van Tongeren. Here is the a video of the full conversation. Here is a short clip on our spiritual predicament, and here is one on why we need spirituality.

November 2024: For our second public event at the University of Florida, we had an excellent lecture from philosopher and project team member John Cottingham on “Philosophy of Religion in an Age of Growing Non-religion,” followed by a response from philosopher and project team member Fiona Ellis and a lively Q&A from a packed room. Video recording available here.

November 2024: For our first public event at the University of Florida, we had a thought-provoking discussion with novelist, theologian, and public intellectual Tara Isabella Burton on “Strange Rites: Spirituality in the Age of the Spiritual But Not Religious.” Video recording available here.

October 2024: We had a great workshop with project team member Fiona Ellis on her new book project, The End of Desire: Meaning, Nihilism, and God (Fiona has a visiting fellowship through the grant). The book will be fantastic!

June 2024: First Two-Day Workshop for Project Team at the University of Florida a Great Success!