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Ryan Burge on Muck Rack

Ryan Burge

Mt. Vernon
As seen in: Graphs about Religion, MSN, The New York Times, Yahoo Life, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post Opinions, Yahoo News, Yahoo News New Zealand, Aol, Cambridge University Press & Assessment, Fully Alive by Elizabeth Oldfield and
Teach: @CtrRelPol | Research: @myfaithcounts | Books: The Nones, Great Dechurching, Vanishing Church | Former Pastor: @AmericanBaptist | Graphs about Religion

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Ryan Burge’s Biography

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Ryan Burge is an assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University. He is the author of The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going as well as 20 Myths about Religion and Politics in America. He has published over two dozen peer-reviewed articles in a variety of outlets in the social sciences. In addition, he has written editorials for the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. His work has appeared in a variety of additional outlets includ…

Ryan Burge’s Journalist Portfolio

Opinion | A More Secular America Is Not Just a Problem for Republicans (Published 2021)

Opinion | A More Secular America Is Not Just a Problem for Republicans (Published 2021)

Since 1988, the General Social Survey has been asking Americans of different ages what they believe about God…

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Opinion | Why 'Evangelical' Is Becoming Another Word for 'Republican'

Opinion | Why 'Evangelical' Is Becoming Another Word for 'Republican'

Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what y…

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There's No Crisis of Faith on Campus

There's No Crisis of Faith on Campus

As a pastor who is also a professor of social science, I am often asked by parents of teenagers who were rais…

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Why Most Pastors Avoid Politics

Why Most Pastors Avoid Politics

In recent years, pastor Greg Locke has experienced a meteoric rise in popularity for saying outlandish and of…

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Religious disaffiliation is rising. Is there a path back to the fold?

Religious disaffiliation is rising. Is there a path back to the fold?

It all started with a tweet. It was March 2019, and the General Social Survey had just released its raw data,…

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3 ways you're wrong about religion and politics

3 ways you're wrong about religion and politics

I knew what I was doing was a mistake. I got into an argument with someone on social media. They were making …

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Articles

The Two Dimensions of Religious Belief in America

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By Ryan Burge
| Graphs about Religion
I’ve always been under the impression that people have a very different approach to belief. Some can listen to a sermon where the pastor speaks with certainty and conviction about salvation through Jesus alone and feel completely compelled by that message. Folks like this tend to lean toward black and white thinking. They like structure and order and believe that the Bible provides them with a perfect guidebook for how to live their lives in almost every circumstance.
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When Do We Become the Person We Ought to Be?

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By Ryan Burge, Anna Bohlen
| Graphs about Religion
About a year ago, I got an email from an undergraduate at Notre Dame University. Anna Bohlen wanted to know if she could work with me on this newsletter. I am always trying to find ways to collaborate with some aspiring data analysts, so I was intrigued. After a couple of emails and a Zoom meeting, we developed a plan of action. Anna would apply for a few small grants at Notre Dame and, if she won one of them, we would field a survey together and write up some of the results.
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Why We Don’t Really Know What America Believes

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By Ryan Burge
| Religion Unplugged Verified
(ANALYSIS) Let’s get nerdy. For those of you who sit around and wonder about the intricacies of polling about religion, this is the post for you. Let me start by stating a fact that seems incomprehensible to even type out, but it undergirds almost every single graph that I produce: we don’t actually know the religious composition of the United States with any real precision. I know that sounds bizarre.
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Interview

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R, Excel