Robert C. Fuller (born 1952) is the Caterpillar Professor of Religious Studies at Bradley University. Specializing in religion and psychology, and contemporary religion in America, Fuller is the author of 13 books, including "Mesmerism and the American Cure of Souls" (1982); "Spiritual, But Not Religious: Understanding Unchurched America" (2001); and "The Body of Faith: A Biological History of Religion in America" (2013).
Education and career.
After completing his BA in religious studies at Denison University (a former Baptist school), Fuller was awarded his MA and PhD, also in religious studies, by the University of Chicago. He joined the faculty at Bradley University in 1978 as assistant professor of religious studies. In 1983 he became an associate professor and in 1988 a full professor.
Fuller is particularly interested in "unchurched" spirituality in America and metaphysical healing, including mesmerism and homeopathy. Despite declining church membership in America, most Americans believe in some form of higher spiritual power. In "Alternative Medicine and American Religious Life" (1989), he explores whether the appeal of alternative medicine lies not in addressing ill health but in giving practitioners a sense of this spiritual plane. He argues in "Spiritual, but not Religious: Understanding Unchurched America" (2001) that "[a]lternative medicines almost invariably promulgate alternative worldviews." Most of those drawn to such systems—New Thought, spirit guides, Swedenborgianism, Theosophy, Transcendentalism—are middle class and physically healthy. In 2018 he wrote that 18–27 percent of Americans could be defined as "Spiritual but not Religious" (SBNR).
Awards.
In 1988 Bradley University awarded Fuller the Samuel Rothberg Professional Excellence Award, for outstanding achievements in research and creativity. He was awarded the Charles M. Putnam Award for Teaching Excellence in 1995 and the Caterpillar Professorship for Religious Studies in 2000.
Personal life.
Fuller and his wife, Kathy Fuller, married in 1974 and have two children.
References.
 ;templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" / ;