Linda A. Mercadante

Linda Mercadante grew up an "Jewish-Italian-Catholic" Jersey girl in Newark, NJ. Since her mixed-faith immigrant parents banned religion at home, Linda became an early "spiritual but not religious" seeker. After trying many spiritual alternatives, including a stint as an atheist, she eventually found a spiritual home and is now a theology professor and minister. Her research on "SBNRs" won the prestigious Henry Luce III Fellowship in Theology and was published by Oxford University Press [2014] as BELIEF WITHOUT BORDERS: INSIDE THE MINDS OF THE SPIRITUAL BUT NOT RELIGIOUS. Among her other books is her memoir: BLOOMFIELD AVENUE: A JEWISH-CATHOLIC JERSEY GIRL'S SPIRITUAL JOURNEY [Rowman & Littlefield, 2006]. She also writes on the spirituality of addiction recovery: VICTIMS & SINNERS: SPIRITUAL ROOTS OF ADDICTION AND RECOVERY [Westminster John Knox], as well as on gender issues and film.