Editor's Note: In 2022 and 2023, SBN did a series of monthly interviews with secular Buddhist practitioners about their path to embracing a secular approach to the dharma. Readers enjoyed these interviews and, after a long hiatus, we've decided to restart the series.

We begin with John Clinton Bradley, who moved away from a conservative form of Christianity to embrace a combination of humanistic Christianity and secular Buddhism.

SBN Editor: When you were younger, were you religious? Did you strongly identify with a particular spiritual tradition? If so, what was appealing to you about that tradition?

John: Initially, my family wasn’t religious at all. When I was 11 years old, my mother, who was raised Southern Baptist, felt the need to return to church. She took my sisters and me with her. I soon asked to be baptized. I was deeply involved in Southern Baptist congregations during my high school and college years. I even served as a Southern Baptist student missionary for two summers.

After college, I joined a Calvinist charismatic congregation that was rooted in the Jesus Movement of the 1970s. I believed their version of Christianity was closer to that of the early church. When I began to struggle with my sexuality, the elders of that church referred me to a charismatic Episcopal congregation that had a ministry of healing homosexuals through prayer. As I went through their program, I officially joined the Episcopal Church. Of course, my sexual orientation didn’t change and I became deeply depressed. Eventually, I decided to accept my sexual orientation. When I informed my priest, he asked me to leave the parish.

Not long after that, I finished graduate school and found a job in a “gay mecca.” I started attending the local chapter of Integrity—a fellowship of LGBTQ Episcopalians. There, I met a young Episcopal priest. We’ve been a couple for over 30 years now. We were legally married in Canada in 2010. I’ve been active in all the congregations he has served during his career.

SBN: At what point did you find that tradition less appealing to you? Why?

John: I gradually stopped believing in the existence of God, the divinity of Jesus, his resurrection from the dead, eternal life, and everything else in the Nicene Creed. Nothing specific prompted this change. The supernatural just stopped making sense to me. However, I am still officially an Episcopalian and attend services every week.

SBN: So, how and why did you become interested in Buddhism?  Did you join a sangha? Did you read books by Buddhist authors? What was the impact on you?

John: I’ve long been interested in Buddhism, especially the Zen tradition. I participated in a Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy group. I read The Complete Idiot's Guide to Zen Living by Gary R. McClain and Eve Adamson and Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright. I’ve also been listening to The Way Out is In podcast from Plum Village and participating in an online sangha in the Plum Village tradition.

SBN: Why is a secular approach to the Dharma appealing to you rather than one of the traditional lineages like Theravada or Mahayana Buddhism?

John: Secular Buddhism doesn’t require belief in the supernatural. It focuses on making life better for myself and others in the here and now.

SBN: What ideas and practices of a secular approach do you find most impactful in your life?

John: Like many secular Buddhists, I seek to become more mindful and compassionate through regular meditation. I strive to relieve the suffering of all sentient beings here and now.

SBN: Do you find that secular Buddhism conflicts with other perspectives that you have? In short, has a secular Buddhist approach created any conflicts or tensions in how you think and act in the world?

John: I still have one foot in the church while having another foot in the sangha. I haven’t renounced Christianity, and I haven’t taken the Three Refugees. I’m currently calling myself a Zen Episcopalian. I believe that humanistic Christianity and secular Buddhism have much in common.

SBN: What do your friends and family think about your interest in secular Buddhism?

John: My spouse knows of my interest. Even though he is an Episcopal priest, it isn’t a source of conflict.

SBN: Do you have a regular meditation practice? How much is your practice influenced by secular Buddhism?

John: My meditation practice is more weekly than daily, but I aspire to daily practice. I try to be mindful throughout the day.

SBN: Please describe your current involvement in secular Buddhist (and other Buddhist) activities.

John: I regularly attend Buddhist Coalition for Democracy meditation sessions on Wednesdays. I’m creating short dharma videos at https://loops.video/@BuddhismBasics.

Last summer I established Sangha.Social, a Mastodon server for Buddhists of all traditions and others exploring the dharma. Mastodon is a more mindful and ethical social media platform. It is decentralized and non-commercial. There is no algorithm choosing the content or people with whom you interact. Membership in Sangha.Social is free; dāna pays for essential infrastructure. I invite all secular Buddhists to join.