Ryan Burge is an American Baptist pastor and Doctor of Political Science at Eastern Illinois University, making him an ideal fit for our unique crossroads of politics ‘n religion.  Ryan is also the recent author of the book, THE NONES: WHERE THEY CAME FROM, WHO THEY ARE AND WHERE THEY ARE GOING. The book creates a comprehensive picture of Americans who say they have no religious affiliation. Ryan uses statistics and graphs to give readers a nuanced, accurate, and meaningful picture of how this rise happened, who the nones are, and what they mean for the future of American religion.  He publishes articles across the media landscape about the intersection of religion and politics.   Finally, he's the co-founder and frequent contributor to Religion in Public, a forum for scholars of religion and politics to make their work accessible to a more general audience.  In addition to teaching courses at EIU, Ryan is also a husband and a father.