One year ago, Pew showed the decline had ceased. Now, new data suggest the secular surge may be going into reverse — and young men are helping lead the turn.
Now if we could get rid of all the Hillsong, Elevation, Andy Stanley, Kenith Copeland and Bethel type churches and become solid theologically again. No sence going to a false and heretical church. That's not salvation or progress.
There are two documented dramatic generational shifts among young people that reflect reaction to nefarious influences on their cultural and spiritual development.
One is the welcome revival among young men who are turning to Jesus and the church, expressing strong desires to marry and raise children as Christians. The other is among young women, who do not share the revival instincts of their male counterparts, as they want nothing to do with marriage or childbearing. This trend among women has already lowered birth rates to the extent of irreversible decline in the birth to death ratio.
Depending on the influence and supportive atmosphere of the church, a future scenario of these conflicting trends is the prophesied believing remnant - struggling to survive the world, the flesh, and the devil. We know that Christ's church perseveres and prevails, but the ongoing spiritual war has been obscured or ignored by our love of prosperity and comfort, undermining our love for God and His Word.
There are indeed some encouraging signs here, particularly young men seeking the Lord. But let me tell you, it has been strange to be a journalist on the front lines for the last decade while the story of the rise of the "nones" has dominated the airwaves. I've long thought that many of the people who left were not that committed to their faith, and those who called themselves "none" in recent years were functionally already "none", though they might have previously identified themselves by the denomination of their family heritage.
But, not to throw cold water on the encouraging signs (I'm praying as much as anyone for renewal, revival, and awakening), I think this moment demands much humility from lowercase-o orthodox Christians. In recent years, I've been humbled, sobered, and downright taken aback by the number of jaw-dropping scandals exposing leaders across several denominations engaged in gross sin and malfeasance, even in churches that purport to remain biblically rooted and faithful. The reporting I did on the Ravi Z scandal (2017-2020) opened my eyes to how slick some ministers are at hiding their sins. And there are many wounded people out there, including some formerly Bible-believing Christians who do not know what to do with all the rot, and they have shipwrecked their faith. It's easy to say, "Keep your eyes on Jesus, not men" and that's true enough. But the pain is real for so many, and it sure can last a while. And sadly, some of them have become "nones". Maybe they will return to their faith down the road but in the meantime, that does contribute to secularization more than I think many conservative Christians would like to admit.
Again, yes, many "nones" were indeed nominal "Christians" who were not practicing, and the "nones" rise was a story of religious labeling. But some were. I just so hope, though, that with what has been exposed lately, some deep repentance in the Body happens. That's my only hope these days. Perhaps we'll see some times of refreshing in the Lord's presence (Acts 3:19) if we do repent.
That is Good News.
Love this! Very encouraging! 🙏🙏🙏
Now if we could get rid of all the Hillsong, Elevation, Andy Stanley, Kenith Copeland and Bethel type churches and become solid theologically again. No sence going to a false and heretical church. That's not salvation or progress.
Because of people like Charlie Kirk, we are Gods people and will fight for our country!🙏❤️
There are two documented dramatic generational shifts among young people that reflect reaction to nefarious influences on their cultural and spiritual development.
One is the welcome revival among young men who are turning to Jesus and the church, expressing strong desires to marry and raise children as Christians. The other is among young women, who do not share the revival instincts of their male counterparts, as they want nothing to do with marriage or childbearing. This trend among women has already lowered birth rates to the extent of irreversible decline in the birth to death ratio.
Depending on the influence and supportive atmosphere of the church, a future scenario of these conflicting trends is the prophesied believing remnant - struggling to survive the world, the flesh, and the devil. We know that Christ's church perseveres and prevails, but the ongoing spiritual war has been obscured or ignored by our love of prosperity and comfort, undermining our love for God and His Word.
We really must pray for our girls.
I know lots of women under 40 bucking this trend.
There are indeed some encouraging signs here, particularly young men seeking the Lord. But let me tell you, it has been strange to be a journalist on the front lines for the last decade while the story of the rise of the "nones" has dominated the airwaves. I've long thought that many of the people who left were not that committed to their faith, and those who called themselves "none" in recent years were functionally already "none", though they might have previously identified themselves by the denomination of their family heritage.
But, not to throw cold water on the encouraging signs (I'm praying as much as anyone for renewal, revival, and awakening), I think this moment demands much humility from lowercase-o orthodox Christians. In recent years, I've been humbled, sobered, and downright taken aback by the number of jaw-dropping scandals exposing leaders across several denominations engaged in gross sin and malfeasance, even in churches that purport to remain biblically rooted and faithful. The reporting I did on the Ravi Z scandal (2017-2020) opened my eyes to how slick some ministers are at hiding their sins. And there are many wounded people out there, including some formerly Bible-believing Christians who do not know what to do with all the rot, and they have shipwrecked their faith. It's easy to say, "Keep your eyes on Jesus, not men" and that's true enough. But the pain is real for so many, and it sure can last a while. And sadly, some of them have become "nones". Maybe they will return to their faith down the road but in the meantime, that does contribute to secularization more than I think many conservative Christians would like to admit.
Again, yes, many "nones" were indeed nominal "Christians" who were not practicing, and the "nones" rise was a story of religious labeling. But some were. I just so hope, though, that with what has been exposed lately, some deep repentance in the Body happens. That's my only hope these days. Perhaps we'll see some times of refreshing in the Lord's presence (Acts 3:19) if we do repent.
It always comes back to discipleship.
Let’s hope so. Great writing. Thank you for the information.
Thank you!
Praise the Lord! A Third Great Awakening is slowly happening in the United States and across the West! 🙏🙏🙏
If you want to gain a better understanding of why this mini-revival is happening, these titles are the one’s to pick up:
• Woke Jesus: The False Messiah Destroying Christianity by Lucas Miles
• Pagan Threat: The Godless Uprising in America by Lucas Miles
• The Real Charlie Kirk by Dick Morris
• Letter to the American Church by Eric Mextas
• Awake, Not Woke: A Christian Response to the Cult of Progressive Ideology by Neolle Mering
• His Side: Men Speak Out on Dating, Marriage, and Life by Helen Smith PhD
• Men on Strike: Why Men Are Boycotting Marriage, Fatherhood, and the American Dream and Why It Matters by Helen Smith PhD
• The War Against Boys: How Misguided Policies Are Harming Our Young Men by Christine Hoff Summers
• Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion by Allie Beth Stuckey
• Race Crazy: BLM, 1619, and the Progressive Racism Movement by Charles Love
• Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America by John McWhorter