An American Revival?

An American Revival?

If you pay attention to trends, you know the number of people who say their faith is important has been declining for decades. In 1950, the percentage of those who were religiously unaffiliated, sometimes called “nones,” was almost zero. By 1977, it had risen to 7%. The number reached 10% by 2002 before more than doubling again by 2017.

I must admit that during the last 20 years, I often felt disheartened by how so many seemed to walk away from their faith. Like many Christians, during the pandemic I was concerned the millions who were unable to attend church would quit seeking God. However, this has not happened, Gallup reported that between 2017 and 2022, the number of religiously unaffiliated people stopped increasing.

A new study shows more people are now pursuing faith. Respected pollster, George Barna, released a study on April 7, 2025, entitled, New Research: Belief in Jesus Rises, Fueled by Younger Adults, revealing “a groundswell of commitment to Jesus over the last four years.” The number of people who say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus and that he is still important in their lives increased by 12% since 2021.

Barna observes, “This shift is not only statistically significant—it may be the clearest indication of meaningful spiritual renewal in the United States… the multiyear climb in public sentiment toward Jesus equates to nearly 30 million more U.S. adults who claim to be following Jesus today than in 2021.” (bold is Barna’s emphasis)

Amazingly, the greatest spiritual resurgence is happening among young people, Gen Z and millennials. Even more surprising, the number of young men seeking God is growing significantly faster than the rate of young women. The article notes, “This is the clearest trend we’ve seen in more than a decade pointing to spiritual renewal—and it’s the first time… such spiritual interest is being led by younger generations…”

While it was easy to become disheartened during the first 20 years of the millennium, our reaction is far from new. The prophet Elijah experienced similar feelings when he said, “…I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left…” (1 Kings 19:10, NLT)

What has happened in the last four years suggests our country may be closer to a spiritual reawakening than we thought possible. Just as Elijah was wrong believing he was the only one still serving God, we must not assume everyone has abandoned God. The Lord is always at work in ways we cannot imagine.

Here is the link on which the article today’s column is based: www.barna.com/research/belief-in-jesus-rises/