Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street. In recent months, at two different synods for two different dioceses of the Anglican Church of North America, I encountered a significant number of impressive young men, mostly in their 20s. In one case, they humbly served the clergy and leadership throughout the multi-day proceedings. In the other case, a group attended a local parish, but then chose to join in and stay for the entirety of an exceptionally long ordination service.
I see something similar at my own church, where there's often a row of single young men who are faithful, spiritually hungry, and interested in cultivating a deeper personal faith. And I should note that there is no corresponding row of young women at my church, nor did I see similar numbers of young women at either of the aforementioned synods. Though my stories are anecdotal, there is growing evidence of what has been called a quiet revival of Christian belief among Gen Z men. The New York Times reported last fall that for the first time in American history, men now outnumber women in churches. A trend especially pronounced among 20-somethings.
Last year, a survey by the Public Religion Research Institute found that 39% of Gen Z women identify as religiously unaffiliated. compared with only thirty one per cent of men. And among white evangelicals, young men have begun showing significantly more religiosity than women do. And newer data from the UK also shows a surprising reawakening that's happening across the pond, where church attendance overall has long been much lower than in the US. Back in April, the Bible Society reported that church decline in England and Wales has not only stopped, but the church is growing as Gen Z leads an exciting turnaround in church attendance.
It's a turnaround that's happened in a short time. In 2018, only 4% of 18 to 24-year-olds in the UK attended church regularly, but by last year, that number had quadrupled. And among 25 to 34 year olds, attendance more than tripled, raising the overall rate from 8% to 12% of the population. Though still a low number, it represents a historic reversal of the country's century-long dechurching. Like in the US, young men in the UK are leading the return.
Among the 18 to 24 age group in the Bible Society survey, 21% of men attended at least once a month, compared with just 12% of women the same age. Statistician Ryan Burge wrote this on X: It seems very clear now that men are more likely to be regular church attenders than women. And those gaps are the largest among the youngest adults. He also pointed out that these numbers are not due primarily to immigration, as the white only sample showed the very same trends.
So why are young men returning to church? And why aren't young women joining them? The Times pointed to a shift in cultural and political attitudes among young men that seems to correspond with their search for traditional faith. As young women have skewed increasingly progressive, young men are now much more likely to call themselves politically conservative. In fact, the political gap between men and women has doubled in the past 25 years.
Surprisingly, young men are also more likely than young women to say they want to have children someday. One pastor told the Times that the young men are, and I quote, looking for leadership, looking for clarity, looking for meaning. Another college minister at the University of California, Irvine, suggested that religion is perceived as traditional. And Christianity in particular, as the one institution that isn't formally skeptical of young men as a class. And this trend also corresponds to what Justin Brierly has called the surprising rebirth of belief in God among high-profile secular thinkers.
It's a reminder that we can't always predict where the spirit will blow. that narratives of inevitable religious decline are far from certain. That we do still live in the same world where the Great Awakenings occurred, the Wesley brothers, Whitfield and Spurgeon preached, and where St. Peter saw 3,000 people converted in a single day. And that's a reminder that it's the very same God that they served who's still at work in the world.
Still, this growing disparity between men and women poses significant challenges. The reversal in the historic tendency of the church to be mostly female is proof of just how much our culture has lied to young women. And it won't help the overall decline that we've seen in marriage or the birth dearth much either. And of course, it's more than possible that young men are returning to church for the wrong reasons. They still need to hear Christianity taught accurately and in its entirety.
The church should not be sold to them as a base social club, but as a place that belongs to the God of the universe. and that faith is a way of seeing all of life and reality and surrender to Christ's loving Lordship.
So even as we praise God for this so called quiet revival, We should be asking, how can we fan the flames of true belief in Gen Z? How can we help make disciples rather than just cultural converts? It's clear God's up to something. And we should be eager to play whatever part he has for us. in this providential moment.
that's happening in young hearts. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street with Breakpoint. Today's Breakpoint was co-authored with Shane Morris. If you're a fan of Breakpoint, leave us a review wherever you download your podcast. And for a version of this commentary that you can print out or share with others, go to breakpoint.org.
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