¶1Has the rebirth been cancelled? Early last year, the Bible Society published their quiet revival report. The tide might finally have been turning. And then this week, the report was withdrawn. >> We can no longer reliably use the results in that report.
¶2>> It is not a revival. >> There may be no quiet revival, but I still believe something is happening. >> Record number of baptisms [music] over the weekend in France. the highest figure for baptisms in a decade. >> Bible sales last year reached their highest point since [music] records began.
¶3>> I cannot tell you how many young adults walk into these doors on their own. >> We've already got over 3,000 people booked in to pray. >> There is a re-enchantment of [music] some sort. >> It definitely seems to be a renaissance of sorts regarding the Christian art. >> That faith is a foundation.
¶4It's a it's [music] a pillar for me in my life. I just want to say that I have been saved by the Lord Jesus Christ and it is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Today I would like to present to you at least seven quantifiable signs that a rebirth of belief in God is [music] genuinely underway. Earlier this year, just a week before Easter, a bombshell announcement shook the UK Christian community. The quiet revival.
¶5You must have heard of it. >> The phrase has entered the lexicon of the church. Bishops have preached about it. Clergy and other church leaders have rejoiced in it. But now it turns out that the data was flawed.
¶6>> The numbers were never real. Yeah, sorry Christians cooked. I'm Justin Bryley from Think Faith and for the past 3 years I've been writing, speaking, and creating podcast making the case that our modern secular western culture is undergoing a surprising rebirth of belief in God. That's why in early 2025, I was one of the first to see the Bible society's quiet revival data and its astonishing claims that there had been an enormous leap in churchgoing, especially among Gen Z, from 4% in 2018 to 16% in 2024. The claimed upturn was even higher among young men.
¶7The report was shared widely in the media and quiet revival entered the lexicon as a new phrase. So why the withdrawal? What had gone wrong? This is Paul Williams, CEO of the Bible society sharing the news. Yuggov have recently told us that they made a major mistake in the conduct of the 2024 survey.
¶8This mistake means that we can no longer reliably use the results in that report and we are withdrawing it. >> Yuggov took full responsibility saying they failed to activate safeguards to prevent fraudulent responses. >> Those technologies were not activated for this survey. That was a massive mistake on their part which they've acknowledged. >> This was not simply another story in the news cycle.
¶9Indeed, much of my own speaking and podcasting last year was centered around the extraordinary claims of the quiet revival data. While I was surprised by the scale of the statistics, it nevertheless resonated with the thesis of my book and podcast that the tide of faith was beginning to turn in the West and that there was a surprising rebirth of belief in God underway. However, plenty of robust critiques of the report soon began to emerge, and I did my best to interrogate the data, speaking to both its authors and critics. >> The interpretation of their results, I think, unfortunately, is the product of wishful thinking. >> But what I would say is as someone who commissions um to [music] gov, we go with them because they are not a lowquality panel.
¶10But ultimately with the withdrawal of the quiet revival report, it's the skeptics who have been vindicated. And even if the data were accurate, it was still not representing any meaningful sense a revival. It is not a revival. >> However, there is an equal and opposite error we can fall into. The conclusion that nothing at all [music] is happening.
¶11While the phrase revival was always going to be contested, does the withdrawal of one flawed survey mean that a renewal of Christian faith is dead in the water as some critics have been keen to proclaim? Has the rebirth been cancelled? I don't think so. There may be no quiet revival, but I still believe something is happening. And that's not just wishful thinking.
¶12Today I would like to present to you at least seven quantifiable signs that a rebirth of belief in God [music] is genuinely underway. Number one, the Catholic Church boom. Ironically, the very same day that the quiet revival report was retracted, Lef Figuro, one of France's leading newspapers, published a full page article on the continuing growth of demand for adult baptism. Something extraordinary happened in France in the year 2025. More than 10,300 adults were baptized into the Catholic Church, the highest number recorded in the past 20 years.
¶13This unprecedented surge is even more striking because of the demographic of the new converts, mostly Gen Z adults between 18 and 25 who did not grow up in practicing families. This is a news interview with a Parisian priest following a historic number of adult converts joining the Catholic Church in France last year. >> These are genuine conversions, not something superficial. And I ask myself, where does this come from? Why so many?
¶14Are we doing things better? The only explanation I can find fits in two words. The Holy Spirit. >> The number of converts in France was eclipsed once again this year as over 21,000 adults, the majority of them aged 18 to 25, were baptized into the Catholic Church at the 2026 Easter Vigil. But the 2026 Catholic boom isn't just being felt in France.
¶15Number two, new converts and church growth in the UK. This is podcast host Michael Nolles reporting on the UK. Young Brits are becoming Catholic. They're growing because of conversions, too. Archbishop Marot of Cardiff says, "When you meet them and hear their stories, they say they are looking for clarity and stability.
¶16They are attracted to the Catholic Church's strong sense of identity and clarity around the teachings of Jesus. This year, multiple UK Catholic dascese saw a rise in converts. The Catholic Dascese of Westminster had its largest intake for 15 years as 800 adults from more than 100 parishes presented themselves for election. So, this is the second piece of statistical evidence I want to present that a rebirth is still very much on the cards both in the UK and in Europe. Now, it's worth giving a couple of caveats here.
¶17Even these numbers of young adults joining the church are still some way from reversing the overall decline of the Catholic Church in the West as many aging congregations continue to shrink. And of course, the number of people coming forward for adult baptism is also a reflection of the fact that in recent decades, fewer families have chosen to baptize children as infants. Nevertheless, the decline is being offset and Gen Z are at the forefront of the resurgence. And it's not just the Catholics. The Orthodox Church has also seen significant spikes among its parishes, both from immigration and conversion.
¶18Protestant denominations are also showing signs of growth. Here in the UK, newer black Pentecostal church networks continue to be on the front end of that growth. But there have also been surprising stories from historic denominations that have until now seen a steady stream of church closures. This is Baptist Union General Secretary Lynn Green at last year's Baptist Assembly. >> Did you know, I'm going to tell you, did you know that 57% of our churches have reported net growth in attendance between 2022 and 2024?
¶19But the best thing of all that we can me measure is baptisms at over 800 more baptisms than the previous year. That is the highest figure for baptisms in a decade. >> We wait to see what the future holds for the Baptists as they report a rekindling of the fire. The Church of England has also been in steep decline since the 1960s. Then came COVID in 2020, decimating churchgoing altogether as churches closed to in-person gatherings for an extended period.
¶20Many of them never reopened. But since then, something unprecedented has happened. The Church of England has been growing. In the first two or three years since CO, that was perhaps unsurprising. A bounceback from a very low eb in 2020.
¶21But the Church of England recently posted a fifth consecutive year of growth. Still not yet back to pre-COVID levels, but a change that's starting to look more like a trend than a mere bounceback. Indeed, many Anglican churches have been reporting unprecedented numbers at the high watermark services of the liturggical year, Christmas and Easter. So, there are signs of an upswing in Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, and Anglican circles in the UK, France, and elsewhere. But my third piece of evidence hails from more northerly clims.
¶22Number three, not [music] so secular Scandinavia. Northern Europe has long been held out as an example of the future of post-Christian culture. The strong Lutheran traditions that once characterize these countries have dwindled to be replaced by increasingly liberal, irreligious, and heavily secularized cultures. But in the last few years, something has changed. Several Scandinavian countries have been reporting an official uptick in the number of young people, especially young men, beginning to attend church.
¶23Norway has seen the number of participants in church services increase, especially among young people. In Finland, a remarkable uptick in belief in God has also been underway. In 2019, only 35% of girls and 36% of boys said they believe in God. By 2024, that had shot up to 56 and 67% respectively. And those statistics also hold across specifically Christian beliefs such as the resurrection of Jesus.
¶24In Denmark, a recent survey likewise showed an increase in religious belief and church attendance, especially among young men. And then there's the Church of Sweden. After generations of decline in the national church, they had a record year in 2025. I spoke to journalist Robert Thenberg about what's happening in his home country. >> But we have been uh in a place of like a lot of people doesn't really know what the church is about anymore.
¶25uh and like well their grandmothers had their place in church but they left it and and God is is is a non-existing concept but something is really happening and uh the Swedish church which is which is the the biggest church in Sweden as well as a lot of the the more minor churches like the Catholic church and and the uh Orthodox church uh is seeing a grow now and and I I could probably say that a lot of the Orthodox church is is due to there has been a large u migration of course to to Sweden and from the countries where Eastern Orthodoxy is the major religion but we also see Swedish converts to these um these older churches uh but as well to the Swedish former state church and so we were setting a new record this year with 18,783 people choosing to join the church by free will. So actually in those numbers we're not counting those who are being baptized in the when they are confirmed. So we're seeing a a quite large increase. Last year we had the last record and it was like 13,000 people doing this active choice. So something is going on in Sweden in particular and I know that uh we've heard um news from from our neighbors in Norway and Finland as well and and also Denmark that there is something happening also in the most secular country in the world.
¶26There is a re-enchantment of some sort. So something is happening in Scandinavia. We may not want to call it a revival but there may be a rebirth. the first stirrings of something significant. Maybe that word rebirth kind of makes sense.
¶27Number four, the Bible sales surge and rise of Christian music. [music] Bible sales last year reached their highest point since records began. Some experts say uh wars, AI stealing our jobs, and a general feeling of worry about the future is leading people to turn [music] to God. UK Bible sales reached 6.3 million pounds in 2025, the highest annual figure on record, more than doubling in value since 2019. The data shows UK Bible sales increase.
¶28Here it is 134% in value and 106% in volume over that period. That that is awesome. That's right. Bible sales have been soaring in both the USA and the UK. Against an otherwise stagnant book market, UK Bible sales are at an historic high, more than doubling from 2.69 million to over6.3 million pounds between 2019 to 2025.
¶29Now, I've spoken to a number of people involved in Christian publishing and Bible sales, and they say this increase isn't coming from any particular marketing strategy. It's coming from everyday people walking into a bookshop or going online to buy a Bible, often for the first time. And it's often young people. Last year at the Big Church Festival, Andrew Olton, creator of the Bible course, shared with me a recent experience speaking at another event. And after I'd finished speaking at the young man behind me, uh, I got talking to him and I asked him how he'd come to be here.
¶30He was with a friend and he said um to cut a long story short, he said basically uh two weeks before this he was sat on top of a quarry contemplating jumping off. He'd gone to the top of the quarry to end his life. And I asked him why and he said all of the things I suppose that we're so concerned about. He's from a broken home. Uh he felt no love there.
¶31He was from a sort of an atheist family. He felt no sense of meaning there. And his life just he said my life was not working. I had nothing. I've got no purpose.
¶32And as he was sitting on top of the quarry, uh, he said, "And then and he said, "And then I and then I heard him." And I said, "What did you hear?" And he said, "I heard a voice." And he said, "This is not how your story ends." So he walked down from the quarry. He went to Whmith and bought a Bible. And uh, he said, "I started reading it." And I said, "Where where did you start reading?" And he just looked at me like I was stupid. He said, "Well, the first page." Cuz that's ob, you know, this is just another reminder, isn't it? There's no it's not obvious that you would start anywhere else with the Bible.
¶33You know, you start a book on the first page. So, he starts in Genesis and he and he said this little phrase. He said, "Things have just been getting a bit better ever since I started reading the Bible." >> And this was the first Christian event he'd ever been to and I had the privilege of just kneeling down with him and he gave his life to the Lord and just felt he said, "I feel like this weight has lifted." Stories and surveys are one thing, but it's hard to argue with cold hard commercial metrics. No one can deny that there's been an extraordinary rise in Bible sales recently, and that must be coming from somewhere. But it's not the only commercial indicator [music] that the rebirth is still very much underway.
¶34Forest Frank has been taking the streaming charts by storm in recent years. In the summer of 2025, he became the number one artist on YouTube Music, racking up over 145 million monthly listeners. On Spotify, his big hits each have over 200 million streams each. But Forest is just one of a range of Christian artists who are part of a huge surge in Christian music streaming. In 2024, Billboard magazine profiled the heavenly rise of Christian music with a 60% increase in streaming over the previous four years.
¶35Since then, that rise has continued. Popular YouTuber and hiphop artist Rouslan KD told me about the change he's seen in the Christian music scene. >> It definitely seems to be a renaissance of sorts regarding the Christian art where you have people who are have been Christian privately but are mainstream. So artists like Jake who has a massive song called Golden Hour, he comes out. There's a song with Forest Frank.
¶36Forest Frank is selling out arenas now, you know, and you have guys like Indie Tribe and John Keith and No Big Deal. There's a lot of really good Christian hiphop music that is starting to permeate and be so big and so good that it's crossing over and it's mainstream. So, Bible sales are up, Christian music streaming is up, and according to the stats, it's Gen Z, those aged 14 to 29 who are leading the change in both cases. Which brings me to number five, Gen Z are open to faith. I've definitely noticed a change in people speaking about God.
¶37I see it a lot on Tik Tok now. I see, you know, young preachers on the street. I cannot tell you how many young adults walk into these doors on their own. >> I'm seeing people that look like me, that dress like me, that are kind of similar ages to me, and you're just like, I wasn't always seeing this before. >> This Sky News report on the renewed interest in faith among young people features Love Island star Matilda Draper talking about her own baptism video, which went viral on Tik Tok.
¶38>> And on my baptism video, the same thing happened. I got so many messages just like asking about it, wanting to know more, wanting to know how that happened for me. I think that's why it's so important for, [music] you know, anyone with a following if you can do that. I think that's such an amazing thing to do. >> Now, notwithstanding the flawed data from the quiet revival report, there are plenty of other data sets pointing towards a new religious openness among Gen Z.
¶39It's not just that there are more Christian influencers appearing on Tik Tok. Last year, for instance, a survey by the Times newspaper revealed Gen Z were half as likely to be atheists as their parents or grandparents. Another 2025 UK survey showed that 37% of 18 to 24 year olds now say they believe in God, compared with just 16% in 2021. And similar stats have been showing up in the USA. A recent Galllet poll showed the share of young men in the US who said that religion was very important to them jumped from 28% to 42% in just 2 years.
¶40Now, one London congregation that's been seeing a phenomenal surge in Gen Z age attendees and converts is Saint at St. John's Hackne. I sat down with the church's recctor, Al Gordon, to talk about the joint allnight prayer gatherings that they've been hosting. We have like prayer meetings at churches. What we do, maybe 50, maybe 100 would turn up on a good day and we put all our prayeries together.
¶41We're like, we'll put coffee and tea out for 200, maybe 150. Maybe 200 is too much. We open the doors that day and there was hundreds and hundreds of people, young people queuing down the road. And, you know, we've got one coming up in uh next week, next Friday. And this one, you know, we've already got over 3,000 people booked in to pray into the night.
¶42We're having to lay a second one on because the first one's reached capacity. So there's definitely the theme of this and I'll come into Lamb with this. I feel like we've been in a season where God has been preparing his church for revival. We're not in revival yet and we mustn't get complacent and start to say, "Oh, you know, it's revival." It is not revival. We'll know we're in revival.
¶43We may not know till we get to heaven what God has done. >> But right now, the church like Mark chapter 1, we need to humble ourselves and and and repent and get right and encounter Jesus. um you know that that great John the Baptist heralding forerunning prepare the way for the Lord. That's the season we're in right now. I think as a church prayer meetings have been fire.
¶44We're learning how to pray and I think you know Matthew Henry says this when God intends great mercy for his people he sets them praying. [music] So I think that the next 2030 years the church in the UK are going to [music] be phenomenally exciting. The common theme in all of this is that Gen Z, as we know, an anxious generation burned out on distraction, doom scrolling, and the empty promises of a divided secular culture, are looking [music] for a deeper, better, and more beautiful story. And many of them are finding it in Christian faith. Number six, the rebirth in football.
¶45While sport and football especially is often revered in almost quasi religious terms anyway by its fans, there's no doubt that the faith of many of the sport's top players has become much more apparent in recent years. Take for instance just one Premier League team, Arsenal's so-called Bible brothers, a set of young players who encourage each other regularly with scripture, prayer, and are willing to talk openly about their faith, too. Arsenal's attacking midfielder Eberretti Eza has become well known for his postgoal celebrations holding his fingers a loft in the sign of a cross. >> What is actually faith? Explain to them what it does.
¶46>> This is Eza being interviewed for Sky Sports. >> Faith is confidence in what you have not yet seen and an assurance that it's going to come. M >> so that faith is a foundation. It's a it's a pillar for me in my life. Um of course because of my Christian background and how I've grown up.
¶47>> So mainstream sports channels are featuring players talking about their faith. Meanwhile, Thanksgiving to God has become so ubiquitous in post-match interviews that the broadcasters are barely trying to edit it out any longer. From the outspoken faith of Mark Guy and Antoine Semeno at Manchester City to Ben Ganondoke at AFC Bournemouth to this moment when former Crystal Palace captain Joel Ward gave a changing room speech after their FA Cup win. I would argue that some of the most unlikely but effective evangelists of our generation are playing for Premier League teams. for me um from day one and something that's I hold dearly is obviously my faith um and in Jeremiah 29:11 it talks about how God has a plan and a purpose for our lives and you may not believe you may not look at scripture or you may not have that but personally I believe that everyone here is here for a reason.
¶48>> Are you ready for my final piece of evidence? This may be the most important one of all. Number seven, influencers and [music] intellectuals are finding God. Yes, this is the culmination of our countdown of reasons why the rebirth is not dead, deceased, pushing up the daisies, or shuffling off this mortal coil anytime soon. And this time, it's not a statistic or survey I'm going to point to, but rather the many stories being shared of people who, to their own great surprise, are finding God.
¶49>> Um, and I have since writing the book, um, become a Christian. >> This is female rights advocate and journalist Louise Perry. When I spoke to her for my podcast a few years ago about her best-selling book, The Case Against the Sexual Revolution, she told me she was attracted to Christian faith, but that her disenchanted brain struggled to accept its supernatural claims. In this recent interview, she explains what's changed. >> I I was for a long time persuaded that Christianity is what I like to call sociologically true in the sense that Christian societies tend to flourish and um obeying Christian um directives tends to like be the right choice in terms of [laughter] the you know like the fact that marriage is monogous marriage is on really good for individuals and societies and for children is one example right and I have a chapter in the book called called marriage is good on this theme that doesn't necessarily mean that Christianity is supernaturally true but if it were supernaturally true you would expect it to be sociologically true, >> if that makes sense.
¶50Um, and observing quite how sociologically true it is was very persuasive. >> Alongside Louise Perry, you could add a long list of other public intellectuals coming to faith. Ayan Hersy Ali, Neil Ferguson, Charles Murray, Paul Kingsorth, among others. Also finding their way to God are a steady stream of influencers talking about their own journey towards faith. >> You know, I've been struggling, man.
¶51I've the past like couple years I've had, you know, it's been a struggle. >> This is comedian Theo Vaughn in a serious moment opening up to his 5 million YouTube subscribers. >> You know, sometimes I I realized for myself, I would pray to God to help me get away from certain behaviors in my life. Uh but at the same time that I was praying, there would be a part of me that knew I was probably going to do those things again. And there's a story called John 5 and it's about a guy who's at these pools.
¶52There's a sick man there and he's been sick for a long time. And um and Jesus a and Jesus asks him, "Do you want to be healed?" He asks him, "Do do you want to be healed?" And that's a crazy question because you know if I get healed then I'm different. So, that's just been something that I've been having to ask myself. It's like, yeah, do I want to be healed? Do I really want something different?
¶53And sometimes a a lot of the answer is no. I don't I want something different, but I don't want to. I don't know if I'm scared of I don't know what I am. I don't know if I don't want to do what it takes to get. I I can't even tell what it is.
¶54It's hard for me. This Some of this stuff's a little bit hard for me to say, I think. I don't even know why, but I I think I want a new story. Another Gen Z podcaster sharing his surprising rebirth journey recently is Joe Weller. For several years, he's been occasionally updating his 5 million YouTube subscribers on his own dabbling in spirituality, psychedelics, well-being, and more.
¶55>> This surely is the end of a fight. >> It haunted me for years, bro. like it it was it was it was the worst night of my life by short. But something I realized is that when we feel like we've got no purpose, we do tend to look for pleasure in distraction. It's a case of like surrendering going I surrender to God.
¶56>> Getting into the mode of surrendering is >> very important apparently for the IASCAR experience. And >> I got really bad and it got to a point where I was just like I'm just going to surrender to God. Then [music] in June this year came this. >> I just want to say that I have been saved by the Lord Jesus Christ. And it is the best thing that has ever happened to me.
¶57Never. Never did I think I'd be saying those [music] words coming on here declaring that I thought it was all something else. I thought it was a load of nonsense. But when it makes sense, it [music] really does make sense. I have tried everything, everything to try and feel genuinely fulfilled and at peace.
¶58Spirituality, diet, travel, here, there, everywhere, work, fame, money. I have tried [music] everything that seems like it could work for me. And he never ever gave up. He never gave up when I [music] was at rock bottom. And he was the only place left to turn.
¶59He has [music] genuinely transformed me. He has renewed my mind. [music] He is the truth, the way, the life that we are all searching for. And I'm just so thankful [music] and grateful that he never gave up on me. I love you.
¶60Have a great day. >> Joe Weller's very public and sometimes emotional confessions of faith have divided his audience. Many are glad to see him arrive at a place of peace. Others think he's lost his mind. In the end, the truth of the matter is between Joe and God.
¶61And we'll wait to see how the young podcaster's story turns out in the long run. But what is hopefully obvious to everyone is that stories like these of intellectuals and influencers sharing surprising conversions with their millions of followers didn't used to happen. Something has changed. Three years ago, when I launched my book and podcast series, The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God, I had very little hard statistical evidence to back up my thesis that there was a surprising rebirth of belief in God underway. I certainly sensed a vibe shift in the public conversation on God.
¶62The new atheism of Dawkins and Co was in retreat and a new breed of public intellectuals open to the value of Christianity was on the rise. I sensed in that sense a vibe shift. But I had more anecdotes than data. But the past 3 years have seen an extraordinary explosion of data stories, surveys, and trends well beyond what I ever envisioned when I published my book and began this podcast. But it's been a roller coaster of a ride.
¶63The religious vibe shift has overlapped with a political vibe shift leaving many people concerned about the rise of a spiritually corrupt form of Christian nationalism. So there are significant challenges to be navigated and the data itself has been disputed and indeed the recent withdrawal of the quiet revival was another major twist in [music] the rebirth story. So we need to be careful and cautious not to overstate things. But today, [music] I've tried to show at least seven specific instances where there is evidence [music] that a rebirth is still underway. To recap, the French Catholic [music] boom, the growing numbers of converts in UK church streams, the Scandinavian upturn, the rise [music] in Bible sales and Christian music streaming, the markers of Gen Z openness, the rebirth in football, [music] and finally, the many stories of intellectuals and influencers finding faith.
¶64No, this does not amount to a revival, [music] but I think we're still perfectly justified to talk about a rebirth. There are signs across a whole range of metrics, demographics, trends, and [music] indeed countries that show that something is stirring, especially among young people. Now, does any of this prove that [music] Christianity is true? Well, of course not. But the opportunities allowing people [music] to investigate, explore, and indeed experience whether it could be true, well, those seem to be opening up [music] as never before.
¶65I'd love to hear whether you agree with me. Are you seeing signs [music] of a rebirth? Let me know in the comments. And if you'd like more Thinking Faith videos, give this [music] one a like and subscribe to my channel. Plus, if you want an even deeper dive into the new conversation [music] on God in our culture and today's topic, then dive into my documentary podcast series, [music] The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God.
¶66You can find the link to the show with today's video. And by the way, would you like a free chapter from my books? Well, if you register for my newsletter, I'll email them to you. And finally, if you become a supporter of my work, you'll get bonus content, early access to episodes, and at gold level, [music] signed copies of both my books. Again, the links to do that are with this video.
¶67For now, I'm Justin Bryley from Think Faith. [music] Thanks for watching, and see you next time. [music] >> [music] [music]