America is on a similar trajectory to Britain where I live in terms of challenges to the gospel and Christian identity. In post-Christian Britain we have been working hard to proclaim the gospel and make the case for the Christian faith, and something extraordinary is happening. This phenomenon is notable in the English-Speaking world people are waking up to the need for God, people are buying Bibles in such great numbers that it is making the news – there is a renaissance in belief in God. According to the Bible Society research published last week (2025) there is a dramatic increase in church going particularly amongst young men in the UK. In 2014 just 4% of 18-24’s said they attended church this has risen to 16% overall but among 18-24 males it has risen from 4% in 2014 to 21% in 2025. The Bible Society is calling this A quiet Revival. And I am seeing it in my travels. Young people and notably young men are discovering the Christian faith and coming to church.
When I think back to the 2010s and the work of apologetics then in America and the wider English speaking world atheism and in particular the new atheism was on the rise. But that tide has now turned. Take Aayan Hirsi Ali for example. She came to Europe as a young teen, escaping extremism and poverty in Somalia. As she grew up she was persuaded that there is no God and she emerged as a spokesperson for Atheism. She wrote the New York Times bestseller Infidel and rejected all faith. She shared stages with Richard Dawkins and other prominent atheists to speak about God not existing. In the last couple of years, she has come to faith in Jesus Christ and been baptised. She is speaking publicly about this and so Dawkins wanted to interview her about it. He confessed that he was hoping that she was interested in Christianity for what it might offer politically, structurally, culturally and morally. He did not anticipate her having encountered a powerful living God.
Richard Dawkins: “I’ve called you a political Christian, but from what you’ve just said, it sounds like you are more than just a political Christian. It sounds as though you actually believe it… You surely do not believe in the resurrection?”
Aayan Hirsi Ali: “I choose to believe that Jesus rose from the dead. That is a matter of choice. It’s a matter of going back to: Is there something or is there nothing? I think you start with there is nothing and yes, for years I agreed with you that there is nothing. But if you come round to the idea that there might be something much more powerful than we are, something that caused everything else, then something like Jesus rising out of the dead and these other miracles, Jesus being born of a virgin, for that higher power it is not a big deal.”
Richard Dawkins: “I came here to persuade you Aayan that you’re not a Christian. But I think you are a Christian.”
Public intellectuals are finding the Christian faith, and Gen Z are coming back to church. God is on the move and the question for church leaders is: are we ready? Are we prepared? 1 Peter 3:15 says “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you for the reason for the hope within.” Our congregations and teams need to be equipped to meet the moment in the culture, so that when people ask us, we are ready to lead them to Jesus, answer their sincere questions and usher in the move of God that has already begun.
Dr Amy Orr-Ewing is the founder of Advocate-Collective, host of the Lead Podcast and Distinguished Scholar at Wheaton College.
