Revival?
This week I’ve heard a couple of people speaking about the expectation of a Christian revival in the West.
I think the first was Justine Brierley and his book The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God . Brierley points to a number of people who seem to be moving closer to Christian faith.? There is Tom Holland, the historian who has moved closer to Christianity following a health scare.? Some like poet Paul Kingsnorth, comedian Russell Brand, writer Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and tech pioneer Jordan Hall have? become Christians. Brierley also point to the congregation at St Bart’s Church in London seeming to consist mainly of young professionals, something different from the demographics of many churches. Some have mentioned that “Tom Holland’s thesis that Christianity is the foundation on which the ethics of the West sits” has affected their decisions.
Brierley also points to influencers…are increasingly talking about the value of Christian faith, calling for a return to traditional Christian morality, championing the value of faith in the midst of a ‘meaning crisis’ in the West, “speaking about the value of Christianity...as a source of deep wisdom about the human condition”.[1]
But some half-baked pseudo-version… a ‘cosplay’ at Christianity (Tom Holland’s phrase), or Christianity as a useful political tool, or the co-opting Christianity in the cause of an anti-woke agenda, will not have the effect of changing the world. Any kind of revival needs to be authentic.
Before he died Tim Keller wrote in The Atlantic that he believed the US was due for a revival.[2] In his video explaining his decision to be baptised, Russell Brand claimed “I know a lot of people are cynical about the increasing interest in Christianity and the return to God. But for me it’s obvious. As meaning deteriorates in the modern world. As our value systems and institutions crumble, all of us becoming increasingly aware that there is this eerily familiar awakening and beckoning figure that we’ve all known all our lives…”[3]
In his recent blog about Russell Brand’s imminent baptism, pastor and writer Stephen McAlpine admits, “After all it’s not as if our erstwhile orthodox denominations are knocking it out of the park when it comes to revival, conversion, or even maintaining the percentage of adherents we already have. Face it Western church – we’re pretty much tanking (Yes, you too small “r” reformed evangelicals with a bit of cultural savvy and good coffee)”.[4]
Brierley admits to the “decline of religiosity [in the West]. Churchgoing in some denominations has been in free fall for decades. Yet one recent piece of research has given [him] pause for thought. In Finland, church attendance among 18- to 29-year-old men more than doubled between 2011 and 2019.”
So what can we say?? There are a number of personalities being drawn to the Christian faith, acknowledging its historical effect on the West. Are the St Bart’s and Finnish examples statistical outliers or are they a taste of things to come?
Most of the examples given have come from the UK and the States. But what of Australia?
The US is more religious than the UK or Australia with those who claim the Christian religion as 68%, 59.9% and 43.9% respectively.[5] This suggests that overt Christian faith is more acceptable as a norm in the US and UK than in Australia.? Perhaps this explains why the personalities, thinkers and influencers come from the former rather than the latter.
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One cannot say that any of these three nations have been adversely affected by the increase of non-Christian faiths.? The percentage of people from faiths other than Christian are what you’d expect in a modern democracy – about 20%.? Rather the status that largely offsets Christianity in all three countries is that of No Religion 21% (UK), 25.7% (US) & 38.9% (Aus).? Together with the lowest percentage of those claiming the Christian faith (43.9%) and the highest percentage of those shunning religion (38.9%), I’m not sure that Australia has anywhere the critical mass to match the seemingly growing interest in Christianity in the US and UK.? While its rarely a good idea to look at what’s happening elsewhere and applying here in ‘Girt by Sea’ we must always remember that “Christendom has had a series of revolutions and in each one of them Christianity has died. Christianity has died many times and risen again; for it had a God who knew the way out of the grave.” (GK Chesterton).[6]
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[3] Russell Brand announces he is getting baptized as Christian | Entertainment News (christianpost.com)
[5] Gallup 2022, UK Census 2011, Aus Census 2021
[6] The Everlasting Man, 1925