Evangelism

Gen Z is the least religious cohort in American history. 43% of this generation born roughly between 1996 and 2012 identify as religious “nones.” While there have been many reports since Charlie Kirk’s assassination indicating increased interest in religion and increased church attendance, according to statistician Ryan Burge, there is not yet statistical evidence of religious revival among young people.

There is, however, ample evidence that these Zoomers are looking for meaning and willing to reconsider religion. Specifically, though these trends may not be large enough to be captured in statistics, there seems to be a growing interest in more rigorous forms of faith.

In a recent article in Tablet magazine, Ani Wilcenski, a Zoomer herself, examined this phenomenon. While acknowledging that Gen Z is less religious than previous generations, Wilcenski, researched those bucking that trend, including converts to Islam, Jews who are becoming more observant, Latin Mass Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and others who are joining stricter, more traditional religious groups.

According to Wilcenski, Gen Z has been raised with the “illusion of infinite horizons,” and grew up “without sturdy institutions or fulfilling rites of passage.” As a result, for this generation, “[e]verything—career, identity, relationships—unfolds as a series of self-directed experiments,” something that has been labeled “liquid modernity.” Sociologist Zygmunt Bauman coined that phrase to describe the experience of life as unstable and non-permanent, without fixed distinctions, and no foundation for cultivating identity.

The experience of “liquid modernity” is why, according to Wilcenski, the ideological capture of Gen Z has been so comprehensive. For example, nearly one-quarter of the generation identify as LGBTQ, up nearly 20 points from previous generations. Ideology gives the illusion of a solid cause and offers a purpose for life where otherwise there is none.

Of course, that is the role religion traditionally played in Western culture. As Wilcenski noted, the draw of religion is that it provides a firm source of virtue and belonging, focus, and a sense of permanence. That’s what the Zoomers who are exploring more demanding forms of faith are most likely seeking.

As Wilcenski put it,

These faiths don’t adapt to the age—they expect the age to conform to them. Their rituals inconvenience, their authorities override preference, their truths don’t negotiate. And in a society allergic to absolutes, that refusal to dilute themselves holds a powerful magnetism.

As an example, Wilcenski quoted a 23-year-old woman who explained her decision to join a Carmelite monastery in Plough magazine: “I figured if I was going to do something crazy for our Lord I might as well go all in.” Like Wilcenski, the Plough article noted that young women who join strict religious orders are committing to something stable and permanent.

According to Wilcenski, when the Gen Zers turning to religion offer reasons why, they

sound more like escapes from modern chaos than declarations of faith…. [T]heir newfound religiosity is less about belief than about orienting life around something ultimate—something greater than the self.

That, of course, also leaves them vulnerable to religious falsehoods. Remember, Wilcenski not only researched conversions to Christianity but also to conservative forms of Judaism and Islam. The desire to escape “liquid modernity” says nothing about the genuineness of any faith that follows. The same motivation can explain the growing number of young men who are embracing political extremism, from Antifa to white nationalism.

It has long been the case that laxer forms of religion have declined while more demanding forms have grown or at least declined more slowly. The divide within this segment of Gen Z seems to be even more pronounced. This group will not be interested in churches that accommodate themselves to American culture. The seeker-sensitive model will not work. It probably never has.

The Church must be countercultural, unapologetic about even the weird things we believe, and unafraid to ask for serious commitment from people. It needs to explore the depths of the Gospel; it must explain life and its meaning, including hard truths about the human condition, rather than offer only shallow therapeutic or pragmatic applications. A church that does this will not only be able to counter destructive ideologies vying for all generations but will also be able to offer meaning and stability to a generation that is looking for both.

The death of actor James Van Der Beek on Wednesday at the age of 48 has resurfaced a moving and revealing post that he shared last year on his birthday.

It was March of 2025 and Van Der Beek, who was married and raising 6 children, was in the midst of a battle with Stage 3 colorectal cancer. 

“Today’s my birthday, and it has been the hardest year of my life,” James told his fans.

“When I was younger, I used to define myself as an actor, which was never really all that fulfilling. And then I became a husband, and that was much better. And then I became a father, and that was the ultimate,” he said. 

James and Kimberly have six young children: Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah.

“I could define myself then as a loving, capable, strong, supportive husband, father, provider, steward of the land that we’re so lucky to live on,” he shared. “And for a long time, that felt like a really good definition to the question, ‘Who am I? What am I?’ And then this year, I had to look my own mortality in the eye. I had to come nose to nose with death.”

Van Der Beek went on to share how the strain of treatments had stripped him of those familiar and familial responsibilities. He could no longer act, put his children to bed — even trim the trees on their property. 

“And so I was faced with the question,” he continued. “If I am just a too-skinny, weak guy alone in an apartment with cancer, what am I?”

After prayer and meditation, the actor revealed that he had concluded, “I am worthy of God’s love, simply because I exist … And the same is true for you.”

In an interview this past summer, James shared:

Based on some of Van Der Beek’s other comments, he appears to have been on a spiritual journey, growing and maturing as he gained a more fulsome understanding of how our faith serves as the foundation of the Christian life.

Difficult and challenging news has a way of helping us refine and clarify priorities. This is what Pastor Rick Warren was getting at when he spoke at a commencement ceremony at Oral Roberts University. He shared:

Following his passing, James’ family posted the following statement:

We invite you to pray for Kimberly, their six children, and extended family.

Are some pastors and evangelical leaders conveniently ignoring many social and moral cultural issues — but then willing to jump into the fray when it’s deemed safe and even politically popular to do so?

After a firestorm erupted last week over an offensive social media share from President Trump (one that he later condemned, deleted and said he had not seen in its entirety), a good many Christian leaders denounced the post. Yet some of those same individuals have remained otherwise largely silent on a host of horrific and culturally destructive developments.

Then there is Dr. Albert Mohler, one evangelical leader who reliably and consistently offers pastoral perspective and cultural guidance on a wide range of issues. He doesn’t shy away from difficult topics or stories. To borrow the old sporting phrase, he calls it like he sees it. 

Earlier this week on The Briefing, the Southern Seminary president’s daily podcast, Dr. Mohler, relevant to President Trump’s post, opined on the importance of preserving and maintaining the dignity of the presidency:

The President also needs to understand that in order to maintain the political authority he has, even the political authority in his own party, the political authority that emanates from the Oval Office, he needs to add dignity continually to his administration, rather than to allow by any source that dignity to be subverted and minimized and compromised. 

I think this is a good lesson for all of us, regardless of the responsibility we bear. The President of the United States bears an entirely unique responsibility on behalf of the entire nation. But as Christians, I think we do understand that dignity in this respect, again, human dignity in the Imago Dei that’s non-negotiable.

Dr. Mohler enjoys enormous credibility and influence because he’s a fearless, dependable, and unapologetic defender of the faith. He’s blunt and forthright but also possesses Christian charity — he recognizes human foibles, gives individuals the benefit of the doubt, and works every day to translate the world through the lens of God’s Word. 

It remains both curious and frustrating when pastors or evangelical leaders ignore the unfettered killing of preborn children, the hijacking of marriage, and the sexual mutilation of minors as part of the transgender revolution. With their silence they’re not only forfeiting their platform but also abdicating their responsibility as spiritual shepherds of their flocks.

Moral issues are not partisan. The world may have politicized the subjects of abortion, marriage and human sexuality — but that doesn’t mean those topics are forbidden to be discussed in the pulpit. 

In fact, it’s all the more reason they should be unpacked and explained. People in the pews are hungry for relevant and practical cultural translation. The Bible can speak to everything that is unfolding. It makes no sense why a pastor should stay silent while speaking inside his church about what’s happening outside its doors.

We need Christian leaders who will speak up consistently and not just when they may have a political ax to grind.