Evangelism

Religion Increasingly Important to Young Men, Gallup Finds

Young men are increasingly turning to that “Old Time Religion.” Faith is becoming more important to young men, who now surpass young women in saying religion is “very important” to their lives, a new poll from Gallup finds.

More young men today say religion is “very important” to their own lives than at any point in the last 25 years. The share of young men proclaiming the importance of religion has skyrocketed 14% in just the last three years, rising from 28% in 2022 to 42% today. This is a positive development indeed.

In fact, young men are now far more likely than young women (29%) to say religion is “very important” to them. This is also a departure from previous trends, where more young women said religion was “very important” to them, compared to young men, from 2000 to 2020.

As Gallup summarizes,

Young women were significantly more attached to religion than young men were at the start of the millennium, leading by nine percentage points (52% vs. 43%) in calling religion “very important” in their lives. That gap widened to as much as 16 points in the early to mid-2000s before steadily narrowing over the next decade. …
The most recent data mark a clear break, with young men now surpassing young women on this measure of religious importance.

This turning of the tide among men is unique to Gen Z. Among adults age 30 and older, women remain more religious than men, according to Gallup.

The polling organization notes the decline in religiosity among young women:

Young women, by contrast, are now by far the least religious women. At 29% calling religion very important, women aged 18-29 trail the next-least religious group, 30- to 49-year-old women, by 18 points and are less than half as likely as senior women to say religion is very important.

Forty percent of young men report attending religious services at least monthly, compared to 39% of young women. This is the highest reported number for young men since 2012.

Gallup adds that most young men (63%) report affiliating with a specific religion – including Catholic, Protestant, Judaism or another religion. This is virtually unchanged from the 61% who said the same in 2022, but it is up substantially from the 57% who said so in 2016 “and is the highest recorded for young men since 2012-2013.”

What should Christians take away from all this new data?

First, it’s undoubtedly good news that young men are turning back to religion, especially since adults’ self-claimed religiosity has been in decline for years. Many young men, unattracted by the rot offered by much of today’s culture, seem to be looking for transcendent meaning amid the cultural ruin. And that deserves praise.

Second, Gallup’s data (taken from 2024 and 2025) was largely collected before Charlie Kirk’s assassination on September 10, 2025. Call it the “Charlie Kirk effect,” it’s possible that, in future survey data, we will see Gen Z men returning to faith in even greater numbers.

Third, while it’s good young men are turning to religion in general, there is only one true religion – the faith founded by Jesus Christ. As He taught, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6, ESV).

Christians – both young and old – should view this interest in religion among Gen Z men as a perfect opportunity to engage them in conversation, answer their questions, pray with them and guide them towards faith in the One for whom we “count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus [our] Lord” (Phil. 3:8, ESV).

Related articles and resources:

The Benham Brothers: Sharing the Christian Faith, Bold and Broken

Street-Smart Faith: Speaking Truth with Grace

Is Religious Faith Gaining Influence in America?

Young Men Are Returning to Church

Why Gen Z “Nones” Are Reconsidering Religion

More Young Adults Turning to Faith After Pandemic, Study Finds

Photo from Shutterstock.

Speaker Mike Johnson Helps Kick Off ‘America Reads the Bible’ in D.C.

Close to 500 people, individuals ranging from President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson to government leaders and everyday citizens, are delving into God’s Word this week as part of “America Reads the Bible” – a nationwide movement spearheaded by the non-profit organization “Christians Engaged.”

Focus on the Family’s Tim Goeglein will also be participating. 

The prelude to the historic event began on Saturday night at Washington, D.C.’s National Community Church. Coinciding with the celebration of America’s 250th birthday this coming July, the kickoff event featured teaching from historian David Barton and corporate worship led by Leeland Mooring. Actresses Candace Cameron Bure and Patricia Heaton, along with Hollywood producers Cameron and BJ Arnett, also addressed those gathered.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who helped kick things off on Sunday morning at the Museum of the Bible by reading from Genesis, also spoke on Saturday evening. During his remarks, he shared a personal testimony of how his fireman father’s tragic injury back when he was a boy compelled him to turn to God in desperation.

“My father was burned so badly and so severely, he was permanently disabled in the fire, but at the time, he had a 5% chance to live,” Johnson recalled. “When I was age 12, I got down on my face before the Lord, and I pleaded for the life of my father. He spared my father’s life, and he went on to live another 30-plus years.”

Speaker Johnson, a strong Christian who regularly invokes God’s Word in speeches and interviews, suggests the Lord used that trauma in a redeeming and personal way. 

“That event, that moment in my life, made the promises of Scripture so true,” he said. “I actually saw a miracle. It’s a long story. There’s actually a book written about this experience with my father. It was a miraculous set of circumstances, and God answered our prayers. And to me, from the time I was 12 years old, I knew that God’s Word is flawless and true, that these are real promises, that we can rely upon it.”

President Trump is also participating. His portion will be airing on Tuesday evening between 6 and 7 p.m. ET. Last week, from the Oval Office, he read from 2 Chronicles 7:11-22, which includes the familiar verse:

… if my people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 

In a statement released prior to Saturday night’s festivities, President Trump noted and affirmed the foundational underpinnings of Scripture in America’s founding.

“In every generation, through every trial and triumph, God’s Word has guided our people and our country to incredible new heights,” the 45th and 47th president stated.  During the first inauguration, George Washington, setting a precedent for all future Presidents, put his left hand on the Bible and took the oath of office, after which he kissed the Bible.”

He then added:  

“Of the many influences that have shaped the United States of America into a distinctive Nation and people, none may be said to be more fundamental and enduring than the Bible.”

Other members of the Trump administration expected to read from the Old and New Testaments includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, HUD Secretary Scott Turner, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles. 

You don’t have to be in Washington, D.C., to participate. The marathon Bible reading can be streamed in real time via the Pure Flix app from Great American Media.

Critics and skeptics have tried to diminish “America Reads the Bible” by labeling it performative and simply a public relations stunt in an election year. To be sure, God is not mocked (Galatians 6:7), and anytime His Word is read aloud in public is a very good thing and a wonderful opportunity for hearts and minds to be transformed by the sheer power of its sound.

Please join us in praying for this outreach.

We Cannot Ignore the Plight of Nigerian Christians Being Slaughtered By Islamic Terrorists

British actor and comedian John Cleese is known for making audiences laugh, but he’s recently emerged as one of the few celebrities speaking out and taking the horrific slaughtering of Christians in Nigeria with the dire seriousness it deserves – but also applying an edge in order to call attention to the ongoing genocide.

“It looks rather as though Black Lives Don’t Matter,” wrote Cleese on X. 

You would be forgiven for not knowing that 26 Christians were killed on Easter in the African country located on the Gulf of Guinea. This followed the Palm Sunday massacre of a dozen believers in the mostly Christian city of Jos, located in the country’s north-central region. 

The media has been largely silent on the tragedy, despite the fact that more than 70 percent of the nearly 5,000 Christians killed for their faith around the world last year were living in Nigeria.

Wrote Sean Feucht, the Christian music leader and global missionary, “Churches burned. Women and children abducted. The world stays silent.”

Christians in Nigeria are being targeted and murdered by radical Islamic terrorists – including Boko Haram and criminal militant gangs, who rape women and kidnap believers in the hope of receiving ransoms for their return. Many of the thugs carrying out the attacks are believed to have been inspired by ISIS.

In response, the Trump administration has labeled Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern,” a designation given to nations known for religious persecution. While President Biden and his administration referred to the complexity of the region, President Trump has been far blunter in his assessment. He recently acknowledged the threat, stating, “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter.”

Some cultural critics have maintained that the violence in Nigeria is driven by crime and greed, not necessarily by religious persecution. Yet, if that’s the case, why are the Islamic terrorists attacking Christian church services, in many cases asking victims their religious affiliation, and calling those who disagree with them “infidels”?

The Boko Haram terrorist group’s stated mission has been to replace the Nigerian state with an Islamic caliphate – a Muslim government based on Sharia law. And what does that even look like? Sharia law prohibits the public display or practice of Christianity and bans any type of sharing of the Christian faith. Muslims who are discovered to have converted to Christianity are to be killed. 

As Christians in America, we can understandably feel helpless as our brothers and sisters are killed for their faith around the world. It’s a heavy and ongoing story with so many tragic endings. It’s tempting to try and block it out of our minds, but we must resist the urge to look away.

Our fellow believers in Nigeria are in desperate need of our prayers. We can and should make it a daily practice of lifting their dire situation up to the Lord. He hears our prayers. Wrote King David, “The Lord has heard my pleas; the Lord accepts my prayers” (Psalm 6:9).

In addition, our government can continue to apply diplomatic and political pressure, implement targeted financial sanctions, and tie any aid to the assurance of protection of Christians.   

It can sometimes feel as though prayer is the least effective of all the tactics in the toolbox – but we know differently. “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working,” wrote James (5:16). May we urgently plead the crisis of our brothers and sisters in Nigeria: 

“Lord, hear our prayer!”

Photo credit: Light Oriye Tamunotonye/AFP via Getty Images

NASA Astronaut Reid Wiseman: ‘My Daughters Are My Whole Life’

Reid Wiseman, a NASA astronaut and retired U.S. Navy Captain, is currently hurtling through space aboard a small spacecraft, Integrity, along with his three crewmates.

The 50-year-old commander of the Artemis II mission has faced a long journey, both physically – travelling nearly 700,000 miles to the moon and back – and emotionally. He lost his wife, Carroll, in 2020 after a five-year-long battle with cancer.

Wiseman, now a single parent, considers his time as an astronaut and only parent simultaneously his “greatest challenge and the most rewarding phase of his life.”

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – APRIL 01: Commander Reid Wiseman (L) takes a photo with his family as he walks out of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building ahead of the launch of the Artemis II at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on April 01, 2026 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The retired Navy Captain was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and was selected by NASA as an astronaut in 2009. Reid experienced his first spaceflight in 2014 as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station during a 165-day mission, where he helped complete over 300 scientific experiments while orbiting the globe.

According to NASA, Wiseman’s wife, Carroll, “dedicated her life to helping others as a newborn intensive care unit Registered Nurse.”

In a video released by NASA, Wiseman acknowledged the difficulty of losing his wife and subsequently raising two daughters while continuing to be an astronaut.

“By far, the biggest challenge was losing my wife in 2020 to cancer. And now, raising two daughters, who are grown up now, but that’s been the biggest challenge by far I’ve ever had to face.”

“It is not easy being an only parent, trying to work a full-time job, and raising two kids. It is something that I think about every single day.”

According to The Baltimore Banner, Wiseman stepped back from active flight duty while his wife was sick but returned to the flight rotation in November 2022.

Before the Artemis II mission, Wiseman explained that heading back to space, now as a single father, felt even more difficult, and required him to prepare his daughters, age 20 and 17, for the risks.

“I went on a walk with my kids, and I told them, ‘Here’s where the will is, here’s where the trust documents are, and if anything happens to me, here’s what’s going to happen to you,’” Wiseman shared in a January news conference. “That’s just a part of this life.”

“My girls are my whole life,” he told Johns Hopkins Magazine.

On March 30, just two days before liftoff, commander Wiseman shared a photo of himself and his two daughters below the Artemis II rocket that would launch him and his three crewmates around the moon.

“I love these two ladies, and I’m boarding that rocket a very proud father,” he wrote.

Bill Wiseman, commander Reid’s father, was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer in 2020. But he was determined to see his son fly to the moon. “I wanted to stay alive to see it,” Bill shared.

At 6:35 p.m. EST on April 1, Bill Wiseman got that chance, as Artemis II launched from Cape Canaveral on its 10-day journey around the moon.

On April 6, just after breaking the record for farthest distance any humans have traveled from Earth, Wiseman and his crewmates, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hanson, proposed naming a crater on the moon.

“It’s a bright spot on the moon,” Hanson described in a call back to Houston, “and we would like to call it Carroll.”

Wiseman later shared in an interview from space what that moment meant for him.

In a statement to the Daily Citizen, Glenn Lutjens, a licensed family therapist in Focus on the Family’s counseling department, shared advice for parents who find themselves suddenly single.

“Give your kids the freedom to grieve whatever losses they encounter in life,” Lutjens told us. “Also, encourage them to look at whatever is true beyond their pain.”

He added,

Realize that you can’t be mom and dad to your children. There may be people in your community or church who can come alongside you to help mentor and support them if you ask.

“Remember that if you’re a Christian, in a real sense, you do have a spouse,” Lutjens continued. “You are part of the bride of Christ! Depend on Him daily and let your kids know who He is.”

Please join us in continuing to pray for the four astronauts aboard Integrity as they’re scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean at 8:07 p.m. EST today.

To speak with a family help specialist or request resources, please call us at 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).

Related articles and resources:

Counseling Consultation & Referrals

Practical Hope and Help for the Single Parent

Thriving as a Single Parent

A Single Dad: Unplugged

One Single Dad’s Story

Astronaut Victor Glover Proclaims Greatest Commandment From Space

NASA Astronaut Victor Glover: ‘There are No Atheists on Top of Rockets’

NASA Astronaut Victor Glover: “We Need Jesus”

Photo from Getty Images.

Walking Through the Storm: Shannon Bream’s Story of Faith, Pain and Purpose

Growing up as a young girl in Tallahassee, Florida, Fox News’ Shannon Bream enjoyed arguing and debating – so much so, in fact, that her parents suggested she’d be well suited for a career in law.

“I grew up in a very strict household, where secular music was forbidden,” she recalled.“If we didn’t sing it at church, it was pretty much off-limits.”

That structured childhood revolved around the Christian faith and a predictable atmosphere at home. “[My mother] taught me that my Heavenly Father’s acceptance was the only thing I really needed in life.”

It was at Liberty University where Shannon met Sheldon, her now husband of 30 years. Sheldon was diagnosed with a brain tumor shortly after their engagement. Concerned he would be a burden, he offered to break things off. Shannon refused. 

“I’m not walking away,” she told him. “I am walking with you.”

The tumor proved to be benign, but required multiple surgeries and resulted in facial paralysis. It was a long recovery and a journey that only brought them closer. 

“He’s my rock, my strength, my protector, my calm in the storm,” Shannon Bream has said of Sheldon. “He’s who I stack my heroes up against”.

Greg Laurie recently asked Shannon what advice she would give her younger self. She replied:

If I’m talking back to myself in time, into my 20s, my teens, those kinds of places, [I would say] ‘Don’t be in such a hurry. The Lord has got everything figured out. You don’t have to figure everything out.

‘You can trust him. He’s a good father. He’s a good God, and you’re going through some really tough valleys physically, professionally, personally, but it’s all weaving together. There’s purpose to all of it. I think our God is too good to put us or allow us to walk through pain without purpose. So just hang in there.’

You may not know it from catching her as host of Fox News Sunday, but Bream has also navigated her own health challenges, including a chronic disease. Shannon suffers from an incurable genetic disorder that causes chronic eye pain. It’s called “Map-Dot-Fingerprint Corneal Dystrophy” – a condition that leads to cornea abrasions.

Dealing with great pain, Shannon said she has prayed for healing and relief.

“What He did give me is a promise as I was sobbing in my car one day, hearing Him say to me, not audibly, but unmistakably in my spirit, ‘I’ll be with you. I will be with you,’” she said. “And that’s been enough.”

Before pursuing television news, Bream graduated from Florida State University College of Law and then worked for several years at a firm in Tampa dealing with corporate cases involving race discrimination and sexual harassment. She finally decided to try and connect her love of the law with her love of the news, took some journalism classes, and landed an internship at a Florida news station.

“It took a lot of people telling me ‘no,’ and ‘there’s no way you can do this,’ and ‘you can’t do this and be a lawyer,’” Bream reflected. 

Shannon Bream was hired by Fox News in 2007 to cover the Supreme Court. Other assignments and opportunities within the network soon followed. 

In addition to her television responsibilities, Bream is a bestselling author of numerous books including her latest, “Nothing Is Impossible with God: Eleven Heroes. One God. Endless Lessons in Overcoming.” Other titles have included, “The Women of the Bible Speak,” and “The Mothers and Daughters of the Bible Speak.”

Shannon Bream credits her mother with not only introducing her to her Christian faith, but also instilling in her a confidence that has sustained her. “She told me how valuable I was, how nothing could separate me from God’s love, and that God had someone just as amazing out there waiting for me. There was heavy emphasis on the ‘waiting’ part, since I wouldn’t be allowed to date until I’d secured a Ph.D.”

Bream recently told CBN that she doesn’t start her day reading news or plunging into politics. “I have to start my day in the Word, in prayer.” She strives to not only let her faith provide perspective amidst the pain – but also help guide her through political turmoil on the job. 

“We’re not called to carry out anyone’s political or news agenda,” she said. “As believers, we’re called to carry out Christ’s agenda, which is to reach people.”

“If you demonize one way or the other, you’re not having conversations that would bring them to God’s grace and love. And really, that has to be more important than any other fight that we want to win during our day.”