About this episode

The episode explores the resurgence of Christianity in modern society and its implications.

Lots of people are converting to Christianity and, across the country, church attendance is increasing. While the numbers vary, one survey shows the number of people attending church at least once a month is up from eight per cent in 2018 to 12 per cent in 2024. Perhaps most notably, the survey shows a quadrupling of attendance among Gen Zers, aged 18 to 24, from four per cent to 16 per cent. The story of modern society has often been told as a rise of secularism and atheism, but after the peak of new atheism in the early 2010s, trends are now reversing. From sold-out events on faith with musician Nick Cave and historian Tom Holland to a swath of new books on the place of god in society, there is public appetite for grappling with religion. Some argue that this is a ‘quiet revival’ driven mainly by changing perceptions of religion and a collective search for meaning in modern societies that are increasingly individualistic and atomised. Others point to public figures like Jordan Peterson and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, for whom Christianity is part of a larger project to save Western civilisation. Others still argue that there is something distinct and more therapeutic about modern forms of…

Topics covered

• Christianity
• secularism
• Gen Z
• religion
• cultural revival

Keywords

• Christianity
• church attendance
• Gen Z
• secularism
• religious revival

More episodes of Academy of Ideas

• Online dating: the end of romance? · July 20, 2026 · 47 min
• World Cup Podcast of Ideas, episode 4: after that semi-final · July 16, 2026 · 38 min
• Controlling the narrative? · July 16, 2026 · 1h 26m
• The problem with defining Islamophobia · July 13, 2026 · 1h 33m
• Should there be a mental-health professional in every school? · July 10, 2026 · 1h 34m
• Is Germany ready for revolt? · July 6, 2026 · 1h 31m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Academy of Ideas podcast page.