Spiritual revival in response to turbulent times

WE live in such turbulent, unsettling times globally — whether it’s growing geopolitical tensions, dictatorships, ongoing wars or tragic assassinations.

We’re not doing so well at home either: economic turmoil, anger over immigration policy, Government sackings and a mental health crisis. The list goes on and on. What a mess we are in!

But it was still a surprise when a non-religious friend said as we met recently, “What this country needs is a spiritual revival!” And, remarkably, according to recent polling, this is what we may be seeing.

Newspaper headlines from broadsheets and tabloids in recent months have reported on findings from a YouGov national survey* from April 2025 that claims a significant rise in church attendance and spiritual engagement among young adults together with increased Bible reading.

The report indicates a turnaround from the long-held assumption of terminal church decline, with young adults becoming more spiritually engaged and a notable increase in attendance among young men.

One of the most significant findings was that in 2018, just four per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds said that they attended church at least monthly. Today, says the Quiet Revival report, this has risen to 16 per cent — a dramatic increase.

Mirroring these changes, the UK publishing world has been reporting a huge increase in sales of the Bible, which is already the runaway bestselling book of all time.

According to Nielsen BookScan data, UK Bible sales grew from £2.69 million in 2019 to £5.02 million in 2024 — an increase of £2.33 million over just four years.

In contrast, between 2008 and 2019, total yearly Bible sales increased by just £277,188, making the past four years one of the most significant periods of growth in recent history.

This dramatic rise highlights a renewed interest in Scripture, again driven largely by Generation Z— a group once considered distant from traditional religion.

It seems that younger people are rejecting the atheism, consumerism and general spiritual apathy of their parents and are hungry to find answers to the enormous problems the world faces.

Back to my friend’s comment about revival, it does seem like a general turning back to God is taking place. The Greek word metanoia in the Bible means “to have a new way of thinking”, and involves both changing your mind and taking positive action to follow that change. This word appears as “repentance” in our English Bibles, not a word commonly used around the dinner table, but I agree with him that this is what is needed for our culture.

Jesus’s first words in Mark’s gospel are “The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent (metanoia) and believe the good news!”

If the time has come for you to explore faith, and look for answers in this challenging world, here are some thoughts for the week. Contact me on jeremyb@dtwo.co.uk, get involved in a local church, or join us on our upcoming Alpha course https://alpha.org.uk/try

Have a good week!

*The Quiet Revival — www.biblesociety.org
.uk/research/quiet-revival