Earlier this month, journalist Mark Tapscott who operates Hillfaith, a ministry to Congressional staffers, wrote a piece titled “Odds are you haven’t heard a word about the most important upheaval in American culture and politics.” He says Gen Z (born mid-Nineties to 2010) is becoming more religious.

Gen Z? Wishful thinking?

In support, Tapscott offers a Barna Report on Gen Z (September 2, 2025): “ For the first time in decades, younger adults—Gen Z and Millennials—are now the most regular churchgoers, outpacing older generations, who once formed the backbone of church attendance.”

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He also notes these other straws in the wind:

● College Campus Revivals: Events such as the 2023 Asbury Revival have inspired similar gatherings across various university campuses, characterized by spontaneous worship, prayer, and expressions of faith. Check out How Gen Z is Leading a Spiritual Awakening.  and A Rising Generation – The Growing Spiritual Interest Among Young People.

● Increased Faith Engagement: Surveys show a rising number of Gen Zers are identifying as Christian, with a corresponding drop in those identifying as “not religious.” See Are Gen Zers Becoming More Religious? and Five Reasons Gen Zers Are Primed For Revival.

● Bible Interest: There’s a growing interest among Gen Z in studying the Bible, seen as a move toward earnest, intentional seeking of God. Give a read to Why Gen Z Could be the Revival Generation, as well as Gen Z Embraces the Bible in Unexpected Global Spiritual Awakening.

● Missionary Fervor: Gen Z shows a heightened desire for spiritual disciplines and missionary zeal, indicating a strong purpose-driven approach to faith. This is examined in Rumblings of Revival Among Gen Z.

● Social Media Faith Journeys: Young believers are sharing personal faith journeys on platforms such as TikTok and other social media, creating a relatable and personable way to connect with others. Take another look at Are Gen Zers Becoming More Religious? “September 6, 2025”

Some more straws flying past:

● Silicon Valley lifting its eyes to the hills: From the Telegraph: “The omertà on Christianity now appears to be lifting. Dan Bladen, the chief executive of workplace software company Kadence, says there is no longer “any sense of people looking to hide their faith, like there might have been in the mid-2010s”. Jay Kim, the lead pastor at Silicon Valley’s Westgate Church, says he has seen a notable rise in the number of people with little religious background attending church groups.” (September 4, 2025)

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● Bible engagement is surging among the young. From Fox News: “The Bible is having a moment. It’s true: Younger generations are showing an unmistakable but surprising openness to the Bible…

“The UK’s Quiet Revival Report showed a 16% increase in church attendance among 18–24-year-olds — findings that “completely reverse the widely held assumption that the Church in England and Wales is in terminal decline,” according to the report’s coauthor. Bible sales grew 50% in Russia in 2024, following two straight years of record-breaking increases.” (August 17, 2025)

The growth in interest in the Bible is significant because anyone can do candles, incense and woo. Actually studying the Bible is work and, no surprise, its message is about costly commitment.

● There have been a number of unexpected conversions to Christianity in recent years:

Richard Dawkins’ Ex-Right-Hand Man Converts to Christianity: ‘Jesus Is Who He Says He Is’ “Josh Timonen, who helped launch Dawkins’ website and who traveled with him around the world, told apologist Ray Comfort in the new video that his atheistic beliefs began changing during the pandemic as he questioned everything he once believed. Dawkins, in his popular book The God Delusion, mentioned Timonen and thanked him for his work. Timonen’s name can be seen in multiple works by Dawkins, both print and video.” (Crosswalk, June 28, 2023)

Later that same year, former atheist (and ex-Muslim) writer Ayaan Hirsi Ali told Unherd “Yet I would not be truthful if I attributed my embrace of Christianity solely to the realisation that atheism is too weak and divisive a doctrine to fortify us against our menacing foes. I have also turned to Christianity because I ultimately found life without any spiritual solace unendurable — indeed very nearly self-destructive. Atheism failed to answer a simple question: what is the meaning and purpose of life?” (November 11, 2023)

And now, earlier this year, Larry Sanger, co-founder of Wikipedia, announced that he had become a Christian: “In the post on his website entitled, “How a Skeptical Philosopher Becomes a Christian,” Sanger revealed how he had lost his childhood faith as a teenager and became a believer in “methodological skepticism.” Over the years, his views began to slowly change as he re-examined the arguments for the existence of God, ultimately leading him to read the entire Bible and convert to Christianity.” (Fox News, March 9, 2025)

Who next? J.K. Rowling? From the National Catholic Register: “JK Rowling asks for faith advice, says she has a ‘God-shaped vacuum inside me’”

“I don’t currently have a single belief that couldn’t be altered by clear, concrete evidence; and in all but one case, I know what that evidence would have to be.”

Dubbing it the “God conundrum,” Rowling said she doesn’t know “what I’d have to see to make me come down firmly on either side.”

“I suppose that’s the meaning of faith, believing without seeing proof,” the author admitted. “That’s why I’ll probably go to my grave with that particular personal matter unresolved.” “(September 17, 2025)”

“Probably go to my grave with that particular personal matter unresolved”? Well, maybe not, J.K. The Register invites readers to send her advice. Many others have chimed in. So far, over 800,000 people have responded…

Anyway, this is not a development that many movers and shakers predicted. We’re watching.