Rejoice, Pastors! People Are More Spiritually Open Than Ever

Last fall, my husband and I went to see Dune 2 in the theaters. While I would by no means recommend this movie to a fellow Christian (I closed my eyes in some of the scenes, to give context), the entire film struck me for one reason: It was deeply religious. 

The main character, Paul Atreides, is a Jesus-like figure that arrives on the planet Arrakis to rescue its people, the Fremen, from outer world forces. Many of the Fremen believe that Paul is the “Lisan al Gaib”–their name for the Messiah–while others scoff. They have multiple prophecies, many of which point to the Lisan al Gaib becoming like one of them: an incarnate savior, so to speak. 

As the movie progresses, it seems that the religious Fremen are seeing correctly. The prophecies prove true, and Paul delivers the people from the grotesquely evil Harkonnen.

Given that Dune 2 takes place in the year 10,191, I couldn’t have been more surprised by the prophecies, visions, and messianic overtones. When I was growing up in the 90’s and early 2000’s, movies about the future all had one thing in common: The future had no religion. The idea was that secularism would inevitably win out, that faith in the material world would ultimately disprove religion itself. Humans would finally “come to their senses” and realize that the spiritual world is a myth.

And yet, one quarter-century into the second millennium the ultimate promise of secularism doesn’t seem to be panning out…and not just in the movies. Putting the human ability to reason at the apex of truth has not brought us psychological order. Ideological warfare, a loneliness epidemic, and skyrocketing anxiety plague even those who enjoy an unprecedented quality of life. Despite hyper-connectedness, increasing literacy, and even lower crime rates, most people in the West would agree that the world feels more disordered, divided, and tenuous than it did 10 years ago. 

The silver lining? People are looking for truth amid disillusionment with the so-called American dream (or dream of secular nirvana – self-actualization). They’re tired of the answers they’ve received from secularism for questions about suffering, confusion, and evil. Instead, people are turning to God for hope…and answers. 

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Repentance, Revival, & New Conversations on Spiritual Truth

You won’t necessarily see evidence of spiritual openness in mainstream media, the news, or popular culture. That doesn’t mean it’s not there, however. Here’s compelling evidence for the fact that God is on the move…even in unexpected places. 

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Campus Revivals

Generation Z has been described as the least religious generation America has ever seen. And yet, a string of revivals in recent years shows us a different story.

On February 8th, 2023, a standard chapel meeting at Asbury University in North Carolina turned into what is now known as the “Asbury Revival.” This extended meeting–which lasted for 16 days–was described as an outpouring emphasized by repentance and love. The meeting was especially notable for ministering to Generation Z, and led to countless salvations and rededications to Jesus. People of all ages visited the revival from all over the world, with a line to get into the chapel extended half a mile out of the building. 

Though the meeting eventually had to be shut down due to logistics challenges, the fruit remains. Says Alexandra Presta, the editor of Asbury’s collegiate paper, “...even as Asbury stopped hosting public services, the Lord continues to move across the Wilmore community, Kentucky, the United States, and the world.”

The Asbury Revival hasn’t been the only demonstration of spiritual openness on college campuses. A string of “Unite Us” events across the Southern United States has seen thousands of students gather to worship, with hundreds of salvation at each service. 

The bottom line? Young people are spiritually hungry. The president of Asbury put it this way: “Gen Z is emerging as a corrective to the casual Christianity that has marked our religious landscape and characterized our dechurching movement.”

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Secular Cities Turn to Jesus

Portland, Oregon isn’t known as a place where Christian values are thriving–at least in mainstream culture. On the contrary, most Americans think of Portland as a city that reinforces secularism and progressive beliefs in their most extreme forms. Think: anti-police movements, divergent sexual ethics, and lots and lots of craft beer. 

Despite its reputation, Portland is also home to some of Christianity’s most potent teachers–among them, John Mark Comer and Tim Mackey. Comer, the founding pastor Portland’s Bridgetown Church, has grown in influence well beyond the Pacific Northwest with his curriculum devoted to redirecting Christians to the centuries-tested disciplines of following Jesus. His book, “Practicing the Way” currently ranks #2 on Amazon within the category of Christian discipleship. And Mackey has forged a new path of accessible Biblical literacy with “The Bible Project,” a nonprofit with over 4.5 million subscribers on YouTube. 

That’s not to mention cities like London, where Saint.Church is experiencing what it calls a “spiritual awakening” according to lead pastor Al Gordon, and Los Angeles, which in the not-too-distant past saw a 100,000-person worship and prayer event take place at the Los Angeles Coliseum.  

These are reminders: God is not intimidated by highly secularized and post-modern cities. Good news indeed!

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Surprising Spiritual Conversations

Finally, people in the mainstream media are talking about spirituality more and more. It’s no longer taken for granted that highly educated people must also be agnostic at best. Recognition of faith in all its forms has taken root, and even higher-profile figures in the media are acknowledging the spiritual. Here are a few surprising examples:

• Tucker Carlson, former host at Fox News, claims that he was attacked by a demon at night, resulting in an “intense” desire to read the Bible
• Well-known intellectual Naomi Wolf openly endorses a book called “The Return of the Gods,” which details a belief that the pagan gods of the Old Testament have returned
• The New York Times–by far the most widely-read news publication in America–is consistently publishing op-ed articles that openly endorse the Christian faith. Check out “Is the World Ready for a Religious Comeback?” by Ross Douthat.‍

The bottom line is that conversations about Christianity are taking place among people that we might least expect. 

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Over to You

Our culture is shifting. In the midst of uncertainty, people are seeking answers they haven’t received from the promises of secularism. In this unique time, followers of Jesus have a ripe opportunity to share spiritual Truth and give people hope. Be encouraged! People are spiritually hungry – we simply need eyes to see what God is already doing in the hearts and minds of those around us. 

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