Christianity’s decline in American life was presented as a foregone conclusion by the late 2010s. A group of prominent thinkers known as the New Atheists propelled anti-Christian polemics into mainstream discussion with mega-bestsellers and popular speaking tours. The ascendant woke movement ripped through America’s cultural institutions, denouncing traditional Christian teaching and values as bigoted, “canceling” people who persisted in public displays of those beliefs.
Meanwhile, church attendance declined, cultural norms related to sex (bogusly referred to as gender), sexuality, and marriage departed from Christian teaching, and the percentage of people who had no religion, commonly known as the “nones,” surged to new heights, reaching 29% in 2021.
But a funny thing happened as America reemerged from the COVID-19 pandemic. A cultural pivot away from progressive orthodoxy, encapsulated by the reelection of President Donald Trump, signaled renewed public support for traditional values informed by our Christian culture. Suddenly, the progressive Left found itself on the losing side of numerous cultural disputes, while values rooted in a Christian worldview regained traction.
Studies released in recent months reflect this turning of the tide. A widely cited Pew survey in February found that the decadeslong decline in Americans who identify as Christians had leveled off — and even turned marginally upward. Pew’s study on the topic in 2007 showed that 78% of adults identified as Christian, dipping steadily to 61% by 2022. But the new study shows the number ticking back up to 63%.
Even better news for Christianity’s fate is that it is the young who are fueling the upward swing. A BARNA study released in early April found a 12-point increase since 2021 in adults who say they have “made a personal commitment to Jesus,” with Generation Z and millennials showing the highest upward trends. The trendline in the BARNA study mirrors the findings in Pew, falling from 77% in 2008 to 54% in 2021 before popping back up to 66% in 2025.
A surge in Christian entertainment and an increased presence in digital media drive these statistical improvements. A crowdfunded TV series, The Chosen, which tells the story of Jesus through the eyes of his disciples, has become a cultural phenomenon with over 500 million streams, breaking box office records. Thanks in part to the strong performance of star Jonathan Roumie, the series has been lauded for its artistic sensibility and as a signal that a new era of high-quality, faith-based storytelling is resonating with both religious and secular audiences.
Additionally, Angel Studio’s new The King of Kings, an animated faith-based film that reimagines the life of Jesus through Charles Dickens’s storytelling, just opened to a $19 million weekend at the box office, making it the No. 2 movie in America right now, ahead of a score of major studio releases.
The startling popularity of the Christian prayer app Hallow is another indicator of Christian renewal. It features contributions from celebrities such as Mark Wahlberg, Gwen Stefani, and Liam Neeson, and it rose to No. 1 on Apple’s App Store in 2024, surpassing giants such as Netflix, Spotify, and Instagram.
There are several theories about the reason for Christianity’s resurgence. Some think it is a reaction to the spiritual deprivation so many people experienced during COVID. The pandemic stripped away distractions and forced people to confront existential questions that only faith can answer. Others cite disillusionment with woke ideology and its quasi-religious zealotry, particularly among the younger generations. The BARNA study found that 65% of young adults who recently committed to Christianity cited frustration with “dogmatic cultural narratives” as a factor in the decision.
WHITE HOUSE TO CELEBRATE EASTER IN RETURN TO GOLDEN ERA
Whatever the cause, it appears that reports of Christianity’s demise were premature. This should not be a shock. Any institution that lasts 2,000 years and overcomes countless persecutions is resilient. If history is any indication, Christian influence will long outlive its contemporary critics.
Happy Easter.
