Podcast appearances and mentions of justin brierley

Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. Today we're joined by John Plake, Chief Innovation Officer and Editor-in-Chief of the State of the Bible research at the American Bible Society. With decades of experience as a pastor, missionary, professor, and researcher, John brings a unique perspective on how people are actually engaging with Scripture and what we should do about it. The “movable middle” is growing. // One of the most significant insights from recent research is the rise of what John calls the “movable middle”—millions of people who are open to the Bible but not yet engaged with it. This group has grown by approximately nine million people in recent years. They are curious, interested, and even positive toward Scripture, but they lack the tools, confidence, or guidance to engage it meaningfully. This represents a massive opportunity for churches willing to step in and help. People want a guide. // Through focus groups and research, John discovered that many people in the movable middle feel intimidated by the Bible. They struggle with language, context, and navigation. But perhaps most striking is they want help. Contrary to what some leaders might assume, they are not rejecting the church as a guide. In fact, many say, “If we can't trust the church to help us understand the Bible, what good is it?” This creates a clear invitation for churches to step into a more relational, guiding role in discipleship. A surprising discipleship gap. // One of the most sobering findings is that nearly half of weekly church attenders are not regularly engaging Scripture on their own. While churches invest heavily in preaching and programming, many people are not developing personal habits of Bible engagement. John suggests that churches often focus on delivering content rather than equipping people to engage Scripture themselves. The result is a gap between what happens on Sunday and what happens in everyday life. From teaching to equipping. // If churches want to close that gap, they must shift from being primarily content providers to equipping environments. This means helping people develop the skills, habits, and confidence to read and apply Scripture on their own. It also requires understanding the real barriers people face, like time constraints, confusion, or lack of community support, and addressing those barriers with practical solutions. A new tool for churches. // To help leaders take action, the American Bible Society has developed the “Next Step for Church” assessment. This free tool allows churches to measure spiritual health, Bible engagement, and key leadership behaviors within their congregation. Within a few weeks, leaders receive a detailed, data-driven report highlighting strengths, challenges, and suggested next steps. Data that leads to discipleship. // John emphasizes that data is not an end in itself; it's a tool for better shepherding. By listening to their congregation at scale, leaders can identify patterns, confirm instincts, and prioritize what matters most. The assessment surfaces both what's working and where growth is needed, giving churches a clear path forward. It also connects individuals to personalized Scripture engagement resources, helping them take their next step spiritually. Why Scripture engagement matters most. // Nothing has a greater impact on spiritual growth than a person's relationship with the Bible. In fact, Scripture engagement accounts for a significant portion of overall spiritual health. When people consistently engage with God's Word, transformation follows—affecting beliefs, behaviors, and relationships. Signs of hope for the future. // Despite broader cultural challenges, John sees encouraging trends, especially among younger generations. Millennials and Gen Z show increasing openness to Scripture, even if they are still exploring. While overall trends may appear flat, meaningful change is happening beneath the surface. For churches willing to engage this moment, there is real opportunity for impact. To explore the research further or access the free church assessment, visit church.nextstep.bible and begin discovering how your church can better equip people to engage Scripture every day. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: Risepointe Do you feel like your church’s or school's facility could be preventing growth? Are you frustrated or possibly overwhelmed at the thought of a complicated or costly building project? Are the limitations of your building becoming obstacles in the path of expanding your ministry? Have you ever felt that you could reach more people if only the facility was better suited to the community’s needs? Well, the team over at Risepointe can help! As former ministry staff and church leaders, they understand how to prioritize and help lead you to a place where the building is a ministry multiplier. Your mission should not be held back by your building. Their team of architects, interior designers and project managers have the professional experience to incorporate creative design solutions to help move YOUR mission forward. Check them out at risepointe.com and while you’re there, schedule a FREE call to explore possibilities for your needs, vision and future…Risepointe believes that God still uses spaces…and they're here to help. Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. I am so glad that you have decided to tune in today. This is one of those episodes that there’s a great resource in it that going to want to make sure you engage with. There’s super helpful content. Plus it’s about an area that I know so many of us are thinking about, we’re wondering about, we’re asking questions about. Rich Birch — So super excited to have John Plake with us today. He is the chief innovator ah innovation officer and editor-in-chief of the State of the Bible Research Series, which comes from the American Bible Society. And they’re on a mission to make the Bible available to every person in a language and format each can understand and afford so that all may experience its life-changing message. ABS has really a whole bunch of different tools and approaches, and we’re excited kind of expose a little bit more about that today. John has been in ministry over 30 years. We’ll just call it over 30 years. And it served as a pastor, missionary, professor, researcher. John, welcome to the show. So glad you’re here.John Plake — Thanks so much for having me today. It’s great to be with you.Rich Birch — Why don’t you fill in the picture a little bit? Tell us a little bit about your background. You know, what brings you to your current work?John Plake — Yeah. Closer to 40 years now. Rich Birch — Nice. Yeah, yeah. That’s great.John Plake — It’s a little uncomfortable to talk about that.Rich Birch — That’s great.John Plake — Yeah. You know, I start out like a lot of people in ministry. I grew up in a home that ministry was central. Actually, both my grandfathers were ministers. My father was a minister. Ministry is kind of the family business in a way, but I really did sense a direction from God when I was about 15 years old to to pursue full-time ministry.John Plake — There was some detail around that. Ended up going to Bible college and and then started what turned out to be about nine years of full-time pastoral service. And I hadn’t been in that for very long before I realized that everything I learned in Bible College was preparing me to serve a generation that no longer existed in a culture that was gone. John Plake — And I thought, my goodness, I know God’s word pretty well. And mean, I’m a lifelong learner of God’s word. I love the Bible. And yet, didn’t really know culture very well. And I didn’t develop those tools until just years and years of practice, some missionary service, wonderful teachers at at Wheaton College and graduate school and and just a lifelong journey of learning.John Plake — So at American Bible Society, when I got here, the State of the Bible, program or this research project was already underway. And we’d been helped out by the Barna Group, which does some wonderful foundational work. And eventually it just kind of grew up and it got to a place where we had an internal team that was running it ourselves, now in collaboration with the National Opinion Research Council or NORC at the University of Chicago. We just do, I think, what is the largest ongoing study of Americans’ relationship with the Bible and faith and the church. And we get to talk about it all the time. Rich Birch — Yeah, I love it.John Plake — So, I mean, this is the best job in the world.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s so good. It’s it’s great research, something that I think should be on the kind of list of things that we need to be paying attention to. It’s been a gift to the church for so long and something that we should continue to to pay attention through. Now, let’s talk about you specifically. You spent three plus decades. I didn’t want to say almost 40. You know, I’m not saying that. I’m not saying that. I could say that, you know, a couple years ago, I clicked across one of those numbers with a zero on the end as my birthday. And ever since then, I’m a little sensitive about the the age thing. Rich Birch — So anyways, As a ministry, missionary professor, researcher, you’ve done a lot. How does wearing all of those hats, what do you what does that bring to you as you come to the data? How does that impact you as you think about really the state of the Bible research?John Plake — Yeah, you know, I think research can be dull. You know, it can sound like it’s all about writing questions or it’s all statistics and numbers. But for me, the research is all about the people. Rich Birch — So true.John Plake — It’s all about the people in our communities and in our churches that we’re trying to understand better so we can serve them well with the gospel. I, for years, I’ve used the analogy that that being in gospel ministry is like being a human bridge across a river. I grew up not very far from the Mississippi River in the St. Louis area, and there was a big 100-year flood when I was early on in ministry. And I mean, none of the bridges worked anymore. You couldn’t get from one side to the other.John Plake — And I thought, you know, that’s a tragedy that I encountered sometimes in ministry where maybe I was deeply rooted in one bank of the river, the text, but I wasn’t necessarily deeply rooted in the other bank of the river, which was the context.John Plake — And it’s this lived experience of the people that I was I was serving. And that I wanted to serve in my community, but I needed to understand them better. So I wasn’t just spouting you know Aristotelian logic to them. Or I wasn’t just coming at them with the pat answers that I’d learned. Like I’d never heard anybody in my life walk into my office and say, Pastor John, you got to tell me, what can you describe hamartiology to me from. You know like I had to learn that in school, but that’s not what people struggle with. Rich Birch — That’s so true. Yeah. John Plake — They had totally different questions and I needed to love them and honor them enough to understand their questions and answer them responsibly and reliably from the pages of scripture.Rich Birch — Yeah, love it. Okay, well, we’re going to dig into a little bit of just a couple of the findings just to kind of, we’re trying to whet your appetite, friends, to take steps towards this. So the 2025 data showed, and we’ve seen this, a real bump in Bible engagement, particularly among millennials and men. If I’m reading it correctly, though, we saw 2026, a shift happen, maybe back down. And so what’s going on? Actually, I heard another sociologist in a kind of a related field that was about church attendance talked about the dead cat bounce, that it was like, you know, which I thought, oh, that’s a, but there’s a similarity going on here. Pull this, this finding apart. Help us understand this.John Plake — Yeah, apologies to cat lovers out there.Rich Birch — Yes, exactly.John Plake — We were we were hoping, you know, I think we were really hoping. We looked at 2025. We saw that men in particular were leaning into the Bible in ways we hadn’t seen recently. Millennials doing the same thing. There there were some interesting numbers in 2025. And so when the 2026 numbers came to my desk in late January, I thought, I hope we’re extending I hope it’s going to be a trend. But it wasn’t. It was a blip.John Plake — And there’s more to it, though, than just the fact that scripture engagement didn’t go up. It also didn’t go down. And the level of people in America who are Bible disengaged, meaning they never pick up the Bible on purpose at all, that actually didn’t go up either. What grew was this kind of curious explorer group in the middle that we call the movable middle. And over the last two years, it’s grown by 9 million American adults. Rich Birch — Wow.John Plake — And so what we do see is there’s there’s openness to the Bible. There’s experimentation with the Bible. But people are jumping in and they’re trying it and they’re not being able to get hold of it. And I think that’s largely because of us.John Plake — Because Bible people who are around them aren’t saying, please come do this with me. Let me help you. Let me honor you enough to to respect your questions, to ask what you’re dealing with, and help you explore those issues through the pages of Scripture.Rich Birch — I love that movable middle, man, that feels like the kind of group we want to connect with and reach out to in our community. Any other, when you, when you’ve been thinking about this movable middle, what are some other kind of characteristics of those people or other things that, you know, are kind of telltale signs of this group as we’re thinking about them as it, as it pertains to Bible engagement?John Plake — Yeah, they’re an amazing group, and we’re going talking more about them all year, but they are probably my favorite subject in America. There are 74 million American adults that are in the movable middle.Rich Birch — Wow.John Plake — 74 million of our neighbors who are like…Rich Birch — Wow.John Plake — …and here’s what they tend to say: They love the Bible. They think it’s a great idea. But if you handed them a Bible, they don’t know how to find what they’re looking for. They don’t know how to navigate it. They get confused by the language in in Scripture.John Plake — I remember doing a a focus group with a bunch of people in the movable middle. I was in Chicago. it was an area I was really familiar with. I used to pastor in that area. And we got them talking about their experience with the Bible. And we said, hey, does anything ever stop you or kind of you know make you check out because you’re struggling with what’s going on? John Plake — And one young lady at the table said, yeah, you know the language of the Bible is really really hard for me to understand. It’s it’s a really old book. It uses expressions I don’t understand. And a gentleman sitting across the table from her just kind of chuckled and said, yeah, what the hell’s a mustard seed? And everybody laughed.John Plake — I was behind the glass and I just about fell out of my chair because they didn’t teach me to talk like that in a Assemblies of God seminary.Rich Birch — Yes.John Plake —Things like that, you know, that’s just not the way we roll.Rich Birch — Yeah, yeah. Yes.John Plake — But it was so authentic and he wasn’t being mean.Rich Birch — No.John Plake — He was just saying, boy, I don’t I don’t get it. And then they said, you know, we really want a guide. Rich Birch — That’s good.John Plake — And so we pushed on that a little bit. At the time, there were some clergy abuse scandals that actually there were billboards up in Chicago about clergy abuse scandals that all of us lamented. And so we’re like, OK, listen, do you trust the church to be your guide? Because ee saw these billboards, you know, and it’s your city. And so what what do you think?John Plake — And they said, well, of course we do. I mean, it’s terrible when people in the church abuse their position and abuse others. And that’s not what they’re supposed to do. But if we can’t trust the church to help us understand the Bible, what good are they, really? And so, yes, we’re looking to you, church, to help us connect more deeply with the Bible, understand what it meant to the original hearers and readers and how we apply it to our lives today.Rich Birch — Okay, that’s yeah, that’s really cool. I look forward to hearing more about the movable middle in this coming year. Another thing that jumped out to me, which I feel like, man, I’ve seen this in my church. This is like you you named a group that I see, but it’s surprising, at least it’s surprising on its face. So nearly half of weekly church attenders, weekly church attenders, which is, that’s like really engaged, you know, are not regularly engaging, engaging scripture on their own.Rich Birch — Man, what, so what should we do about that? That’s an interesting, how does, how should that impact our discipleship strategy? What are you encouraging us to be thinking about? And these people that are with us all the time, but they’re not engaged with scripture.John Plake — Well, I think the first thing to do is to just recognize it. Rich Birch — Right.John Plake — You know, a lot of pastors that I’ve talked to, when we talk about scripture engagement, they tell me things like this: Everything we do is scripture engagement. I spend my whole week preparing a scriptural message. I’m, you know, we’re preparing small group curriculum and Sunday school curriculum and all of this stuff. It’s all about the, everything we do is about the Bible. John Plake — Well, okay. But I had a I had a young youth pastor come to me not that long ago and he said, John, look, you were me once a few years ago. If you knew then what you know now, what would you do differently?John Plake — And the answer is I would do everything differently, than the way I ought to do it. Because what, in my tradition, there was a lot of emphasis on the preaching event, and I put a lot of effort into those communication events, but what I didn’t put as much effort into is empowering people in my church to do what I was doing, which was dig into scripture, understand it for themselves, giving them the tools to do that.John Plake — And then in May, we’re going to be releasing a chapter, just in a few few days now, we’re going to be releasing a chapter all about parents. And one of the startling things is the time pressure that moms are under. I mean, it’s incredible. And so we need to understand where they’re coming from and where they have barriers, but also have some compassion on them and help to support them when they’re really facing struggles. Like they don’t have enough time. They don’t have the resources or the community coming around them to help them to engage God’s word ah more fulsomely, more transformatively.John Plake — We know how to do this stuff, but we’re not connecting the dots to everybody that’s coming to hear us talk every…Rich Birch — That’s good. That’s good. I know I’ve in my seat as an XP, um you know, I’ve overseen a lot of what we do on the programming side and what we do on the weekends. And I’ve, you know, it’s like, that i don’t think I’ve ever said this publicly. It’s like the kind of behind the scenes conversation. I’ve sometimes wondered, I’ve said, you know, like, what we do on the weekend to try to make the Bible understandable is so completely different than Tuesday morning in someone’s life. Rich Birch — Like, we pull out all the stops to make it interesting. We get like world class communicators, incredible graphics, you know, emotional music, all of this to try to… But then the question is, okay, so now on Tuesday morning when you’re tired and you haven’t had your coffee yet and you’re just about to go read scripture, man, like that feels like a long ways away. There’s like a gap there that I sometimes wonder maybe we’re making it worse. You know. Maybe we’re making it harder. I said that. You didn’t say that. Rich Birch — So maybe there’s pastors that are listening here and they read this kind of report. They read this kind of finding and they’re like, hey, that’s interesting. But like, how what do I do in my church specifically? So you know we want we don’t want to just leave people with a tough stat.Rich Birch — I think we see that in our church. There’s people in our church that are here all the time. They’re not that engaged. But you’ve actually developed a new tool or ABS has developed a new tool to help us think through that. Why don’t you walk us through it? Tell us a little bit about it. How’s it work? Talk us how it can help us.John Plake — Yeah, so recently we developed two tools that kind of work together. One of them you can find on the internet at nextstep.bible. And it’s just for anybody who’s like, hey, I’m on a spiritual journey. I’m kind of stuck. I don’t really know what to do next. Maybe you’re just getting started exploring what it means to be a Christian. Maybe you’re Jesus’ little brother or sister. Wherever you are in that journey, there’s always a next step for us.John Plake — And so what we’ve done is analyzed along about a million spiritual life surveys. Rich Birch — Wow.John Plake — And from this huge quantity of data, we’ve learned that people are at different places in that journey. They’re at different points on the map. And we want to make sure that they’re equipped to have the right thing at the right time. I think currently there are 21,000 scripture engagement resources available there.Rich Birch — Wow.John Plake — They’re absolutely free. They’re in English, Spanish, and French. So go check it out, nextstep.bible.John Plake — But if you’re a pastor or you’re a church leader, you’re probably wondering, well, what’s going on in my church, right? So I see all the national data, but I think our tendency is to say, well, we’re the exception, right?Rich Birch — So true. Well, that’s not our people. John Plake — I know I know everybody else is struggling, but we’re doing okay.Rich Birch — Yes.John Plake — And and so it’s good to check our assumptions a little bit. They used to say a really sad statistic that 10 o’clock on Sunday morning was the most segregated hour in America, which makes me sad. What makes me sad also is that 12 o’clock noon in America is the most dishonest hour in America. That’s the hour when pastors tend to start greeting their people after the church service closes and they hear all these comments: oh, Pastor, that was the best sermon I’ve ever heard. And it wasn’t. It just wasn’t. All right, let’s face it.John Plake — There’s somebody out there who preaches better than you do and better than I do. They’re available on YouTube. People don’t need you to be the best Bible teacher in the world. They need you to be the best pastor for them. Rich Birch — That’s good.John Plake — And the tools that are all about focusing on their relationship with the Bible, their holistic spiritual formation, and our leadership behaviors. And so for that, we built the Next Step for Church Assessment.John Plake — It’s actually standing on the foundation or built on the engine block, if you want a different metaphor, of the old reveal research that the Willow Creek Association had come out with. It’s no longer available. And we were able to acquire all of their historical learnings, but also add in things like human flourishing and e-pastoral leadership behaviors that lead to churches really being missionally effective and strong. Excellent stuff on Bible engagement and spiritual formation. John Plake — So the the big challenge we had, I was talking with Dr. Ed Stetzer about this because he was at LifeWay Research when the Transformational Church Assessment was being built. And it was always hard because analyzing this kind of data required a lot of human intervention. It’s very expensive to do. It’s very complicated to deliver. And even a small cost can be a barrier for churches that have strained budgets. It doesn’t matter if you’re a church of, you know, 2,500 25,000 or 250. There’s always more places to put your money than there are dollars that are available to do it.John Plake — And so at American Bible Society, we said, you know what, as a gift to the church, because we love the church, we need to make it completely free. And so you can go to church.nextstep.bible and you could sign up today. Literally, we’re recording this on a on a Thursday. You could go there today and by Sunday, you could be launching your survey. Two weeks later, you’d automatically have results in your own online dashboard. You’d get key highlights emailed to you. There’s a place for custom questions. There’s just all kinds of really, really rich information.Rich Birch — So good.John Plake — And it it doesn’t take the place of the kind of learning that you have as a pastor. You learn deeply in relationship with others. You’re observing what’s going on. You have a team that’s around you. But what it does is it provides this valid, reliable sift and sort function. It’s based on well, I don’t know even know how many, well over 3000 churches, well over half a million survey responses went into building this and making it a tool that that is a good benchmark for you to say, you know what, if we want to move from where we are today to where God is calling us, here are the things we need to focus on.Rich Birch — It’s so good. And friends, I want to encourage you to to go there. Just church.nextstep.bible. I know many of us have a heart for saying, listen, we want to measure more than just nickels and noses. The number of people that show up and revenue that comes in. And this a great way to kind of inject at something that’s at the core of what we’re supposed to be doing as a church. So why don’t we just give a little bit more detail?Rich Birch — What is it? You know, what’s it actually measuring? How is it? You know, how could it be helpful? How how could it kind of dovetail with some of the things we’re already tracking? Maybe give us, you know, what kind of insights are we going to gain from this if we if we put our people through this?John Plake — Yeah, maybe it’s worthwhile to just back up and say it’s based on a congregational assessment. So really this kind of work is all about just listening to your congregation at scale. So if you have 25 people coming to church, you can probably have this conversation with them if you know how to ask the right questions. Rich Birch — Right.John Plake — You can go to the website. You’re like, what’s in the survey? There’s a button you can click. You can read the whole survey. It’s fine. We’re not going to try and surprise you with anything. But really simple stuff. How’s your relationship with Jesus? How often are you interacting with Scripture? What difference is that making in your life? We ask the standard Harvard human flourishing questions. We ask about um how the pastoral team or the senior pastor, him or herself, is doing at actually modeling Christlike leadership for you. Rich Birch — It’s so good.John Plake — And all of that reporting then gets brought into a database. It’s all anonymous. So individuals don’t, they don’t have to tell you who they are. They can’t tell you who they are other than by characteristics. And you’re going to get this really good, robust picture of what’s going on at the church. John Plake — Now, what does it take for somebody to do that? It takes about 20 minutes of their time, and time is expensive, right? People always have too much to do. So in return for that investment, at the end of their survey experience, they will have already told us everything we need to know to match them to great resources at nextstep.bible.John Plake — And with their permission, not without it, they can click a button, pass that data over to the individual nextstep.bible platform. They can create an account and right away, they’re going to be finding things like YouVersion Bible reading plans that are just for them.John Plake — If you’ve got people in your church and they’re outliers, they’re they’re way more spiritually advanced than everybody else, or they’re just getting started and everybody else is way ahead of them, these kinds of tools create bespoke pathways for them so they know what to do next. All the while, the church leadership can sit back and say, okay, here’s our results. And as a team, now what do we need to do to serve the whole congregation well?Rich Birch — I love this. You know, this is what incredible tool that you’ve put together here for our churches to wrestle through and to, you know, not only help us as a church as we’re thinking about these issues, but then help individuals in our church. What what would be some of the ways that churches might use the data that’s generated to impact what we’re doing in our programming? How how could we use this to improve what we’re doing?John Plake — Sure. There are really three things we want everybody to do. First, just discover what’s going on. Just just check your assumptions at the door and and say, okay, what do the data tell us about what’s going on in our church life and in our people’s lives? That’s the first thing.John Plake — Second thing is it’s going to surface for you the top three things that you’re doing great. And it’s going to give them to you in the report. And you need to throw a party. Like there are people who make these things happen for you. No pastor is doing this all by themselves. And so plan a party, celebrate what’s going well.John Plake — The third thing it’s going to do is it’s going to give you suggestions about, okay, here’s where your congregation is today. It won’t surprise you, but it might inform you. I’ve never seen a pastor look at the report and go, ah you guys got it wrong. Rich Birch — Sure, right.John Plake — Usually they they see the report and they go, yeah, okay, yeah, you got me.Rich Birch — Yeah. Confirmed some hunches I’ve had. Yeah. Yeah.John Plake — Right? But we don’t we don’t have time. We don’t have the resources. We don’t have the expertise to be able to sit down and and kind of scientifically walk through this process. So we do that for you. We deliver the report. And then we’re going to give you two key action items that we think churches like yours in a similar place have done that have helped move them toward spiritual health and missional effectiveness.John Plake — And that’s really what it’s all about. We want your congregation to be spiritually healthy. We want your your church as a whole to be missionally effective. And when that happens, often there’s numerical growth. Often there’s financial growth. But there’s certainly more missional impact that’s coming through your congregation and its work.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s cool. So if I’m like a church of a thousand people, let’s say, and just round number to picking out of the sky, how how what kind of percentage of my congregation would I need to take this to give me a reasonable, you know, statistical, you know, feeling good about the data for it? What what kind of number um should I be thinking about?John Plake — Well, the first thing is we’ve built in a tool that will tell you how to get to a margin of error of plus or minus 3%. Rich Birch — Love it.John Plake — And that does vary depending on the adult attendance that you have. So let’s say you’ve a thousand adults. And by adults, I mean anybody in high school or older can probably take this survey. Rich Birch — Yep.John Plake — And you can cut the data like by gender or by age. All of that live filtering is in the online platform. Rich Birch — Oh, that’s so good.John Plake — So if you’re the you’re the youth pastor and you’re like, well, wait, tell me about the young people that took the survey. You can just look right at them and compare them to the rest of the congregation, which I bet will be enlightening. But nevertheless, how many do you need if you’re a church of 1,000, it’s about 275.Rich Birch — Okay.John Plake — If it’s a smaller church than that, then you’re still going to need a pretty significant percentage. So if I roll that all the way down to a church of 100, you need 80.Rich Birch — Okay.John Plake — And if you roll that up to a church of 5,000, well, you don’t need that many more than 275.Rich Birch — Interesting.John Plake — So you’re going to report that out to you. It’s very, very doable. And, you know, I’ve pastored at large churches and I pastored a small church. And I’ll tell you, when I pastored a church of under 100, I could have gotten a census of the people, like everybody, to do a survey like this. They would have been glad to tell me these things. Rich Birch — Right.John Plake — And it’s not that I couldn’t have had a conversation one-on-one with most of the adults in the congregation. It was something different in that case. I actually didn’t know what to ask. I used to run into this when I was a campus pastor at a Christian university. And I would have young people walk into my office and I was like, I know I should be able to help them, but the challenge they’re facing is different than anything I’m familiar with. I don’t have any analog for this in my personal experience. And so this sort of takes the mystery away. We don’t ask fluffy questions. We ask research proven questions that are going to give you the information you really need so you can take action.Rich Birch — That’s amazing. That’s think this is such a great tool for people. I can see how, you know, it’d be so helpful for folks that are listening in to, you know, might be be able to plug in grab this experience for their people, help their church, help the folks that are attending. That’s, that’s incredible.Rich Birch — So, you know, you’ve picked an interesting vocation to be connected with the American Bible Society. And because, you know, this is such a critical and important part of developing people’s relationship, obviously, with Jesus; its core to all of it. And we have seen a long historical downward trend, and you’re pushing against that, which is amazing. But what gives you hope in the middle of all of that? What would it when you look at the church around you know, the country, where do you see flashes of just good things going on that are like, you know, when it comes to the relationship with scripture that even, you know, even when we see maybe the overall numbers are not as great as we want them to be, what are some kind of flashes of hope we should, that we could encourage folks with today?John Plake — Well, I’d like to maybe point to just three things that leap to mind. Rich Birch — Yep.John Plake — The first of them is I never talk to anybody in the church who says the Bible is a bad idea. Rich Birch — Sure.John Plake — Everybody likes the Bible. We’re all trying to figure out how to communicate its message better, to understand it more deeply. It’s transforming our lives, and we want to be able to share it with others. John Plake — And that’s great because, number two, there’s nothing that makes a bigger difference in somebody’s spiritual life than their relationship with the Bible. I mean, absolutely nothing. And I’m saying this as a researcher. I’ve tested it. I can’t find anything that makes a bigger difference. John Plake — In fact, when we looked at Christian college and university students, 60% of their overall spiritual health across lots of domains—beliefs, practice, putting faith into action, loving God, loving others, all these things, 60% of the variance in their spiritual health is solely accounted for by their relationship with the Bible.John Plake — So if we can help people have a dynamic relationship with scripture, we win. That’s all there is to it. It’s just that simple. And so that is really encouraging.John Plake — And then the third thing, ah the third thing is how I say this nicely? I'm I’m from Gen X and so to my Baby Boomer friends, I’m sorry, but you guys don’t have the influence that you once did.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s true.John Plake — And that’s a good thing because there’s new openness among Millennials, and Gen Z and even younger Gen X um that we just don’t see among Baby Boomers. It’s like Baby Boomers made up their minds in the 60s and early 70s and said, this is what I believe and I’m not changing. And they haven’t. John Plake — That’s not to say that someone who’s a Baby Boomer can’t have a a spiritual experience and transformational experience. It does happen. But on the population level, like when we looked at the Bay Area of San Francisco, if you look at the scripture engagement, church engagement, love God, love others data in the Bay Area, it looks like what you’d expect, until you strip out the Baby Boomers. And then suddenly it looks better than every place else in America.John Plake — You’re like, what’s going on? Well, looks like all the unreconstructed hippies that moved to the Bay Area are actually holding a lid on the population numbers. And when you remove that and you go, oh, wait a minute, let me look under the headline and say what’s happening. There’s more going on than is easy to see. And I think this happens in big national trends.John Plake — Oh, is Scripture engagement up or down? Is you know church attendance up or down? Whats what’s going… big national trends. Yeah, okay, those are helpful, and we want those to change. But what’s changing first is below the fold. Things in Gen Z, things among Millennials, things in young men, those things are starting to change, and I think those are the first glimmerings that God is at work in a new way in America, and I can’t wait to see it.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s that’s a great word. And that lines up with what we’re seeing, even just experientially talking to churches across the country. You know we’re so we’re seeing there is something going on with younger generations, which is great to see. I was I was born in 1974, the lowest birth rate year of the 20th century. I am classic Gen X. Like you know I am like statistic I’m the statistical average Gen X and has spent a lot of my time trying to hand stuff from the Boomers to the Millennials. And, yeah, there’s lots of encouraging news there, particularly with the younger generations. Rich Birch — I also want to speak to on the the work I’ve done in the church growth stuff that I’ve done and coaching I’ve done with churches, one of the things that’s just undeniable is churches that have a high view of scripture, that is, they’re trying to get people engaged with scripture. They they talk about it like it’s actually true. How do we say don’t know what’s the best way to talk about that? Those are the churches that are prevailing, and that actually works out statistically. You see that time and again. Talk to us about that dynamic, which is kind of co-related to the things we’re talking about today. From your perspective in the stats and all that, how how have you seen that work out as you’ve looked at churches across the country?John Plake — Yeah, I think you’re exactly right. The churches that are the healthiest in America, that are growing, that where where people are spiritually healthy, have a really dynamic relationship with Scripture. And it kind of it cuts across tradition. Rich Birch — Yep.John Plake — There are some traditional things going on. I was listening to Justin Brierley and his surprising Rebirth of Belief in God podcast, and it was from last season, and he he had someone on, he was interviewing, and what she was saying was there are the parts of the church that seem to be thriving are kind of the, the the older, the ancientness traditions, whether it’s Catholic or Orthodox, that what she called somewhat irreverently, the smells and bells side of of the church.Rich Birch — Sure, sure.John Plake — And on the other side, kind of my end of the swimming pool, I’m, from the Assemblies of God, so the Pentecostal and Charismatic side. And she said, what’s going on is that both ends of that spectrum are totalizing. John Plake — They’re saying, you know what, the the Bible places certain expectations and demands on people. Christ places certain expectations and demands on people. And these parts of the church aren’t sort of shy about talking about that from a biblical perspective. She said, what’s what’s dying is that part in the middle where we’ve reduced church to a PowerPoint and you know an Excel spreadsheet. And she said, that part of the church seems to be dying and no one’s coming to the funeral. Rich Birch — That’s good. John Plake — And I thought, you know okay, right?Rich Birch — Yeah. Yeah, that’s good.John Plake — So if we revitalize our relationship with God through scripture, there’s a next step for every church. It doesn’t matter what, you know whether you’re mainline or evangelical or, you know, Pentecostal or Orthodox or whatever it is, but but reviving our relationship with God through Scripture is really where it’s at.Rich Birch — That’s so good. i Yeah, I call that middle group the just because it rhymes doesn’t mean it’s true group. You know, like the, you know, were just like, it’s all my thoughts. No one wants to come and find us. They want to find God ultimately. Well, I don’t want to pick any fights with anybody that’s listening in, but I really appreciate today’s conversation, John. This has been great. So we want to send people to church.nextstep.bible.Rich Birch — The the promise of in two weeks, your church could have a comprehensive report on spiritual health, on where your church is, spiritual health is at, that’s a huge promise. And so again, this is go to church.nextstep.bible. Any kind of final words as we wrap up today’s episode?John Plake — You know, you might be familiar with Cally Parkinson. Cally was the co-author of all of the Reveal books, every single one of them. She was head of communications for the Willow Creek Association when they were running this. She’s probably had more conversations with pastors and church leaders about survey results like this than anybody I know, maybe than anybody alive. And Cally likes this so much. She said, John, I want to have a personal consultation with the first hundred churches that go through this.John Plake — And so if you want to be in that group, she’s going to offer to spend an hour with you and just walk through your results and help explain it. There are videos throughout the platform that will explain it as well. And you can’t beat talking to Cally. She loves pastors. She says you’re the salt of the earth. And she just really wants to serve you because the work that you do to save people is just so valuable to her. So anyway, just wanted to offer that. And I know you’d probably love to meet Cally.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s fantastic. Well, appreciate you being here today. Thanks for the great work you do at the American Bible Society. John, appreciate you being on today. Thank you.John Plake — Thank you.

Why do we have so much division today? How do we rebuild relationships across the divide? Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson talk with Christian author and apologist Justin Brierly about his new show "Uncommon Ground", where he tries to do just that.  References and resources Increased US hatred for opposing political parties: https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/08/09/as-partisan-hostility-grows-signs-of-frustration-with-the-two-party-system/ Increased feeling of division in UK: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/uks-sense-of-division-reaches-new-high-as-culture-war-tensions-grow-study-finds Exposure can increase polarization: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1804840115 Don't overstate political violence in US: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-the-u-s-in-a-new-era-of-political-violence-experts-say-its-complicated/ Websites The Overthinkers: theoverthinkersjournal.world Nathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.me Joseph Holmes: linktr.ee/josephholmes Justin Brierley: justinbrierley.com

The Christian faith that shaped the West has been replaced by sweeping secularism. But what if this isn’t the whole story? Could we be witnessing a return to belief in God in this generation? Writer and broadcaster Justin Brierley is convinced that we are seeing a growing wave of faith among intellectuals and former atheists. On this edition of Equipped with Chris Brooks, Justin and Chris Brooks discuss why this is happening and how we can prepare for a fresh wave of former skeptics who are now seeking Jesus! Featured resource:The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God by Justin Brierly May thank you gift:Raising Daughters: A Christian Mom's Guide for the Lifelong Journey by September McCarthy Equipped with Chris Brooks is made possible through your support. To donate now, click here. To become 1 in 100 who supports at $1,000 (annually or $83/month), click here.

and more To get tickets here is the link. https://www.tickettailor.com/events/flowinthedarkproductions/2159501    What is the TLC? ("This little corner of the Internet" also know as "the corner" https://youtu.be/Y3vqSjywot8?si=IVS3bnriwje5syPO TLC Search tool. https://thislittlecorner.net The Flotilla List: https://thislittlecorner.net/channels https://www.livingstonescrc.com/give Austin TX in May https://www.rigelthurston.com/p/austin-estuary-weekend-paul-vanderklay  Ireland in June https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/finding-god-in-nature-and-culture-tickets-1988447493982 Event in Ireland London Breakwater Event link https://www.tickettailor.com/events/flowinthedarkproductions/2159501 Paul Vander Klay clips channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX0jIcadtoxELSwehCh5QTg https://www.meetup.com/sacramento-estuary/ My Substack https://paulvanderklay.substack.com/ Bridges of meaning https://discord.gg/yXtv7fcH Estuary Hub Link https://www.estuaryhub.com/ There is a video version of this podcast on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/paulvanderklay To listen to this on ITunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/paul-vanderklays-podcast/id1394314333  If you need the RSS feed for your podcast player https://paulvanderklay.podbean.com/feed/  All Amazon links here are part of the Amazon Affiliate Program. Amazon pays me a small commission at no additional cost to you if you buy through one of the product links here. This is is one (free to you) way to support my videos.  https://paypal.me/paulvanderklay Blockchain backup on Lbry https://odysee.com/@paulvanderklay https://www.patreon.com/paulvanderklay Paul's Church Content at Living Stones Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh7bdktIALZ9Nq41oVCvW-A To support Paul's work by supporting his church give here. https://tithe.ly/give?c=2160640 https://www.livingstonescrc.com/give

The past year has seen a deluge of reports and investigations about young people finding faith and flocking back to Christianity – including here on Holy Smoke. All roads lead back to a Bible Society study which claimed that – backed up by polling from YouGov – a ‘quiet revival' was underway. Yet, one year on, YouGov has pulled the survey due to data errors and the Bible Society was forced to apologise. While the credibility of the survey is undermined, this doesn't necessarily chime with anecdotal evidence from some quarters. So what is the truth behind the ‘quiet revival'? Justin Brierley, broadcaster and founder of Think Faith, joins Damian Thompson to provide his more optimistic assessment: that while the story might not be what it seemed, that doesn't mean that nothing is happening. Could the decline in religious adherence seen over the past few decades be slowing? And what would his advice be to struggling parish churches, and to the new Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally?Produced by Patrick Gibbons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The past year has seen a deluge of reports and investigations about young people finding faith and flocking back to Christianity – including here on Holy Smoke. All roads lead back to a Bible Society study which claimed that – backed up by polling from YouGov – a ‘quiet revival' was underway. Yet, one year on, YouGov has pulled the survey due to data errors and the Bible Society was forced to apologise. While the credibility of the survey is undermined, this doesn't necessarily chime with anecdotal evidence from some quarters. So what is the truth behind the ‘quiet revival'? Justin Brierley, broadcaster and founder of Think Faith, joins Damian Thompson to provide his more optimistic assessment: that while the story might not be what it seemed, that doesn't mean that nothing is happening. Could the decline in religious adherence seen over the past few decades be slowing? And what would his advice be to struggling parish churches, and to the new Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally?Produced by Patrick Gibbons.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Give the gift of everyday luxury by going to cozyearth.com and using my code COZYMMM for 20% off site wide. And if you get a post-purchase survey do please mention that you heard about Cozy Earth from the Maiden Mother Matriarch podcast. Whether you're buying for yourself, or for somebody else, Cozy Earth creates the comfort that makes a house feel like home. MMM is sponsored by 321 - a new online introduction to Christianity, presented by former MMM guest Glen Scrivener. Check it out for free at 321course.com/MMM. Just enter your email, choose a password and you're in — there's no spam and no fees. The queen of reactionary feminism, Mary Harrington, is now hosting a monthly YouTube show with Socrates in the City. I was one of her first guests and the Socrates team were kind enough to let me share our conversation with you here. We discussed the disappointments of postliberalism, arguments over the feminisation of public life, the loss of male status in the modern world, conflict within the gender critical movement, and the debate over ethno-nationalism in Britain. To watch more of Mary's interviews head over to Socrates in the City on YouTube. She's also recently spoken to Jonathan Pageau, Nina Power, and Justin Brierley, all conversations that I'm sure will be of interest to MMM listeners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send a textGlen Scrivener sits down with Speak Life Media Producer Thomas Thorogood to analyse his recent debate with Alex O'Connor on the question 'did Christian faith give us our belief in kindness, equality, freedom and consent?'. The debate was part of Justin Brierley's 'Uncommon Ground' podcast. In this full breakdown of the debate, Glen and Thomas cover the key moments and Glen's reflections.Watch the full debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZnVNM8lkGw&tCheck out the 321 course at: 321course.comSubscribe to the Speak Life YouTube channel for videos which see all of life with Jesus at the centre: youtube.com/SpeakLifeMediaSubscribe to the Reformed Mythologist YouTube channel to explore how the stories we love point to the greatest story of all: youtube.com/@ReformedMythologistDiscord is an online platform where you can interact with the Speak Life team and other Speak Life supporters. There's bonus content, creative/theological discussion and lots of fun. Join our Discord here: speaklife.org.uk/discordSpeak Life is a UK based charity that resources the church to reach the world. Learn more about us here: speaklife.org.ukSupport the show

Send a textGlen Scrivener reacts to his debate with Alex O'Connor for Justin Brierley's 'Uncommon Ground' podcast. Recently, Tim O'Neill tweeted about the debate and Alex's handling of history.Watch the full debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZnVNM8lkGw&tCheck out the 321 course at: 321course.comSubscribe to the Speak Life YouTube channel for videos which see all of life with Jesus at the centre: youtube.com/SpeakLifeMediaSubscribe to the Reformed Mythologist YouTube channel to explore how the stories we love point to the greatest story of all: youtube.com/@ReformedMythologistDiscord is an online platform where you can interact with the Speak Life team and other Speak Life supporters. There's bonus content, creative/theological discussion and lots of fun. Join our Discord here: speaklife.org.uk/discordSpeak Life is a UK based charity that resources the church to reach the world. Learn more about us here: speaklife.org.ukSupport the show

Send a textGlen Scrivener reacts to his debate with Alex O'Connor for Justin Brierley's 'Uncommon Ground' podcast. The debate got stuck a number of times because of two words: 'unthinkable' and 'unfalsifiable'.Watch the full debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZnVNM8lkGw&tCheck out the 321 course at: 321course.comSubscribe to the Speak Life YouTube channel for videos which see all of life with Jesus at the centre: youtube.com/SpeakLifeMediaSubscribe to the Reformed Mythologist YouTube channel to explore how the stories we love point to the greatest story of all: youtube.com/@ReformedMythologistDiscord is an online platform where you can interact with the Speak Life team and other Speak Life supporters. There's bonus content, creative/theological discussion and lots of fun. Join our Discord here: speaklife.org.uk/discordSpeak Life is a UK based charity that resources the church to reach the world. Learn more about us here: speaklife.org.ukSupport the show

Justin Brierley is a Christian apologist, popular author and podcaster in the U.K., reaching thousands as he shares from a Christian worldview. He believes there is a growing wave of faith in the culture, including among skeptics and atheists, and believers have a great opportunity to share the gospel. Based on his book Why I’m Still a Christian, Justin shares how science and other disciplines point to our Creator. Reaching beyond intellect, he also addresses heart issues that are drawing people in the culture to search for truth. Receive a copy of Why I’m Still a Christian and an audio download of "Providing Hope to a Doubting Culture" for your donation of any amount! Get More Episode Resources If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, please give us your feedback.

Born out of Christian radio discussions in the U.K., Justin Brierley joins us to reflect on conversations he has had with Richard Dawkins, Derren Brown, and many more. He will explain why he still finds Christianity the most compelling explanation for life, the universe, and everything. And why, regardless of belief or background, we should all welcome the conversation.Become a Parshall Partner: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/inthemarket/partnersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Please enjoy some of our 'best of' content featuring special guest Justin Brierly. If you're looking to hear a particular segment from the show, look at the following time stamps: Justin Brierly Interview [38:38] Karl and Crew airs live weekday mornings from 5-9 a.m. Central Time. Click this link for ways to listen in your area! https://www.moodyradio.org/ways-to-listen/ Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Please enjoy some of our 'best of' content featuring special guest Justin Brierly. If you're looking to hear a particular segment from the show, look at the following time stamps: Justin Brierly Interview [38:38] Karl and Crew airs live weekday mornings from 5-9 a.m. Central Time. Click this link for ways to listen in your area! https://www.moodyradio.org/ways-to-listen/ Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Please enjoy some of our 'best of' content featuring special guest Justin Brierly. If you're looking to hear a particular segment from the show, look at the following time stamps: Justin Brierly Interview [38:38] Karl and Crew airs live weekday mornings from 5-9 a.m. Central Time. Click this link for ways to listen in your area! https://www.moodyradio.org/ways-to-listen/ Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Please enjoy some of our 'best of' content featuring special guest Justin Brierly. If you're looking to hear a particular segment from the show, look at the following time stamps: Justin Brierly Interview [38:38] Karl and Crew airs live weekday mornings from 5-9 a.m. Central Time. Click this link for ways to listen in your area! https://www.moodyradio.org/ways-to-listen/ Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Please enjoy some of our 'best of' content featuring special guest Justin Brierly. If you're looking to hear a particular segment from the show, look at the following time stamps: Justin Brierly Interview [38:38] Karl and Crew airs live weekday mornings from 5-9 a.m. Central Time. Click this link for ways to listen in your area! https://www.moodyradio.org/ways-to-listen/ Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Please enjoy some of our 'best of' content featuring special guest Justin Brierly. If you're looking to hear a particular segment from the show, look at the following time stamps: Justin Brierly Interview [38:38] Karl and Crew airs live weekday mornings from 5-9 a.m. Central Time. Click this link for ways to listen in your area! https://www.moodyradio.org/ways-to-listen/ Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Please enjoy some of our 'best of' content featuring special guest Justin Brierly. If you're looking to hear a particular segment from the show, look at the following time stamps: Justin Brierly Interview [38:38] Karl and Crew airs live weekday mornings from 5-9 a.m. Central Time. Click this link for ways to listen in your area! https://www.moodyradio.org/ways-to-listen/ Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

'Responding To The Rebirth' - Justin Brierley and Glen Scrivener were joined by speakers Elizabeth Oldfield, Bishop Mike Royal, Prof John Lennox, Dai Woolridge, Rhiannon McAleer, Al Gordon, Rev Daniel French and Sarah Yardley.Justin present highlights from the London conference, including, talks, videos, panel conversations and audience Q&A. Access the conference videos in full: https://www.rebirthconference.net More info, book & newsletter: https://justinbrierley.com/surprisingrebirth/ Support via Patreon for early access to new episodes and bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/justinbrierley/membership Support via Tax-deductible (USA) and get the same perks: https://defendersmedia.com/portfolio/justin-brierley/ Give a one-off gift via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/brierleyjustin Buy the book or get a signed copy: https://justinbrierley.com/the-surprising-rebirth-of-belief-in-god/ Got feedback? Share it with us by emailing: feedback@think.faith Ep 29 show notes: https://justinbrierley.com/surprisingrebirth/season-2-episode-29-rebirth-conference The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God is a production of Think Faith in partnership with Genexis, and support from The Jerusalem Trust. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're so excited to bring you this incredible conversation recorded live at Big Church Festival in collaboration with Premier! Join Zoe, Jesse, and special guest Justin Brierley, host of The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God podcast, as they unpack the extraordinary awakening happening among Gen Z and why young people are flooding back to church. Discover the fascinating shift from the "new atheism" of 20 years ago to today's cultural moment where young people are buying Bibles and showing up at church doors without even being invited. Justin shares groundbreaking research from the "Quiet Revival" study showing that church attendance among 18-24 year olds has tripled in just six years—with young men leading the charge at 21%. From historian Tom Holland's realization that Western values come from Jesus, to the meaning crisis hitting a generation exhausted by social media and endless choice, we explore why the Christian story is suddenly making sense again. Hear powerful testimonies of young people finding Jesus through TikTok, escaping the empty promises of crystals and manifestation, and discovering that Christianity offers grace in a cancel culture world. We tackle the pressures of crafting identity online, the "inoculation effect" of nominal Christianity, and why Gen Z isn't looking for entertainment—they're hungry for something real. Plus, practical insights on how the church can steward this movement, the importance of authentic Bible study over bells and whistles, and why this awakening is happening across all age demographics. This isn't about slick programs or perfect presentations—God is doing something outside the walls of the church that's bringing people in. Whether you're part of Gen Z discovering faith for the first time or you've walked with Jesus for years, this conversation will inspire you to see what God is doing in our generation. FOLLOW JUSTIN BRIERLEY: https://www.instagram.com/justinbrierley/ FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thewayuk/ FOLLOW US ON TIK TOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewayuk/ Want to know more? Find a church that has things happening for young people. Visit https://achurchnearyou.com/youth/ [In partnership with CofE Digital Projects]

Do doubts about faith ever keep you up at night? Following two decades of debating skeptics, apologist and author Justin Brierley illuminates how the historical brilliance of Christianity withstands scrutiny. He explores doubt as a doorway to belief and deconstruction as a path of transformation — articulating why faith and intelligence aren't at odds, and offering ideas to help kids navigate their own doubt. Find the clarity and confidence you've been longing for. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/84/29?v=20251111

Online trends such as 'WitchTok', the psychedelic boom and interest in the occult, are evidence of our continuing fascination with the supernatural. However, encounters with these 'dark enchantments' are also turning many towards a Christian faith that is open to the 'weird'.In this documentary episode Justin Brierley speaks to Malcolm Duncan, Anna Morgan and Andy Crook about the growth of pentecostal and charismatic churches that practise prophecy, deliverance and healing. Tom Holland and James Drain also recount their unexpected miracle stories. But not all miracles look the same. Following the devastating loss of his daughter Natasha, Nadim Ednan-Laperouse tells the story of the supernatural encounters that led him to faith in Christ. More info, book & newsletter: https://justinbrierley.com/surprisingrebirth/ Support via Patreon for early access to new episodes and bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/justinbrierley/membership Support via Tax-deductible (USA) and get the same perks: https://defendersmedia.com/portfolio/justin-brierley/ Give a one-off gift via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/brierleyjustin Buy the book or get a signed copy: https://justinbrierley.com/the-surprising-rebirth-of-belief-in-god/ Got feedback? Share it with us by emailing: feedback@think.faith Ep 28 show notes: https://justinbrierley.com/surprisingrebirth/season-2-episode-28-keep-christianity-weird The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God is a production of Think Faith in partnership with Genexis, and support from The Jerusalem Trust. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hundreds of thousands attended Charlie Kirk's memorial service. Are we seeing a Kirk-inspired Christian revival or a rallying cry for Christian nationalism? Theologian Nijay Gupta and Christian writer Bethel McGrew join Justin Brierley to debate their different perspectives on the Charlie Kirk moment and his controversial statements on race and minorities.For Nijay Gupta: https://nijaykgupta.substack.com/p/if-you-are-elevating-charlie-kirk For Bethel McGrew: https://www.furtherup.net/  'Responding To The Rebirth' Conference: http://rebirthconference.net/ More info, book & newsletter: https://justinbrierley.com/surprisingrebirth/ Support via Patreon for early access to new episodes and bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/justinbrierley/membership Support via Tax-deductible (USA) and get the same perks: https://defendersmedia.com/portfolio/justin-brierley/ Give a one-off gift via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/brierleyjustin Buy the book or get a signed copy: https://justinbrierley.com/the-surprising-rebirth-of-belief-in-god/ Got feedback? Share it with us by emailing: feedback@think.faith Ep 24 show notes: https://justinbrierley.com/surprisingrebirth/season-2-episode-24-charlie-kirk The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God is a production of Think Faith in partnership with Genexis, and support from The Jerusalem Trust. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode Matthew reviews a conversation that Lee Strobel had with Justin Brierley in April 2022. In that discussion Lee tried very hard to make a case for heaven, and Matthew examines the points he makes and revealing why his case is utter bunk. It literally is wishful thinking gone wild.The original you tube video of the conversation is at link 1, it's not long, about 20 minutes. Lee's Case for heaven movie is at link 2. It's longer at almost 2 hours.1) Original conversation between Lee and Justinhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Oeh8L-87U2) case for heaven moviehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbkwdT3Tq403) hyponatraemiahttps://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/hyponatraemia/https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/hyponatraemia/background-information/complications/4) Being Close to Death can Transform Your Life.https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/understanding-grief/202411/can-being-close-to-death-transform-your-life?msockid=312d907b5d7169080dc782295cba68f75) Sharon Dirckxhttps://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2023/17-february/features/interviews/interview-sharon-dirckx-christian-apologisthttps://www.solas-cpc.org/book-am-i-just-my-brain-by-sharon-dirckx/6) the Lancethttps://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(01)07100-8/abstract7) Failure to Elicit Near-Death Experiences in Induced Cardiac Arresthttps://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/wp-content/uploads/sites/360/2017/01/NDE47.pdf8) the maria storyhttps://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeterson/2019/07/the-shoe-on-the-ledge.htmlhttps://www.is-there-a-god.info/blog/life/whatever-happened-to-my-tennis-shoean-nde-story/9) Blind Vicky NDEhttps://ndestories.org/vicki-noratuk/10) Psychology today article on apparent evidence for a soulhttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/biocentrism/201112/does-the-soul-exist-evidence-says-yes11) Pam Reynoldshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pam_Reynolds_caseBBC report on the casehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osfIY4B3y1U12) science articleshttps://www.scientificamerican.com/article/peace-of-mind-near-death/https://sciencebasedlife.wordpress.com/2011/09/13/near-death-experiences-science-after-all/13) Howard storm traumatic NDEhttps://thepurposeoflife-nde.com/howard-storm/https://near-death.com/howard-storm/To contact us, email: reasonpress@gmail.comour YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@reasonpress2901Our Theme Music was written for us by Holly, to support her and to purchase her music use the links below:https://hollykirstensongs.com/https://hollykirsten.bandcamp.com/

Why is it that no matter what we do, we never seem to get rid of our religiosity as a society? Is it possible the New Atheism movement actually helped Christianity, rather than harm it?Ben and Luke are joined by apologist Justin Brierley - host of the Unbelievable? podcast.Listen to the full episode hereSpotifyiTunes---------------------Interested in the Steiger Missions School? Click HERE to apply for the SMS.----------------------Do you ever struggle to share your faith with those who won't walk into a church?Ben has completely revised and updated his powerful book, Jesus in the Secular World: Reaching a Culture in Crisis—a must-read guide for anyone longing to reach those who may never step foot in a church. Packed with real-world insights and practical strategies, this book could be the breakthrough you've been searching for.Don't wait—get your copy today!Click HERE to check it out on Amazon.For more information, go to: jesusinthesecularworld.com------------------------Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.Click HERE to receive news, thought-provoking articles, and stories directly in your inbox from Ben, David, Luke, and Chad!Click below to follow the regulars on Instagram!Ben PierceDavid PierceChad JohnsonLuke GreenwoodSend us a text

Show NotesYes, atheist prayer is a thing! We explain the idea and introduce a philosophy paper on it by Oxford prof Tim Mawson. The paper gave rise to the “Atheist Prayer Experiment” which Justin Brierley conducted and reported on via the Unbelievable? Show in 2012.  We discuss the setup and results of the Experiment. Tim Mawson himself has agreed to be our guest in November to give feedback on our musings.Links:The paper “Praying to stop being an atheist” by Prof Tim Mawson:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k_TWLsLji4te169FZicpg_2vI9vsB330/view?usp=sharing Unbelievable? Shows on the Experiment:Classic Replay: Atheist prayer experiment results show – part 1. 29-9-2022Classic Replay: Atheist prayer experiment results show – part 2. 4-10-2022(Seach ‘Mawson' in your Unbelievable? Feed) The Facebook group on the Experiment, here is the setup page we mentioned and you can click on to group home page:https://www.facebook.com/legacy/notes/227785844014301/ Key Bible passage on those outside the faith seeking God:Acts 17:24-27  Doubts Aloud Links:Please give feedback and ask questions using:  doubtsaloud@gmail.com

Today, on Karl and Crew, we continued our weekly theme of “abundance out of scarcity” with a discussion about the importance of having faith, even if it's a little. Scripture tells us that the faith of a mustard seed can make mountains move. When we have faith, we leave room for the Lord to work. Dr. Michael Rydelnik also joined us after he returned from his trip to Israel. He shared with us the highlights from his trip and some updates on what’s happening in Israel. Dr. Rydelnik is a Professor Emeritus of Jewish Studies and Bible at Moody Bible Institute. He is also the Host and Bible teacher of Open Line, which airs every Saturday from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. CT on Moody Broadcasting and over 225 other stations. We then had Justin Brierley join us to discuss the challenging conversations he has with non-believers about faith. Justin is a freelance writer, speaker, and broadcaster in the U.K. who has become known for creating dialogues between Christians and non-Christians. He has worked in radio, podcasting, and video for over two decades. He has also authored the book, “Unbelievable? Why After 10 Years of Talking With Atheists, I’m still a Christian.” If you're looking to hear a particular segment from the show, look at the following time stamps: Justin Brierley Interview ( Honest Talks with Atheists) [10:07 ] Dr. Michael Rydelnik Interview (Israel Updates) [26:42] Ally Think It's Funny (Replay) [36:09] Karl and Crew airs live weekday mornings from 5-9 a.m. Central Time. Click this link for ways to listen in your area! https://www.moodyradio.org/ways-to-listen/Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, on Karl and Crew, we continued our weekly theme of “abundance out of scarcity” with a discussion about the importance of having faith, even if it's a little. Scripture tells us that the faith of a mustard seed can make mountains move. When we have faith, we leave room for the Lord to work. Dr. Michael Rydelnik also joined us after he returned from his trip to Israel. He shared with us the highlights from his trip and some updates on what’s happening in Israel. Dr. Rydelnik is a Professor Emeritus of Jewish Studies and Bible at Moody Bible Institute. He is also the Host and Bible teacher of Open Line, which airs every Saturday from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. CT on Moody Broadcasting and over 225 other stations. We then had Justin Brierley join us to discuss the challenging conversations he has with non-believers about faith. Justin is a freelance writer, speaker, and broadcaster in the U.K. who has become known for creating dialogues between Christians and non-Christians. He has worked in radio, podcasting, and video for over two decades. He has also authored the book, “Unbelievable? Why After 10 Years of Talking With Atheists, I’m still a Christian.” If you're looking to hear a particular segment from the show, look at the following time stamps: Justin Brierley Interview ( Honest Talks with Atheists) [10:07 ] Dr. Michael Rydelnik Interview (Israel Updates) [26:42] Ally Think It's Funny (Replay) [36:09] Karl and Crew airs live weekday mornings from 5-9 a.m. Central Time. Click this link for ways to listen in your area! https://www.moodyradio.org/ways-to-listen/Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Hatun Tash, a Christian evangelist to Muslims, was stabbed at Speakers Corner in London, it was a public reminder of the tensions that have arisen with the growth of Islam in the West. Justin Brierley examines the attraction of Islam to young converts and meets a new wave of Christian evangelists seeking to convert Muslims through confrontational tactics.Justin hears from evangelists such as Jay Smith and Vocab Malone, Muslim academic Saqib Sheikh, and converts including Hatun Tash and Ridvan Aydemir (aka Apostate Prophet). 'Responding To The Rebirth' Conference: http://rebirthconference.net/ More info, book & newsletter: https://justinbrierley.com/surprisingrebirth/ Support via Patreon for early access to new episodes and bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/justinbrierley/membership Support via Tax-deductible (USA) and get the same perks: https://defendersmedia.com/portfolio/justin-brierley/ Give a one-off gift via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/brierleyjustin Buy the book or get a signed copy: https://justinbrierley.com/the-surprising-rebirth-of-belief-in-god/ Got feedback? Share it with us by emailing: feedback@think.faith Ep 22 show notes: https://justinbrierley.com/surprisingrebirth/season-2-episode-22-engaging-islam-controversy-confrontation-conversion The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God is a production of Think Faith in partnership with Genexis, and support from The Jerusalem Trust. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Speaker Megan Fate Marshman joins Kirk Cameron to discuss battling anxious thoughts with the power of scripture and prayer. Don't miss this powerful interview on Takeaways with Kirk Cameron on TBN! Missed the last episode? Listen in as apologetics author and podcaster, Justin Brierley, shares how to provide logical and scientific evidence of God when speaking to non-believers. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ WATCH Takeaways with Kirk Cameron episodes for free on TBN+⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Each episode of Takeaways with Kirk Cameron features knowledgeable guests having a respectful and thoughtful conversation surrounding topics that are impacting our society every day. Kirk's hope is that you will walk away from this show with practical steps on how to better your family, your community, and your nation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Would you know how to answer if someone asked you, "Why do you believe in God?" Apologetics author and podcaster, Justin Brierley, is known for hosting dialogues between Christians and non-Christians on programs such as "Unbelievable" and "The Surprising Rebirth Of Belief In God." He joins Kirk Cameron to discuss how to provide logical and scientific evidence of God when speaking to non-believers. Don't miss this informative interview on Takeaways with Kirk Cameron on TBN! Missed the last episode? Listen in as Casey Luskin discusses scientific proof of intelligent design. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WATCH Takeaways with Kirk Cameron episodes for free on TBN+⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Each episode of Takeaways with Kirk Cameron features knowledgeable guests having a respectful and thoughtful conversation surrounding topics that are impacting our society every day. Kirk's hope is that you will walk away from this show with practical steps on how to better your family, your community, and your nation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amid rising headlines about a “quiet revival,” Justin Brierley joins Breakpoint to discuss why young people and even secular thinkers are rediscovering Christianity. Together, he and John Stonestreet unpack the cultural hunger for meaning and the surprising rebirth of belief in God. __________ Get the latest on the Truth Rising documentary at truthrising.com/colson.  Learn more about Justin's work, books, and podcast at JustinBrierley.com.

The Christian faith that shaped the West has been replaced by sweeping secularism. But what if this isn’t the whole story? Could we be witnessing a return to belief in God in this generation? Writer and broadcaster Justin Brierley is convinced that we are seeing a growing wave of faith among intellectuals and former atheists. On our next Equipped, Justin and Chris Brooks discuss why this is happening and how we can prepare for a fresh wave of former skeptics who are now seeking Jesus! Featured resource:The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God by Justin Brierly August thank you gift:The Quiet Time Kickstart by Rachel Jones Equipped with Chris Brooks is made possible through your support. To donate now, click here.

When high-profile food critic and journalist Giles Coren revealed he had begun attending church as a 'lapsed atheist' he joined an increasing number of people now using that label to describe themselves. Justin Brierley investigates why other public figures like Konstantin Kisin, Louise Perry, Niall Ferguson, James Lindsay and Carl Benjamin are trying out church as 'lapsed atheists'. He also hears from a new breed of thinking atheists - Alex O Connor (aka Cosmic Skeptic) and Joe Folley (aka Unsolicited Advice) on what it would take for them to believe. But what moves 'lapsed atheists' towards Christian faith? Ross Douthat, author of 'Believe: Why everyone should be religious' offers advice, and Luke Thornton a young convert from atheism to Christianity tells his story. 'Responding To The Rebirth' Conference: http://rebirthconference.net/ More info, book & newsletter: https://justinbrierley.com/surprisingrebirth/ Support via Patreon for early access to new episodes and bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/justinbrierley/membership Support via Tax-deductible (USA) and get the same perks: https://defendersmedia.com/portfolio/justin-brierley/ Give a one-off gift via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/brierleyjustin Buy the book or get a signed copy: https://justinbrierley.com/the-surprising-rebirth-of-belief-in-god/ Got feedback? Share it with us by emailing: feedback@think.faith Ep 19 show notes: https://justinbrierley.com/surprisingrebirth/season-2-episode-19-lapsed-atheists The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God is a production of Think Faith in partnership with Genexis, and support from The Jerusalem Trust. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trusting God’s love when you don’t feel it, plus how skeptics strengthened Justin Brierley’s faith, and balancing reverence and honesty in prayer. Featured musical artist: Austin Stone Worship Roundtable: Does God Really Care About Me? It’s easy to say “Jesus loves me” in church or when things are going well, but how do you have the faith to say it when God feels incredibly distant? What if circumstances in your life challenge your perception of His goodness, and now you’re wondering if He’s even there? Our guests open up about difficult seasons they’ve been through, the lies they’re tempted to believe about God and themselves, and what it looks like to fight for faith. If you’re wondering if God cares — not in general, but about you in particular — you’ll be encouraged by their stories. Send Us Your Show Ideas Leave Us a Voicemail Culture: Why I’m Still a Christian When was the last time you shared your faith with a non-Christian? Justin Brierley has been conversing with atheists and agnostics (including Richard Dawkins) for years, and he’s passionate about equipping believers to examine secular arguments, test them with Scripture science, and common sense, and then be lights in our culture’s darkness. If you’re intimidated by unbelievers’ unbelief and what they have to say about it, Justin will help you find both courage and kindness for the conversation. Why I’m Still a Christian: After Two Decades of Conversations with Skeptics and Atheists–The Reason I Believe Watch This Segment on YouTube Visit Justin’s Website Hear Justin on the ReFocus Podcast Inbox: Yelling at God When life is hard and you’re sad, angry, disappointed or scared, how do you pray honestly to God while still showing reverence and respect? Pastor Mark Bates weighs in. Find us on YouTube

Two of the most influential bishops from the Anglican and Catholic church - NT Wright and Robert Barron - met for the first time in a live conversation chaired by Justin Brierley. Among many topics they discuss signs of a rebirth, re-engaging the Bible, JD Vance's 'Ordo Amoris' controversy and whether Catholics and Protestants can share communion. Recorded in front of a live audience at the Word On Fire Conference, London. 'Responding To The Rebirth' Conference: http://rebirthconference.net/ More info, book & newsletter: https://justinbrierley.com/surprisingrebirth/ Support via Patreon for early access to new episodes and bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/justinbrierley/membership Support via Tax-deductible (USA) and get the same perks: https://defendersmedia.com/portfolio/justin-brierley/ Give a one-off gift via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/brierleyjustin Buy the book or get a signed copy: https://justinbrierley.com/the-surprising-rebirth-of-belief-in-god/ Got feedback? Share it with us by emailing: feedback@think.faith Ep 18 show notes: https://justinbrierley.com/surprisingrebirth/season-2-episode-18-ntw-barron The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God is a production of Think Faith in partnership with Genexis, and support from The Jerusalem Trust. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Re-Enchanting podcast from Seen & Unseen speaks to guests seeking to re-enchant our secular world with the Christian vision of reality. Co-hosts Belle Tindall and Justin Brierley will be joined by Bishop Graham Tomlin in a live audience edition of the podcast. Together they'll explore why a 'surprising rebirth' of belief in God seems to be underway in the West and how the church can engage those coming through its doors once again. If you found this conversation interesting, Seen & Unseen, the creators of Re-Enchanting, offers thousands of articles exploring how the Christian faith helps us understand the modern world. Discover more here: www.seenandunseen.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest speaker Justin Brierley continues in Voices with a message on the rising belief in God in recent years.#iamembraceEmbrace is one church, made up of multiple campuses and network churches. We exist to relentlessly reach the next person for Jesus.Give Herehttps://www.iamembrace.com/giveStay ConnectedWebsite: iamembrace.comEmbrace Church Facebook: facebook.com/iamembraceEmbrace Church Instagram: instagram.com/iamembraceAdam Weber YouTube:    / @adamaweber   Adam Weber Facebook:   / adamaweber  Adam Weber Instagram: instagram.com/adamaweber

Is science really a barrier to belief in the Bible and Christianity? Why does science remain one of the primary reasons why people are rejecting Christianity? This week we dig into that topic and wrap up our conversation about the state of the Atheist and Christian dialogue with author, speaker, and podcaster, Justin Brierley. From http://justinbrierley.com/about/ Justin is a freelance writer, speaker and broadcaster who has become known for creating dialogues between Christians and non-Christians. Justin is passionate about creating conversations around faith, science, theology and culture. Through creative use of podcast, radio, print, video and social media, he aims to showcase an intellectually compelling case for Christianity, while taking seriously the questions and objections of sceptics.Justin's first book 'Unbelievable? Why, after ten years of talking with atheists, I'm still a Christian' (SPCK) was published in 2017. His new book 'The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God' (Tyndale) was published in Sep 2023.Justin currently co-hosts the Re-Enchanting podcast for Seen & Unseen, and is a guest presenter for the Maybe God podcast. He has also recently launched The Surprising Rebirth Of Belief in God podcast documentary series. Contact Justin at  justin@justinbrierley.com.Free Resources from Watchman Fellowship:  Atheism by Dr. Robert Bowman: watchman.org/Atheism  Agnosticism by W. Russell Crawford: watchman.orgAgnostic  Naturalism by Daniel Ray: watchman.org/Naturalism  Richard Dawkins by Rhyne Putman https://www.watchman.org/Dawkins.pdf Featured clips on this broadcast from YouTubehttps://youtu.be/3mKXYI1d8-8?si=KRSSsJ2GjsBQJ47Phttps://youtu.be/IEjB3OX0JME?si=cla3xrquzTyl8eL1https://youtu.be/AvwGhlBI1hA?si=ZnMtXui0FXY8LYtVhttps://youtu.be/OVEuQg_Mglw?si=YsdypJcSZgRZi7gHDembski interview Luskin interviewAdditional ResourcesFREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.PROFILE NOTEBOOK: Order the complete collection of Watchman Fellowship Profiles (over 600 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: watchman.org/notebook. SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © 2025 Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

Chart-topping bands, musicians and rappers are increasingly singing about God. Why? In this documentary episode Justin Brierley revisits the religious awakening of music stars such as Bob Dylan, Alice Cooper, Cliff Richard and U2 as veteran music journalist Steve Turner explains how faith influenced their music. Justin also speaks to TGC editor Brett McCracken about the current religious revival in rock and rap from musicians such as Stormzy, Mumford & Sons, Nick Cave and Coldplay. But there are pitfalls to being a celebrity music convert. Jon McCray (Whaddo You Meme), KD Ruslan and Nick Brewer share thoughts on the case of Kanye and the conflicted world of rap stars singing about faith. X-Factor contestant Talia Dean also shares her story of recently leaving the secular music industry after discovering something much bigger... God. 'Responding To The Rebirth' Conference: http://rebirthconference.net/ More info, book & newsletter: https://justinbrierley.com/surprisingrebirth/ Support via Patreon for early access to new episodes and bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/justinbrierley/membership Support via Tax-deductible (USA) and get the same perks: https://defendersmedia.com/portfolio/justin-brierley/ Give a one-off gift via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/brierleyjustin Buy the book or get a signed copy: https://justinbrierley.com/the-surprising-rebirth-of-belief-in-god/ Got feedback? Share it with us by emailing: feedback@think.faith Ep 16 show notes: https://justinbrierley.com/surprisingrebirth/season-2-episode-16-music The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God is a production of Think Faith in partnership with Genexis, and support from The Jerusalem Trust. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For two decades, he listened to the best arguments atheism could offer - and he's still standing strong. This week, Steve and the gang chat with Justin Brierley about faith, doubt, and why he's still a Christian. The post Justin Brierley | Why I’m Still A Christian | Steve Brown, Etc. appeared first on Key Life.

In a secular age, many have predicted the death of the church in the West. But with evidence of a 'Quiet Revival' in the UK, where are the new signs of life in the church? Justin Brierley recently joined a panel of journalists and church leaders to discuss the future of the church, with Nick Spencer of Theos chairing the conversation. Panellists: Daisy Scalchi, Head of Religion and Ethics, BBC Television   Madeleine Davies, senior writer for the Church Times  Mary Harrington, writer and author of Feminism Against Progress Bishop Mike Royal, General Secretary of Churches Together in England  'Responding To The Rebirth' Conference: http://rebirthconference.net/ More info, book & newsletter: https://justinbrierley.com/surprisingrebirth/ Support via Patreon for early access to new episodes and bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/justinbrierley/membership Support via Tax-deductible (USA) and get the same perks: https://defendersmedia.com/portfolio/justin-brierley/ Give a one-off gift via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/brierleyjustin Buy the book or get a signed copy: https://justinbrierley.com/the-surprising-rebirth-of-belief-in-god/ Got feedback? Share it with us by emailing: feedback@think.faith 'Responding To The Rebirth' Conference: http://rebirthconference.net/ Ep 15 show notes: https://justinbrierley.com/surprisingrebirth/season-2-episode-15-does-the-future-have-a-church-theos-panel-live-in-london The conversation and audience Q&A was recorded live in London for the Theos Annual Lecture. The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God is a production of Think Faith in partnership with Genexis, and support from The Jerusalem Trust. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Know anyone who's deconstructing their faith? Radio and podcast host Justin Brierley has been having conversations with skeptics and atheists for the past 20 years. On the other side of those discussions, he's more convinced than ever about the claims of Jesus. How do you respond to some of the hard questions about Christianity? Don't miss the conversation on Chris Fabry Live. Featured resource:Why I'm Still a Christian: After Two Decades of Conversations with Skeptics and Atheists—The Reason I Believe Also mentioned:The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God June thank you gift:Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Commentaries (from Moody Bible Commentary) For more information about the work of Care Net, click here. Chris Fabry Live is listener-supported. To support the program, click here.Become a Back Fence Partner: https://moodyradio.org/donateto/chrisfabrylive/partnersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why are so many young men turning back to Christianity in a culture that's moving in the opposite direction? Is their faith intellectually credible — or is it just blind belief? In this week's expert interview, Jim Ramos is joined by Justin Brierley, host of the groundbreaking Unbelievable? podcast, to dive deep into the raw truth about faith, doubt, and the rising tide of young men reclaiming Christianity. Justin shares his powerful journey from skepticism to conviction that is shaping a new generation of believers. Order Justin's new book, ‘Why I'm Still a Christian' and the others mentioned in today's episode. (Using our links to check out the book helps support our ministry - thanks!) The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God - Justin Brierley The God Hypothesis - Steven Meyer Heaven - Randy Alcorn Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis Can We Trust the Gospels - Peter Williams Get Jim Ramos' USA TODAY Bestselling book, Dialed In: Reaching Your Full Capacity as a Man of God tinyurl.com/dialedinbook  This episode is sponsored by MTNTOUGH Fitness Lab, a Christian-owned fitness app. Get 6 weeks free with the code ARENA30! MTNTOUGH.com Want access to an ad-free, early-release version of the podcast? Get it with Arena Access on Patreon. patreon.com/themeninthearena Have questions you wish you could ask Jim about life, marriage, men's ministry, or manhood? Join his monthly live Zoom Q&A by joining The Locker Room on Patreon. patreon.com/themeninthearena 

In this episode, we welcome Justin Brierley back to the show. He is the former host of the Unbelievable? radio show and podcast on Premier Christian Radio in the UK. He is the author of “The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again” and his newest book “Why I'm Still a Christian: After Two Decades of Conversations with Skeptics and Atheists -- The Reason I Believe”. In this interview, we discuss the differences between being a Christian Apologist and a neutral moderator, the shocking increase in the number of young men going to church in the UK, the problems that have been created by the significant increase of Muslims immigrating to the UK, what atheists do to try and find “meaning”, how to deal with the problem of suffering, why it's ignorant to maintain that Jesus was not a real historical figure, why people try to “reinvent Jesus” to their liking, how to have a “minimal facts approach” to the historicity of the Resurrection, how to approach “deconstruction” and “reconstruction”, and much more. Let's get into it… Episode notes and links HERE. Donate to support our mission of equipping men to push back darkness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you spend 20 years talking to some of the world's most well-known atheists and still remain a committed Christian? Is it possible that belief in God actually makes sense?Popular radio host and podcaster Justin Brierley has been creating and facilitating constructive conversations about faith for more than two decades, and has had a ringside seat as believers and nonbelievers have debated Christianity. This week on the podcast, Justin joins Frank to discuss his upcoming book, 'Why I'm Still a Christian: After Two Decades of Conversations with Skeptics and Atheists–The Reason I Believe' and shares how he kept his faith intact while engaging with skeptics from around the world. Together, he and Frank answer big questions like:What led Justin to write this book, and what ultimately convinces him that Christianity is true?Is Christianity intellectually defensible in a secular age?What are the strongest arguments for (and against) the existence of God?Why are some leading atheists reconsidering their skepticism?Has science truly made belief in God obsolete?How can Christians engage skeptics without losing their own faith?What advice does Justin have for people who may be "deconstructing" their faith?Don't miss this eye-opening discussion, and be sure to pre-order your copy of 'Why I'm Still a Christian' to support Justin's important work in Christian apologetics!Resources mentioned during the episode:How a Dice Can Say That God Exists - https://youtu.be/yy6kaDaeDT8Pre-Order Justin's new book - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1496466934Justin's Podcast - https://justinbrierley.com/surprisingrebirth

I'm back from Hungary, where the topic of the day was the future of faith in the West, without which it seems unlikely we'll survive. But are we on the brink of a revival? There are some hopeful signs, and no one better to discuss them with than my guest today. Justin Brierley has been podcasting and writing about the return of religious faith for 20 years. The trends he's been watching all that time are suddenly coming to a remarkable prominence. We talked faith and politics in the U.S. and the U.K., how the church may have let men down, and where this is all going next. Check out our Sponsor, The Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/heretics Visit Justin's website: https://justinbrierley.com Order Light of the Mind, Light of the World (and rate it five stars): https://a.co/d/2QccOfM Subscribe to be in the mailbag: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com

Surprise. The New Atheism of people like Dawkins, Hitchins, and Sam Harris has lost favor over the last few years. Podcaster and author Justin Brierley discusses why New Atheism isn't resonating anymore, the openness of thinkers like Jordan Peterson, and how to have conversations with spiritually open people.