Heralding the Quiet Revival

 

On the 30^th March 2024, a headline in The Spectator read: ‘A Christian revival is under way in Britain’. 

It was written by the writer and podcaster Justin Brierley. Well, there was some debate at the time on whether he had written the headline or some sub-editor had. Either way, he ran with the story. He spoke more of a spiritual rebirth and resisted the word ‘revival’ in his article. In fact, it is likely neither the Bible Society or Justin Brierley or the Spectator sub-editor get the kudos of heralding it. There was also the little-known college newspaper reporter of Asbury College in the US.

But the article caused a stir and was the most read Spectator online story of 2024. Brierley’s evidence for the revival was that a number of intellectuals had become Christians and that there seemed to be a shift in the whole landscape with even Richard Dawkins saying he was a ‘cultural Christian’. Justin Brierley felt that new atheism had received a backlash and people were questioning the deepest issues such as the meaning of life, God, and what happens after we die. He had seen first-hand a number of famous people moving from agnosticism, atheism and Islam into Christianity.

One of those, although perhaps not considered an intellectual because of his accent, was Russell Brand - who, that year got baptised by Bear Grylls in the River Thames. With Russell Brand remaining a controversial figure after the allegations of sexual assault, he received a mixed welcome from the UK Christian community. Brand asserted that he had been cancelled by the legacy media and that the accusations were untrue. Some believers felt he was using Christianity as a kind of last resort. Others, including Brierley, gave a cautious welcome. But Brand went from liberal to conservative, possibly so as not to alienate his large US audience. He also lost followers because of his new faith.

At the time there was also some evidence that Generation Z were a lot more open to talking about faith issues than was believed. Some said that there was a revival among young people. It was hard to know for sure, but I saw little sign of it on the university campus where I worked. But I wasn’t digging particularly deeply and, after Asbury, it really did seem like young people were having these discussions and that some were turning to Christ. It is said that the late teens and twenties are a significant time for young people in settling on their faith positions. I had become a Christian at university aged 20. It seemed possible, but the evidence was threadbare and, in many ways, things were as they always were. If this was a revival - it was a bit disappointing. Crime had not decreased and the atmosphere seemed as heavy and oppressive as ever.

 

As ever, people put their hope in a political solution - with the general election replacing 14 years of Conservative Government. But just as with Brexit, the promises of freedom simply remained promises. Perhaps it was all a distraction. People were certainly agitated enough about political issues for it to be another major change. But the talk, as before, was about ‘fixing’ a ‘broken’ Britain - if you even acknowledged that anything was wrong at all.

I wanted Justin Brierley to be right. But I saw few signs of a revival and, even on a personal level, felt little personal revival. I had published a short book ‘The Parables of the Cold Island’ with a half-concealed metaphor for an awakening and it had flopped. It had done spectacularly badly. I think I sold a handful of copies at the most in the first few months and most of them I gave away.

It was a year of loaves and circuses - the circuses of the major sporting events and the general election and the steady bread of incessant bad news. Well, maybe it is unfair to say that politics is a distraction - being as it influences so much of our daily lives. And maybe, just maybe, God was doing something quietly behind the scenes and ‘Aslan really was on the move’ as some liked to say.

Everything is a distraction to somebody or other. It remains my conviction that one of the healthiest and most necessary things that anyone can do, at almost any time, is to bawl their eyes out (preferably at a convenient time and location).