[Re]Defining God & the Faith of Gen Z

Feb 9

Growing up in Texas, I’ve always had an impenetrable relationship with Christianity. Engrained in the way I thought, spoke, and carried myself. Even when I wasn’t aware of it, it existed as a constant. This presence that never permeated me until my freshman year of college. I’d gotten too used to receiving and rejecting God under the landscape of a big city. It wasn’t until I moved to Eugene that I finally found God in the trees.

The Numbers

If you spend a lot of time online, you may be convinced that testimonies like mine are happening in droves across the nation. Conversations surrounding Gen Z’s alleged return to religion, traditional, and at times, puritanical practices have slowly entered public discourse. Truthfully, the numbers suggest that Gen Z isn’t actually any more religious than previous generations. Religious non-believers have been statistically stable for the past five years, and research shows little evidence of new converts (Smith, 2025). In fact, Gen Z shows the highest percentage of adults (35%) who have never attended a church service, compared to previous generations (GSS, 2024). Since many American studies claim the opposite, what is causing people to believe that a significant religious revival is underway?

The Noise

My primary observation is simply the existence of the noise surrounding religion. It is likely you’ve walked through campus and have seen at least one hoodie with a Jesus-y message on it. Maybe you’ve walked past Straub on a Thursday night and wondered if there was a concert going on. Most likely, you’ve been bombarded by AI posters fit with flames, aborted fetuses, and a bible verse detailing your potential damnation.

Talk of a revival seems to occur in the wake of a more conservative America. The co-opting of scripture from politicians to campus protestors has a primary goal of pushing [white] Christian nationalism. Spreading ideas that oppose feminism, queerness, and religious choice. This genre of loudness is what triggers other believers to amplify a counter message; one of loving thy neighbor, feeding the hungry, and welcoming the immigrant. If you feel as if Christianity seems more unavoidable than ever, it is likely because your algorithm has been caught in the crossfire of an ongoing Christian Nationalist vs. Liberal Christian debate. Since younger voices are spearheading the conversation on both sides, it is easy to interpret this as a widespread religious revival.

Plainly, new religiosity is not occurring on a generational scale. Instead, the American political climate is acting as a megaphone for existing believers. However, this answer seems to be missing a piece. I’m curious as to what fuels the fire of young active believers? What is occurring beneath the noise? As I’ve grown in my faith, I’ve also grown in curiosity for those of us who have it. Using myself as an example, how can a person go from Culturally Christian to Passive Agnostic to Knee-Bleeding Believer? I bear the question: What is faith, and why do so many people have it?

What is faith?

Within the small sample of Christians I’ve encountered in Eugene, their reasons for faith range from the initial draw of community, to those whose belief is so strong that no other option makes sense.

There’s a romanticism that comes with faith. I used to be an avid romance reader, so the idea of a soulmate comes to mind. Someone who knows you so wholly, it feels like they were predestined to. A person who knows your every flaw and witnesses your shortcomings yet loves you despite it all. It’s almost as if silence doesn’t exist between you two, because when no one is speaking, you can still hear a quiet hum of understanding. You may know what I’m getting at here.

A girl once told a story in my small group about a time she was walking home late, and the street lights before her started flickering on. One of those moments that requires a special sense of romanticism to believe that it was anything deeper than coincidence. Moments of mysticism, radical trust, unlikely prayers manifesting before your eyes, a brightness that overwhelms your vision when you pray. This idea that seems like mere fantasy to most, yet to a select few, is their most precious possession.

So, back to the question: What is faith, and what’s so special about it? I like to think, for those of us who have it, it’s because of that quiet hum of understanding. The lamppost flickering on in the dark for your long walk home. The power you feel when you’ve extended Jesus’ unconditional love to another human being. My shaky hands as I try to describe this. Because of how easily hopelessness can creep in, the believer insists that Love must triumph.

Closing

I’ll close with a short story: A Buddhist, a Muslim, and a Christian all walk into a room. Their conversation leads to religion for no reason other than desire. The Buddhist shares the revelation that brought them to faith. The Muslim, speaking through words and vigorous arm movements, declares her love for prayer. The Christian listens intently. There soon became an acknowledgement that the three shared something incomprehensible to those outside of their in-group—a common thread.

This thread that outstretched hands grasp for in worship. That is begged for in murmured prayers. The thread that pulled two other women and me into a Palestine organizing meeting. The beauty of a faith that is called into action in the face of oppression. The insistence that Love will triumph.

Sources:

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/12/08/religion-holds-steady-in-america/

https://gssdataexplorer.norc.org/trends?category=Religion%20%26%20Spirituality&measure=reliten#

Raye Lewis

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