Religion on the rebound

OPINION:

Faith, as the Bible’s Book of Hebrews contends, “is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen.” In the modern era, more in tune with a cold-eyed perspective such as “seeing is believing,” faith would seem to have the practicality of a self-licking ice cream cone. Surprisingly, though, faith — and religion as the institution that nurtures it — appears to be on the rebound. Thank heavens.

The demented murder in September of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk is credited with riveting attention on the breathtaking revival of interest in Christian values among young people in the United States and elsewhere. Surprisingly, though, there is robust evidence that America’s reorientation toward faith was already underway before that tragic event.

In an October publication, the Pew Research Center confirms a sharp attitudinal turn. Based on a survey conducted in February 2024, Pew gauged the proportion of U.S. adults who say they have noticed a resurgence of interest in religion within their communities at a lowly 18%. “A year later, in a February 2025 survey,” write researchers, “31% of U.S. adults said religion was gaining influence in American life — the highest figure we’ve seen in 15 years.” The near doubling of interest in this cultural trend line in a year evokes the sort of craze normally associated with the fashion world.

Admittedly, the preponderance of Americans still believe religion is in decline. However, a one-year drop in the share of those holding this view, from 80% to 68%, indicates that the nation is undergoing a sudden religious turnabout. It bodes well for the future of faith.

Beyond simply recognizing a revival of faith, Pew finds the share is rising of Americans who applaud it. Polling in 2019 on the questions of whether religion’s influence is growing and whether this is a good thing found 52% agreeing. This year, the figure has risen to 59%.

Additionally, the pollsters have periodically asked U.S. adults to compare their religious beliefs with mainstream American culture. Since 2020, the proportion of those who feel their religious views are a great deal or somewhat at odds with their cultural surroundings has climbed from 42% to 58%.

Clearly, the sights and sounds of daily life are prompting a sensation of alienation, giving Americans the feeling of being strangers in their own land. In contrast with the long-standing traditions of a nation whose motto is “In God We Trust,” modern culture has shown little regard for matters of faith.

Accordingly, even while the public’s initial shock at Charlie Kirk’s murder is fading, his legacy is not. Turning Point USA’s campus programs, hosted by some of his high-powered supporters, continue apace, punctuated with his resonant message of “faith, freedom and love of country.”

In recent days, Louisiana’s Republican Gov. Jeff Landry took to Louisiana State University’s Baton Rouge campus to implore the school to erect a Charlie Kirk statue as an enduring tribute to the late Christian firebrand’s fearless advocacy for a foundational American value: freedom of speech. In Mississippi, Vice President J.D. Vance joined Charlie’s widow, Erika, on stage at Ole Miss to engage in a wide-ranging dialogue with an audience of young people, some 10,000 of whom had waited hours in the rain for admission.

Freedom of speech, of course, must make allowances for diversity of opinion, and not everyone welcomes Kirk-style evangelism. The student government at Loyola University, a private Catholic institution in New Orleans, recently denied Turning Point USA’s application to open a chapter.

No matter. In recent weeks, Turning Point USA events in places such as Utah, Arizona and Colorado have drawn packed audiences. Undeniably, college-age Americans from coast to coast have caught the spirit, opening Turning Point USA chapters at a blistering pace and driving the organization’s campus representation to tally more than 3,500 colleges and universities.

Mr. Kirk sought to spark a similar phenomenon overseas. Shortly before his death, he swept into South Korea, encouraging young Christians suffering under the antagonistic yoke of liberal President Lee Jae-myung’s administration to garner hope from the ongoing religious revival in the U.S., cheered on by President Trump.

Recent arrests on flimsy charges of prominent faith leaders have raised suspicions that religious persecution is posing as legal prosecution in South Korea. Among the victims is Dr. Hak Ja Han, co-founder of the Family Federation for World Peace and The Washington Times. Her jailing, together with the similarly rough treatment of other beloved Christian evangelists, has jarred that nation’s faith communities.

Saddled with the world’s lowest fertility rate of 1.08, South Korea would be wise to revere rather than punish appreciation of faith, family and freedom so dear to Christians. A society that does not grow is doomed to fail.

Through every age, “assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen” is the fundamental force propelling human beings to make tomorrow better than today. Among Americans and their like-minded foreign friends, faith is the ticket to a brighter future and, hopefully, heaven.

• Frank Perley is a former senior editor and editorial writer for Opinion at The Washington Times.