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Essay: From secularism to spirituality – the unexpected resurgence of Christianity in Australia

KARL FAASE, CEO of Olive Tree Media which has recently released a new 10 part series, ‘Encounter’, capturing life-changing stories about encounters with Jesus, looks at the growing openness of people towards rethinking the Christian faith as they encounter Christ…

Sydney, Australia

Since the early 2000s, there has been a growing antipathy toward spirituality, particularly Christianity. This is not a new phenomenon; census results across Western nations have shown a steady decline in the number of people identifying as Christian for many years. In Australia, the percentage of people identifying as Christian has dropped from around 85 per cent in the late 1960s and early 1970s to just 44 per cent in the most recent census. This rejection of Christianity gained significant momentum in the early 2000s.

The shift was accelerated by the rise of the “New Atheists” and controversies within the church. Richard Dawkins’ book The God Delusion, released in 2006, sold over six million copies, underpinning the New Atheist movement, which seemed unstoppable through the following decade. At the same time, revelations of historic child abuse within Christian denominations, including the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Australia, generated a wave of public outcry. While the Christian church was not the only institution under investigation, it certainly received the lion’s share of media attention. This was a painful and damaging period for the Christian church, one that set the tone for the years that followed.


Karl Faase in the new series, Encounter. PICTURE: Courtesy of Olive Tree Media

Yet, today, we are witnessing a significant shift in this trend.

It’s not clear whether there is one overriding reason for this change, but it appears to be the result of several overlapping influences leading to a renewed interest in the Christian faith. The first and most obvious factor is the disappearance of the New Atheists. The movement, which dominated public discourse in the early 2010s, has almost vanished by 2020.

“It’s not clear whether there is one overriding reason for this change, but it appears to be the result of several overlapping influences leading to a renewed interest in the Christian faith.”

Another factor is the rise of academics, authors, and thinkers who challenge the current cultural drift toward leftist ideologies while rediscovering the positive impact of Christianity on Western civilisation. One such thinker is Tom Holland, whose book Dominion
argues that Christianity’s influence on the West has been far more positive than many realise. Other writers, such as Jordan Peterson and Douglas Murray, are also offering critiques of contemporary ideologies, calling for a re-evaluation of the direction in which Western societies are heading. These authors share a common thread: challenging the prevailing cultural narratives and urging a reconsideration of the values shaping our societies.

This trend was exemplified recently when Richard Dawkins stated publicly that he now considers himself a “cultural Christian”. While this doesn’t mean that Dawkins is adopting Christianity as a personal faith, it is a recognition that his values and morals are informed by Christian teaching.

One surprising group affected by these thinkers seems to be young men in Western nations. Over the past few years, authors like Richard Reeves (Of Boys and Men) and Warren Farrell and John Gray (The Boy Crisis) have highlighted research showing that young men are struggling in numerous areas: education, mental health, life opportunities, prison populations, and deaths of despair.

The consensus is that young men are seeking voices to speak into their lives. This search may help explain the large following Jordan Peterson has among young men. His crowds, which number in the thousands at live events and tens of thousands online, are largely composed of young men looking for direction and role models. Although authors like Holland, Peterson, and Murray do not identify as Christians, they are supportive of the Christian worldview, which opens the door for young men to consider faith as a viable path.

This shift may help explain the growing phenomenon of young men expressing an interest in spirituality. Dr Ruth Powell, a researcher with NCLS, recently commented to the ABC, “It’s really interesting to see this result because it’s the first time that we’ve seen males come up as more religious than females.”



The sector of society historically hardest for the Christian church to reach – young men – is now showing greater openness to faith. Dr Powell notes that among Gen Z, there is a growing gender gap, with 37 per cent of young men strongly agreeing that Christianity is good for society, compared to just 17 per cent of young women.

It seems that more people are searching for a deeper spiritual life, and many are finding it in Christianity. A significant example of this shift is Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Born in Somalia, radicalised by the Muslim Brotherhood in Kenya, and later moving to the Netherlands, Hirsi Ali became an outspoken critic of Islam and an advocate for secularism. In 2007, she wrote Infidel, detailing her experiences. A prominent figure in the New Atheist movement, she was friends with Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. However, in November 2023, Hirsi Ali wrote an article for Unherd Magazine titled “Why I am Now a Christian.” In it, she explained:

“I have also turned to Christianity because I ultimately found life without any spiritual solace unendurable – indeed, very nearly self-destructive. Atheism failed to answer a simple question: what is the meaning and purpose of life?”


Some of the guests who appear in the the series, Encounter. PICTURE: Courtesy of Olive Tree Media

This shift among people like Hirsi Ali suggests that UK broadcaster and author Justin Brierley may be right in his book The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God. Brierley writes: “I believe we are seeing the first fruits of the returning tide in the lives and stories of a number of public intellectuals who are finding themselves surprised by the continuing resonance of the Christian story.”

As the cultural landscape shifts, the narrative that Christianity is waning in the secular West may no longer hold true. More and more, we see individuals – intellectuals, young men, and those disillusioned by secular ideologies – turning to Christianity for the deeper meaning and spiritual solace that atheism cannot provide. Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s remarkable journey, from staunch atheist to committed Christian, underscores a larger, emerging truth: that the atheist worldview, once dominant, may be giving way to a renewed interest in faith, especially Christianity, as a source of hope, purpose, and moral grounding.


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This cultural renewal is not only evident in public figures but also in the broader shift towards spiritual exploration, seen in programs like the new series from Olive Tree Media called Encounter, which reveal the ongoing search for truth and meaning in people’s lives. Whether or not individuals choose to embrace Christian faith, the very act of reconsidering its relevance is a powerful sign of change.

As the world becomes increasingly aware of the limitations of secularism, perhaps it is time to reconsider the idea that the church is dying. Instead, it may be the secular worldview that is gradually losing its grip, while a rediscovery of Jesus – unencumbered by the church’s historical baggage – offers a compelling, life-giving path forward.

In this moment of spiritual renewal, Jesus stands as a profound answer to the age-old question: What is the meaning of life? The search for truth is far from over, and in many ways, it is only just beginning. It may be time to listen again, not just to the critiques of Christianity, but to the stories of those who have found in Jesus a path to genuine peace, purpose, and hope.

Karl Faase is the CEO of Olive Tree Media and has been a pastor for more than 30 years. Olive Tree Media has recently released a 10-part series, Encounter, which captures life-changing stories about encounters with Jesus and has been made in response to the growing openness of people to rethink the Christian faith as they encounter Jesus.

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