New Atheism & the Returning Tide w/ Justin Brierley

New Atheism & the Returning Ride w/ Justin Brierley:
Faith's Surprising Rebirth
Episode 78

Description:
For 20 years, Justin Brierley had a front-row seat to the rise and collapse of New Atheism. Now he's tracking something he never expected: a returning tide of faith. In this conversation, Brad Edwards and John Houmes talk with Justin about the "surprising rebirth of belief in God," why Gen Z—especially young men—are suddenly open to Christianity, and what church leaders should actually do about it.

We dig into the Bible Society's Quiet Revival Report (and why it was withdrawn), the crucial difference between revival and rebirth, the trap of cultural Christianity, the gamification of faith through prayer apps, and the dehumanizing pull of AI. Justin explains why "you can't have the effects without the source," why real transformation only happens in embodied community, and why this messy cultural moment may be full of more opportunity than the data alone can show.

Whether you're a pastor reading the cultural moment or simply curious about why faith is making a comeback in a secular age, this one's for you.

🎧 Subscribe for more conversations on remapping culture and rethinking leadership in a liminal age.
Key Quotes:

"It's not rebellious to be an atheist anymore. For Gen Z, it's actually more rebellious and edgy to look into religion."

"You can't become a Christian in podcast world. You only really find the life of Christ by finding a genuine Christian community."

Resources Mentioned:
-Unbelievable? — Justin's long-running show
-The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God — Justin's book & podcast
-Uncommon Ground — Justin's newer show
-Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion; the "Four Horsemen" (Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris, Dennett)
-Tom Holland, Dominion
-Matthew Arnold, "Dover Beach" (the "sea of faith")
-Bible Society's Quiet Revival Report; YouGov
-Freya India, "The Commodification of Christianity" (Substack: GIRLS)
-Prayer/Bible apps: Hallow, Glorify, YouVersion
-Ayaan Hirsi Ali; Niall Ferguson
-James Davison Hunter, Democracy and Solidarity
-John Vervaeke (the meaning crisis)
-Mark Sayers, Rebuilders — "When the Fringe Becomes the Center"
-Chris Martin, Terms of Service
-The Gospel Coalition, Making Sense of Us
-Brad Edwards, The Reason for Church

Chapters:
00:00 🪤 Cultural Christianity's Dead End
01:25 👋 Meet Justin Brierley
03:19 ⚔️ The New Atheism Era
06:00 🔄 The Atmosphere Starts Shifting
10:17 🌊 The Tide Could Return
12:09 📊 The Quiet Revival Report
15:39 ⚠️ Report Pulled: Data Fraud
19:20 🐣 Rebirth, Not Revival
21:58 🚫 Settling For Cultural Christianity
23:36 📱 Christianity As Phone App
26:00 🎮 Gamifying Prayer
28:21 🤖 The AI Prayer Bot
29:45 ⛪ Walking Through Church Doors
32:11 ❓ The Questions Have Changed
33:43 🌱 Why Gen Z Is Open
36:10 ✝️ A TikTok Conversion
38:01 🥀 The Cut-Flower Culture
40:27 🤝 Coercion Versus Persuasion
43:03 🚩 Christian Nationalism's Pull
45:28 🌾 The Wheat And The Tares
49:09 🌍 Expanding The Good Soil
50:57 🧠 What Holds Thinkers Back
54:48 🙏 Ayaan Hirsi Ali's Story
57:08 💭 The Meaning Crisis
59:33 👥 No Christianity In Podcasts
1:01:57 📵 AI's Dehumanizing Pull
1:04:28 📖 Apologetics Without The Fad
1:08:44 🎬 Brad And John Debrief
1:11:08 📡 When Fringe Becomes Center
1:13:11 🔮 AI And Re-Enchantment
1:17:35 ⚖️ Why Gen Z Chose Justice
1:21:19 🕹️ Devices As Counterfeit Institutions
1:23:55 🚸 A Lesson In Formation
1:27:46 💡 The Church As Antidote

Hashtags:
#PostEverything #NewAtheism #Christianity #Apologetics #GenZ #FaithReturns #SurprisingRebirth #JustinBrierley #MeaningCrisis #CulturalChristianity #ChurchPlanting #Discipleship #TomHolland #Secularism #christianpodcast

Видео New Atheism & the Returning Tide w/ Justin Brierley канала PostEverything Pod - Brad & John