Premier Christianity uses cookies Read our cookie policy.
By 
Chine McDonald2025-07-22T15:40:00+01:00
Faith is on the increase, says Chine McDonald. It’s time to be bold in speaking about what Jesus means to us
Anyone who was a Christian teenager in the 1990s and 2000s will recognise the dread of the awkward moment when you have to out yourself as a believer. Like summoning up courage on a Saturday night out to say you’re going to church in the morning. Later, bracing yourself before revealing to a colleague that “what I did over the weekend” was…go to church.
Becoming a ‘professional Christian’ like me means there are few places to hide when someone asks what your job is. One of my bravest moments was attending the Secularist of the Year awards with a friend. Sat at dinner with devout atheists, one asked me what I did for a living. “I work for an evangelical Christian organisation,” I said. I’m pretty sure I heard the clink of knives and forks being dropped as people stared at me open-mouthed. I didn’t want to be like Peter and deny Christ, and yet the temptation to say I never knew him was present every time I had to mark myself out as distinct, as weird.
My generation had a very particular experience – the children of parents who became or remained Christians while the rest of the country deluded itself into believing it was secular. Our Christianity was not set against a backdrop of cultural Christianity. We were the first for whom being Christian was backwards, irrational, just plain silly. When I was growing up, there were few Christians in public life – Cliff Richard excluded, of course.
Maybe this openness to faith is a response to the realisation that secular ideas have failed us
Today, I’m older and less prone to embarrassment, but it also feels like the tide is turning. Many will have noted the increasing mentions of Christianity – particularly within more politically conservative circles – having shaped the central ideas that make Western civilisation distinctive. We’re hearing from political figures and public intellectuals that Christianity is good for society. But we’re also hearing from celebrities about the difference Christian faith makes in their lives.
A recent report by Jersey Road PR into faith in the media found that there were 1,635 stories about people’s personal Christian faith mentioned in the media in 2024. A significant proportion of those being people in the public eye talking about Jesus. The Times interview with Christian Olympic gold medallist Adam Peaty, for example.
Last month, I took part in a panel at the Bradford Literature Festival about belief in an age of crisis. Alongside Dr Belle Tindall and I were authors Francis Spufford and Lamorna Ash. Their books symbolise the changing profile of Christianity in Britain. When Spufford’s Unapologetic (Faber & Faber) came out in 2013, it felt like what my younger self had been waiting for: an intelligent, mainstream thinker talking about his Christian faith. Lamorna Ash’s Don’t Forget We’re Here Forever (Bloomsbury Circus) symbolises the new era we’re in – where public intellectuals can wrestle with the Christian faith in public.
Are we cool now? Maybe not yet. Maybe this openness to faith is a response to the realisation that secular ideas and frameworks have failed us, that humans cannot and should not be the ultimate source of power, and that each of us is fragile and vulnerable. Maybe we’re still weird, but Christian weirdness is more accepted because there are all sorts of other weird practices and beliefs that are permitted in our ‘you do you’ culture.
Maybe, more positively, it’s simply a move of God. Whatever it is, we can’t be complacent. We need to keep talking about the difference the Christian faith makes to us – as a society, but also as individuals too. Unapologetically. 
Grab this Deal!
We’re celebrating a remarkable journey from our humble beginnings as Buzz in the 1960s to the vibrant, multi-platform publication we are today. One thing has remained constant: our commitment to connecting faith with the world around us. To celebrate our birthday, we are offering you a Print and Digital subscription for just £24 your first 12 months!
Subscribe Today
*Offer applies in UK only, but check here for our overseas offers
2025-11-07T15:14:00Z
In this new series, Bruce Miller attempts to answer some of the questions that people most often ask the internet about God. Here, he explores how to overcome doubts and embrace a divine connection
2025-11-07T11:38:00Z
JD Vance has been criticised for expressing his hope that his wife Usha will convert to Christianity. But Mo Tizzard, who has navigated faith differences in her own marriage says desiring your spouse’s salvation isn’t offensive – it’s the most loving thing you can want for them
2025-11-05T14:36:00Z
After their eldest daughter made a false report at school when they refused her request for a phone and makeup, Christian couple Daniel and Bianca Samson were accused of “religious extremism” and had both daughters seized by the Swedish authorities. However shocking, ADF’s Guillermo Sancho says such a case is not an anomaly across Europe
2025-10-22T16:28:00Z
Explaining Guy Fawkes Night to American friends made Jeff Lucas realise how bizarre our traditions can seem when we forget their meaning – a lesson that applies equally to Christian worship
2025-10-22T16:22:00Z
Waiting is rarely easy. It may bring disappointment, impatience and even lament, but it’s an essential part of being a Christian
2025-10-22T13:48:00Z
There’s been plenty of talk about Gen Z men finding faith. But the Quiet Revival research suggests women are becoming Christians too, says Chine McDonald
Site powered by Webvision Cloud