Being brave... and kind

Peter Lynas discusses how engaging with culture and speaking into the public square involves both bravery and kindness.

As I travel across Northern Ireland and the wider UK, spending time with different church communities, I’m struck by a recurring theme. Whether I’m speaking with church leaders or everyday believers, I keep hearing the same deep concern: how do we speak truth and hope into a culture that often feels post-truth and increasingly devoid of real hope? Many Christians are wrestling with how to be salt and light in conversations that are deeply contested and emotionally charged.

Let’s be honest – there’s no denying that we’re living in the midst of a powerful secular tide. Our culture is facing significant challenges. We see a generation shaped more by what they see than what they hear, more influenced by feelings than by truth. Personal experience has become the ultimate authority, and many are being encouraged to look inward for identity rather than upward to the One who made them.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to be good news people in a bad news world. In a time when confusion seems to reign and truth is often seen as relative, the church must not lose its voice or its courage. Too often, there’s a temptation to reshape Scripture to fit the culture, but our calling is the opposite – to change our culture with the transforming truth of the Word of God.

This moment in history demands both courage and compassion. We need to be braver in standing for truth, and kinder in how we live it out. The world is watching – not just what we say, but how we say it. In a generation hungry for meaning, our authenticity and love will open doors that arguments alone cannot.

We need to be braver in standing for truth, and kinder in how we live it out.

A missional moment

But it’s not all challenge. As I travel, I’m also hearing remarkable stories of renewal. More and more people –especially young men – are making the life-changing decision to follow Jesus. And this isn’t just anecdotal. Recent research from the Bible Society makes for extraordinary reading.

Its 2024 update to polling first conducted in 2018 shows a 50% increase in the number of people in England and Wales who identify as Christian and attend church at least once a month. The most dramatic growth is among 18–24-year-olds, where numbers have jumped from just 4% to 16%. The increase is even more pronounced among men and those from ethnic minority backgrounds.

The data paints a hopeful picture: the church in the UK is getting younger, more diverse, and more male. Bible engagement is also on the rise – Bible sales have surged by 85% over the past five years, with the Good News Bible Youth Edition leading that growth. The narrative of decline, often repeated, is no longer the whole story.

The Bible Society called its research ‘The Quiet Revival’ – and that title feels prophetic. Underneath the noise of secularism, something new and Spirit-led is stirring.

A new openness to faith

Justin Brierley has written about what he calls a “surprising rebirth of belief in God”. While not everyone is becoming a Christian, there’s clearly a growing openness – a cultural willingness to take faith seriously again. Spiritual conversations are no longer confined to church walls; they’re happening on podcasts, in public debates, and across social media platforms.

“We are witnessing public figures explore faith in a profoundly visible way.”

Figures like Jordan Peterson, known for his psychological and cultural commentary, are leading millions into deep reflection on the Bible and its wisdom. Ayaan Hirsi Ali – once a vocal atheist touring with Richard Dawkins – has embraced Christianity, along with her husband, historian Sir Niall Ferguson. Feminist author Louise Perry was drawn to Christianity as she critiqued the failures of the sexual revolution. Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty and even the often-troubled comedian Russell Brand have spoken openly about rediscovering the spiritual dimension of life.

One of the most significant apologetics moments of our generation may have gone largely unnoticed in the church. A few months ago, Joe Rogan – host of the world’s most popular podcast – spent over three hours with Canadian apologist Wes Huff discussing the Dead Sea Scrolls and the historical evidence for Jesus.

“Forget Billy Graham – this might be the biggest apologetic moment of our generation.”

Though Huff is not widely known, the conversation reached millions through Rogan’s YouTube and Spotify channels. Huff asks Rogan directly who he thinks Jesus is. “An exceptional human being… a person that died for our sins as the Son of God,” Rogan responds. He continues, “But you have to submit to this concept that this guy was the child of God who came down to earth, let himself be crucified, came back from the dead, explained a bunch of stuff for people, and then said, all right, see you when I come back.”

Conversations about sexuality, gender, abortion, free speech… are not distractions from the gospel – they are the frontlines of mission.

It was thoughtful, respectful, and spiritually serious. This is the new frontier of faith conversations – digital, public, and massive in scale.

A cultural vibe shift

Culturally, we are seeing signs of a ‘vibe shift’. Many are beginning to see that the progressive agenda has not delivered on its promises. The sexual revolution has left relational wreckage in its wake. Conversations once taboo – about biological sex, marriage, meaning, and identity – are now being re-examined. People are recognising that reality and truth still matter.

Secular liberal materialism has worn thin. Instead, there’s a fresh hunger for risk, purpose, and even transcendence. This doesn’t mean we’re witnessing a revival in the classic sense. There is still confusion. Some of the cultural interest in Christianity is pragmatic –viewing it as a framework to rebuild the West, a tool rather than a treasure. Others are drawn to faith as part of broader trends: a renewed interest in masculinity, tradition, or community. Yet amidst the noise, many are genuinely exploring faith in Jesus, often in real time, and often on very public platforms. It’s messy. It’s unpolished. But it’s happening.

At the heart of it, our culture still lives off the fruit of the Christian story. For decades, we have enjoyed those fruits – human rights, dignity, justice, compassion – while slowly cutting down the very tree that produced them. But some are now realising that Christianity is the operating system behind so much of what our society assumes to be true. Without it the apps do not work.

Hot-button gospel moments

Conversations about sexuality, gender, abortion, free speech, and assisted suicide are not distractions from the gospel – they are the frontlines of mission. They provoke deep questions about human life, identity, freedom, and truth. Everyone has an opinion. But few can explain why they hold it. These hot-button issues are not detours. They are divine opportunities for gospel conversations.

The debate around assisted suicide creates space for conversations about the value of human life, choice, coercion, control and life after death. The trans conversation is shifting daily with significant concerns around fairness, sport and women’s safety being aired. Everyone has a view on when human life begins – conception, heartbeat, 24 weeks, or birth. Everyone is prepared to limit free speech at some point – hurt, hatred, harm or incitement.

We must step into these conversations with courage and compassion. Our friends are wrestling with them too. They’re not just debating ideas – they’re searching for something solid to stand on.

Be brave. Be kind. Be ready.

Now is not the time to retreat. It’s time to re-engage. God is moving – in the quiet conversations, in the noisy podcasts, in the unexpected places. Our calling is to be faithful, courageous, and loving – ready to meet a questioning culture with the hope of the gospel.

The story of decline isn’t the whole story. A quiet revival is underway. Are you ready for what God is doing?

Peter Lynas is UK director of Evangelical Alliance.