A new study reveals surprising levels of spiritual belief among Britons who identify as 'non-religious’. While 46% of the population now describe themselves this way, a quarter of this group still believe in God or a higher power. Broadened to include belief in 'something beyond the natural world,' the figure rises to 45%. One third (33%) of non-religious respondents also believe in some form of afterlife. Interestingly, some who identify with a religion see it only as cultural, with 15% denying belief in God. The findings align with this year’s Bible Society research showing a 'quiet revival’ and Youth for Christ data indicating over half of young people are open to spirituality. Dr Rob Barward-Symmons of the Bible Society suggests rising interest reflects a backlash against loneliness in the digital age, with young people particularly seeking meaning and healing. Analysts see opportunity for Christians to share the gospel with a generation searching for truth and hope.

Just as the anxieties of 2020 have led many to search for greater meaning in their lives, the pandemic has made it easier for people to explore their spirituality, with the move to online religious worship. 36-year-old Misha Allard from Toronto had quit her corporate job to pursue an acting career - something she felt was her ‘calling’. With productions halted and no work in sight, Ms Allard decided to use the spring to explore another calling - her growing interest in spirituality. ‘I guess I felt I was being led all along.’ she said. Like many millennials, Ms Allard had not attended church in years. She went every Sunday as a child, but lost interest in her teens. She is now in Christian fellowship. Rabbi Elyse Goldstein, who leads a Toronto Reformed Jewish synagogue, has seen attendance grow, especially among young adults. The pandemic had caused most worship services to go online, making it easier for searchers to discover that the Lord is good.

Black Lives Matter organiser Melina Abdullah called out the names of blacks killed by police and summoned the spirits of the dead by pouring out a drink offering on the pavement at a Los Angeles June march. ‘Our power comes not only from the people here but from the spirits that we cannot see’, said Abdullah, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. ‘When we say their name, we invoke their presence.’ In the 1960s, the leaders of Civil Rights movements were Christians. Today’s BLM leaders are completely different. Pray for the US church to weigh its response to racism and police brutality while filtering a movement whose values are diametrically opposed to the Bible’s. It blends African and indigenous cultures’ spiritual practices ,and beliefs, ancestor worship; chanting rituals, dancing, and summoning deities. This unsavoury underpinning has caused a parallel movement called One Race to be birthed, welcoming all races and based on prayer, praise, preaching, and education.