The Quiet Revival – A surprising dynamic in those turning to Christ

Neil Oliver is a prior actor, now Scottish political commentator. He is not a Christian. He perceives the Bible is a book written by people, and believes tales he’s been told about it being changed through the ages. And yet in this recent monologue, aired on GBN in the UK, he hails the importance of Christmas, and a reviving of its faith and stories.

A remarkable statement from a non-believer and public figure (Scotland):

Regarding how early we put Christmas lights up, he comments on a change in his own thinking.

“…and it’s still only November. It’s never too early to light a light in the dark. I used to think evil existed only in fairy stories, likewise demons. I used to think we’ve put all of that behind us in this modern enlightened world. I don’t think that anymore.Now I know evil is real and demons are everywhere. They’re hard to spot – right enough, because they dress in regular clothes. But I first hear the line, ‘the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was persuading the world he didn’t exist’, it was in a movie. Now I know it’s true. When you talk like this about such things people say your nuts. So be it. It started for us – this hunger for light, during…”  (Reference: 9.30mins at https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=1g6E50kSeJ4)

He summarises that Christianity stands as the beacon of light in history, repeatedly suppressed by those who work for darkness.

This is the cultural meme to note. This is the change in thinking. Christianity led to the trend of putting foolish superstitions behind us. Judaism had preached the same. Historian Tom Holland has intriguingly suggested that atheism then took this trend to its fullest conclusion – naming Christianity itself as a superstition also. But atheism went too far. We came to believe that a belief in darkness and demons was a foolish superstition – while evil exists.

A growing concensus: Evil is real

What I perceive many non-believers to be considering is the fact that evil exists. They have witnessed the rise of darkness in our society through liberal politics, unapologetically undermining our freedoms – ironically in the name of freedom. They’ve seen public media becoming owned and then blatantly manipulating by the powerful. They watch media narratives every day, telling them what to think – while condemning them if they dare to think differently. They’re then being told that black is white and white is black, and that boys can be girls and girls boys. Riots that burn buildings, destroy businesses and take lives are defended as ‘peaceful’. The perpetrators, if arrested, are let out with impunity the following day – while a peaceful silent prayer anywhere within the vicinity of an abortion clinic can lead to accusations of a hate crime and a prison sentence. The public are reawakened to the idea that evil and the devil are real.

Even if this is understood metaphorically – as Neil Oliver does – this evil is still real, and a belief in it necessary if the benefits of Christian freedom, equality, prosperity and charity are to be sustained.

Hatred toward Christianity is now perceived as an evidence

I will give other illustrations soon, but for one more reference to Neil Oliver’s worldview: He observes the ignored persecution of Christian’s globally, and the ironic contradiction of this in that the West concurrently hails the protection of all others. Why this blatant prejudice if not evidence of the rise of evil amongst us?

He says that the light of truth therefore needs shining brightly by the common people, because the darkness will otherwise overcome it. So – in reference to Christmas, ‘put up the Christmas lights earlier – not later. Be unashamed, because light can overcome darkness!’

An American political comedian – and his discovery of evil

About two years ago the political o line comedian JP Sears recorded a non-comical commentary. He had never done so before. He had to preface it by explaining that the following 20 minutes of his talking truly had no comedy in it. He opened with the words “I’ve changed my mind about God”, while wearing what went on to be his best selling t-shirt, “Got God?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=a6etpmQUc2M

What led to this change in thinking? He likewise concluded that evil exists as an objective reality. It isn’t just a primitive superstition as we thought – as if rightly escaped through our enlightened rationalism. Observing the oppression of what he calls the ‘plan-demic’, he commented, “The presence of evil — and Satan that evil emanates from — has never been more obvious… The past three years, evil isn’t hiding anymore. It’s coming at us through authoritarianism, movements, people, groups, companies, governments, trying to invade our minds, invade our God-given free will.”

He elsewhere stated, “If you’re not someone who’s willing to do the devil’s bidding, if you’re not someone who’s willing to propagate evil, then there’s a natural occurrence that happens. When you’re in the presence of evil, you polarise to the other extreme. You may not even be consciously aware of it, but the presence of evil makes you lean away. Then, therefore, what direction are you leaning towards? That would be the direction of God.”

Of note, Sears had been a promotor of New Age religion prior, selling products in connection with his comedy routines related to this.

Examples from New Zealand youth – identifying opposition as the evidence of evil and therefore God

These are some of many stories I’ve recently heard from NZ pastors and youth leaders.

A female young adult – who later connected with the church, had a lecturer at university who said, if you are a Christian, there is no place for you in my class. She thought, ‘Why this hatred toward the Christian faith by this academic?’ As a result, she became a Christian. The opposition by itself was enough for her to perceive that the academic represented evil – not truth, and that this existence of true evil evidences the existence of true good!

For a different story, a young girl who was investigating the faith, coming from a non-church family, found herself being quite cruelly berated by her brother for attending a church and its youth camp. Instead of being discouraged, what’s intringing is how she understood this. Her instinctive conclusion was that was darkness coming against her – in which case if true spiritual darkness exists, then so must true spiritual light. This caused her to turn to then pursue Jesus even more sincerely!

British actor, now political commentator, affirms the significance of his ‘discovery of evil’

Russell Brand has similarly affirmed how his observation of widespread evil and corruption played a role in his turn towards Christianity. He saw growing evidence that there really was a spiritual battle going on behind the angry and one-directional façade of Hollywood and public politics. He is commonly as overt as to make statements like the following: “That not only is Jesus Christ real, but the devil is real, and the devil has his hands on the levers of power, and we must be mindful of that”.Only a faith-based system, again embedded in the values of the Jewish=Christian faiths, will ever have a hope of countering this evil.  “…we’re all touched by the evils of the powers and principalities of our modern, wicked world…”  “…You can’t negotiate with evil…”

A resulting hunger

Consider a pastor who told how, within one week alone, they had THREE phone calls from people in the community who were looking for spiritual truth, who wanted to investigate a little of what their church was about. Each then turned up on a Sunday, and two of these were being baptised the week I spoke with this pastor. 

Consider a young man turning up to our own church a few months ago (where myself and family go) because Charlie Kirk had been murdered. He saw good in Charlie – and therefore evil in the irrationality of the opposition toward him.

Consider a young man turning up a year ago, who had read two of Jordan Peterson’s books. While he admits Peterson might not actually be a Christian, the arguments for truth and good made sense.

Consider two boys who, a few months ago in one of our nations high schools, became intrigued about the faith. They’d been watching online commentaries in their social media. Wanting a bible one went to a bookstore – where the shop assistant helped him find one in easy English, while recommending a church near where he lived. Turning up, he soon asked for opportunities to serve. The conversation that followed – to get to know him and see if he even was a Christian – revealed a remarkably developed and sound faith.

 

Implications for Christian communication

1. Evil exists – and it makes sense to talk about this more openly than we might have 10 years ago

>> Talking about the reality of evil within human nature and decision making, especially including in the corrupting of power and influence, is making sense to people, and is perceived by many as  evidence of  evil – which is quickly then perceived to be evidence for God.

This train of thinking is the main point here. In reaffirming belief in the existence of actual evil – in contrast to considering this a ‘foolish superstition’ – there logically must also therefore be objective good, which God is  surely the greatest embodiment of.

The logical step between these things is surprisingly instinctively for many Westerners – causing them to turn up at churches!.

2. What we previously had was actually good – and we are wise to now talk plenty about this too

Esteeming the remarkable values of our nation and their historic origins in the Christian faith is becoming instinctive – as if just common sense. This represents a wide-reaching public rejection of the narratives of government, public media and education which have long-criticised our Christian past.

For fifty or more years religion has commonly been suggested to be the problem in our society – and our cultural salvation therefore in our escape from its foolish superstitions. At another level, ‘Western culture’ as a whole has also been vilified – as if it were the ultimate cause of oppression. (Social Marxism / Critical Race Theory etc… define problems in the language of power imbalances – the poor and struggling therefore being the ‘victim’, which makes anyone not struggling or poor the ‘villain.) Public opinion on these matters is shifting at pace – even while the narratives of socialism (power to government to redistribute wealth and power for the good of the victims) are concurrently widespread and always powerful in their seduction.

As examples of key issues, the over-reach of those pursuing power has supported mass immigration – even then including illegal immigration. Shop lifting has been defended. Violent riots have been called peaceful by public media– while any opposing this narrative were at risk of being cancelled.

Westerners are therefore awakening not only to the existence of evil, but also the possibility that other things they were told might likewise have been untrue. This has created space for consideration of the foolishness of the ‘self-hate’ we have been discipled into through the voices of our religiously secularised Government, education and media (for whom secularism itself has become the religion). The public are re-awakening to the idea that there has actually been unique good within Western culture – which is now literally being undermined. Personal freedoms are being lost; the so-called ‘peacemakers’ are actually grabbing power and making war; the person who thinks for themselves is increasingly the enemy; our cultural prosperity, economic freedoms and security are likewise fast-disappearing. It is all begging the question, Surely what we had was actually good – not bad?

Then thinking for themselves, if we are being lied to by those with power, what if the idea that belief in the foolish superstition of evil is also a lie?

If these voices are also so strongly opposed to Christianity, suggesting it the problem – what if this too is a lie?

What if those who control the narratives are actually evil – in which case the things they oppose might actually hold keys that might the solution?

Let’s understand the psyche of our culture, that we might engage!