A Brief History of Truth

Have you ever wondered why faith flourishes in some places but feels fragile—even fading—in others? Why do some people seek and find God while, at the exact same time, others drift off and fall away?

Statistics show that Christianity is thriving globally, with an estimated fifty thousand new members each day. The fastest growth of all is seen in Africa and among the house churches of China. Yet, in North America, Europe, and other Western societies, the story is starkly different. Seats often sit empty on Sunday mornings. Church buildings are being transformed into boutiques, cafés, and trendy homes. A few have become nightclubs—in a striking contrast to their original purpose.

In Quebec, 713 Catholic churches have shut down since 2003. Church attendance has crashed from around 90% several decades ago to lower than 10%. Other Western regions may see different church traditions and speed of change, but overall, it’s going downhill.

The numbers paint the picture:

• In 1960, around 66% of all Christians lived in Western countries.
• By 1980, that number dropped to 50%.
• In 2000, it was 33%.
  

These dramatic shifts raise the question: Why? 

Why has the Church flourished for two millennia and continues to grow in many cultures, yet in Western societies, Christianity is showing such sharp decline? 

But that is not the whole story. In an ironic twist, the percentage of atheists in the West is slowly decreasing, there is an uptick in young men going to church, and, more strikingly, some of the sharpest minds around are inching back to faith— just as C.S. Lewis and T.S. Eliot did in a previous generation. The ever-expanding list includes people like Jordan Peterson, Russell Brand, and the world-renowned geneticist who led the Human Genome Project, Francis Collins.

News of faith’s decline and surprising renewal often arrives back-to-back—with a priest, pastor, or music leader failing in faith or integrity, followed by a skeptic’s unexpected openness to God.”.

What is behind these shifts and stirrings? 

The causes are complex, but in this book, we’ll take on a key factor—one that’s mostly overlooked yet may be more crucial than most people realize.