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Several people involved with a new documentary about the revival among Generation Z say why they believe the unique challenges young people are facing have left them especially open to the Gospel.
"The Revival Generation," produced by Abigail Robertson of the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), premiered last Wednesday at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts amid the Trump administration's push to promote more faith-friendly content at the prestigious venue.
Detailing some of the large revivals on college campuses in recent years, the film portrays thousands of Gen Z students filling stadiums as they pursue healing and faith through Christ, which attendees at the red-carpet premiere said hurting young people are desperately seeking.
Be informed.
The Christian Post says, "Those attending the premiere included members of the White House Faith Office and other prominent Christian figures, including former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Dr. Ben Carson. He was among the voices who offered insight in the film about the spiritual searching among Gen Z or "Zoomers," who were born roughly between 1997 and 2012 and suffer from unprecedented depression, identity issues, and mental illness."
Tim Robertson, son of the late CBN founder and evangelist Pat Robertson, told CP he believes many young people have come to reject the bitter fruit and spiritual failure of the prevailing secular worldview they inherited.
"Young people are looking at some of the values they've been given from a very permissive generation that's older, and they want to find some stability in their lives," he said. "And obviously Christianity gives them that stability, and it gives them a rock and an anchor."
"I think a lot of the ideology of the Left is being exposed as being empty, and they want something that's real, and that's what they're finding in Jesus," he added.
Ralph Reed, founder and chairman of the Faith & Freedom Coalition (not related to our Faith and Freedom Foundation), said, "there's no question" that Gen Z faces unique problems, some of which he framed as the fallout of generational political failure.
As they face financial headwinds amid staggering inflation and runaway government spending, Reed said much of Gen Z feels shut out from the milestones that lead to material success, though he noted such might be leading many of them to think more spiritually.
"I think this is the toughest time to be a young person entering the workforce, seeking to buy your first home and begin your career, since the stagflation of the 1970s," he said. "And there's an enormous amount of cultural pressure, too. So I think there's a reason why they're turning to God."
They've tasted the darkness.
Much of the documentary centers on Tonya Prewett, a mother who founded the UniteUS movement. Her own daughter's struggles with addiction and suicidal ideation led her to establish the nonprofit that organizes prayer and worship gatherings among college students.
As recounted in the film, Prewett was involved with the revival at Auburn University in September 2023, when thousands gathered in the school's auditorium for worship, and hundreds were baptized impromptu in an on-campus pond, despite the freezing weather.
Similar student-led revivals took place that year at colleges such as Asbury University in Kentucky, Lee University in Tennessee, Samford University in Alabama, as well as Texas A&M University and Baylor University in Texas.
Prewett says she hopes the film will reveal God's work among young people and encourage viewers to pursue God in their own lives.
"I hope it will ignite something inside of them: number one, to get saved; number two, to know that they have a purpose; and number three, to make a difference where they are," she said. "That is what this film is all about."
Prewett told CP she believes the misery that results from the "comparison, isolation, loneliness, and addiction" common among Gen Z is driving many of them to Christ.
"He's the only hope that’s going to get them through it," she said.
When asked about the ironic timing of a film about Gen Z's spiritual battles premiering on the same day a 23-year-old trans-identifying man murdered praying children at a Minneapolis church, Prewett said she believes both good and evil are becoming more pronounced.
"When I had the vision for UniteUs, it's almost like I felt like God was saying, 'As hope arises, so will evil,' and that's what it feels like," she said.
Jennie Allen, an author and Bible teacher involved with UniteUS who also features in the film, echoed Prewett and said Gen Z has grown up during a time that has pulled them into a spiritual war that is increasingly unmistakable.
"I think that's what's unique about this generation," she said. "They've tasted the darkness in ways that, for other generations, it's taken more like 40, 50, 60 years to taste that much darkness. And I think they're just sick of it, and they want a different way. They want hope."
Young men are leading the way to Christ.
Conversions increased by 15 percentage points among Gen Z men and 19 percentage points among millennial men between 2019 and 2025, according to the study.
Via Christian Post:
Tonya Prewett's husband, Chad Prewett, who formerly served as the assistant coach of Auburn University's basketball team, recounted in the film that he was surprised by the tears that fell when he witnessed the revival at the school.
Noting he grew up in a generation of men who "held everything in," Prewett told CP he believes younger Christian men are realizing the spiritual importance of vulnerability, accountability and obeying James 5:16, which promises healing to those who confess their sins to one another.
"They're responding to truth, and because of that, they're letting others know what they're dealing with," he said.
"What we're seeing with this move of God is that they've been vulnerable with each other, vulnerable with themselves and Christ, and because of that, they're moved," he added. "Their emotions are moved. We're watching the toughest of tough guys show up and be moved by the power of God."
“Undeniably, there is renewed interest in Jesus,” says David Kinnaman, CEO of Barna. “Many people have predicted the growing irrelevance of Christianity, however, this data shows that spiritual trends have a dynamism and can, indeed, change. This is the clearest trend we’ve seen in more than a decade, pointing to spiritual renewal—and it’s the first time Barna has recorded such spiritual interest being led by younger generations.”
“The increase in commitment to Jesus among those under 40 suggests a growing spirituality that is quiet, personal, unconventional and hopeful, but also challenging,” Kinnaman says. “That’s because today’s spiritual openness is unlikely to translate into church affiliation or attendance and may not resemble renewal movements of the past."
Takeaway
Barna concludes with this: “As Christian leaders navigate this changing landscape, one thing is clear: Jesus is still attracting people—even those who have left the pews or never sat in them. The opportunity is not just to count commitments but to help shape people into lifelong disciples.”
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Grateful. Be Prayerful.
