Former Brexit negotiator Lord Frost has said that people are increasingly turning towards “full-fat supernatural Christianity” in the form of evangelical Protestantism or Roman Catholicism.
Writing for The Telegraph, Lord Frost referred to the YouGov “Quiet Revival” debacle. A year ago, polling by YouGov at the behest of the Bible Society appeared to show a staggering increase in church attendance, particularly among the young.
Last month, however, the Quiet Revival report was withdrawn after it was confirmed that YouGov had failed to implement some of its usual quality control mechanisms.
Despite this, anecdotal evidence from up and down the country still seems to suggest that people are attending church in increasing numbers - or at the very least are curious about Christianity in a way that differs from previous years, a point picked up by Lord Frost.
“Something is definitely happening, if not exactly what the Bible Society described. There is too much other evidence. Numbers coming into the Catholic Church each Easter, here and across the West, are increasing (I was one in 2025)," he said.
“Footballers are open about their faith in a way that didn’t happen a decade back. Sales of printed Bibles have doubled. There is even a mini boom in the Greek Orthodox Church going on.”
To the extent that there is a revival of any kind, Lord Frost said it was taking place in evangelical Protestantism and in his own Roman Catholic faith. Meanwhile, he said, the Church of England continues to decline due to “sermons about climate change and social justice”.
Part of the reason for renewed interest in what he called “full-fat supernatural Christianity” stems from the increased availability of good and thoughtful preaching, particularly online.
“If your only exposure to Christianity is in your school religious studies class with a dull and inexpert teacher, as it might have been in the past, it could turn you off for good. But if you can hear Glen Scrivener or Bishop Robert Barron online, you are more likely to think: ‘I need to take this seriously,'" he said.
Other writers have echoed Lord Frost’s comments.
Writing for The Spectator, Save the Parish founder Marcus Walker said that traditional Christianity is resonating with newcomers.
“I can only speak for my own congregation, but since 2018 we have restored the Authorised Version of the Bible, introduced new Prayer Book Evensongs, and seen numbers skyrocket – especially among those aged between 20 and 35.”
Walker cited one young congregant who said, “BCP [Book of Common Prayer] services are beautiful because the language is poetic … contemporary language services feel like reading the NHS website.”
Vineyard leaders John and Debby Wright, commenting on the withdrawal of the Quiet Revival report, said they were nonetheless convinced that there is at the very least an "awakening" happening in the UK and what they called "a quickening of spiritual openness".
"When we step back and look at the wider landscape, the broader picture of a shifting spiritual climate still holds," they said.
They continued, "We are seeing an acceleration of faith in the younger generations. They are a deeply spiritual generation. There is an intensification of active faith among young adults, who are proving to be remarkably open to exploring questions of identity, meaning, and purpose.
"Taken together, these signals suggest a growing willingness to engage seriously with Christianity in the public square and in personal conversations."
They added, "It can be unhelpful to put too much language on what exactly is happening right now, so we would pastorally lean towards ‘awakening’ more than ‘revival’."
