Ever since statisticians began tracking religiosity of Americans, women have routinely polled more religious than men. The idea that women are inherently more prone to religious belief has, throughout generations, almost been held as axiomatic by religious scholars.
Until today. Among Gen Z (those born from 1997-2012), evidence shows that for the first time in history, men are more religious than women. Now many experts are trying to figure out why.
Young Men Come to Worship
After decades of seeing more women than men walk through the door, pastors at churches across America report that Gen Z men are suddenly outnumbering their female counterparts.
When the New York Times reported on the issue recently, they profiled Grace Church, a Southern Baptist congregation. After church leaders opened a small congregation in the town of Robinson, Texas last year, they were surprised to see that 75% of the young people regularly attending were men.
“We’ve been talking about it from the beginning,” said pastor Phil Barnes. “What’s the Lord doing? Why is he sending us all of these young men?”
What's the Cause?
It's a multifaceted question. One popular theory is that Gen Z men are lacking a sense of belonging, meaning, and value – and are turning to church to find it.
According to Derek Rishmawy, who leads a ministry at UC Irvine, Christianity is seen as “one institution that isn’t initially and formally skeptical of [men] as a class." He explains: “We’re telling them, ‘you are meant to live a meaningful life.’”
Kitron Ferrier, a student at Baylor University, offered another explanation: “Young men are attracted to harder truths." Occasionally, he prefers messages with a little “wrath of God” in them, Ferrier says.
But this phenomenon also involves an exodus of women. Experts point out that while churches may be attracting more young men, young women are also showing up in fewer numbers – helping to skew the ratio.
Women Flee the Pews
In 2018, the world of faith was shocked when a Pew study revealed that the fastest growing religion in America was “None.”
Now we know that women are leading the charge. Earlier this year, another study on faith in America, this time by the Survey Center on American Life, unveiled that young women are leaving the church at an astounding rate.
The survey found that amongst Gen Z youth, 39% of women describe themselves as religiously unaffiliated, compared to just 34% of Gen Z men. Amongst other generations, from Millennial to Baby Boomer, women remain more religious than men.
Why Are Women Leaving?
But why is this happening? It could be a lack of fair treatment. According to one poll, nearly two-thirds of women age 18-29 say that "most churches and religious congregations" do not treat women equal to men. Other scholars suggest that Christianity's hardline stance on issues like abortion, IVF, and LGBTQ+ rights factors into play.
“I can’t go to a place of worship and know that the person next to me thinks that gay people are going to burn in hell,” said Becca Clark, a social work student and former Southern Baptist. “I still believe in God and Jesus and all that, I just struggle to call myself a Christian.”
A review of the NYT article's comment section provides some other interesting, and scathing, potential explanations.
Nicole in Seattle said: "Churches historically ran on unpaid women’s labor while denying them an positions of administrative or spiritual authority. Will be interesting to see these young men take over the helper roles to keep their churches running while looking for their traditional wives. Churches have never treated women well. The young women have it right."
Karen in Texas said: "As someone who was deeply involved in the Texas Baptist church and knows very well the type of evangelicals being highlighted here, this is scary. Endless pews of young white conservative men in khakis bonding over a God that tells them they are meant to lord over the women around them. As they fall behind in education and are called out for misogyny and racism they grasp at the one thing telling them that they are perfect the way they are and believe anyone opposing them is outside the will of their God…truly scary times."
An anonymous commenter offered a counter-argument:
"People go where they feel valued and connected. For many women this is obviously not in the pews of these churches, while for men it is. The question is, what work is being done to make young men feel valued in a way that doesn't put down or harm women? How can the loneliness and alienation many men feel be directed in the healthiest and best way? It's easy to say, as many in the comments have said, that these young men are inherently misogynistic and want to put women in their place (i.e., the home) but I'm not sure that's entirely the case, and it also isn't really a solution to the problem. Giving men meaning and hope without diminishing women will improve our politics and our society and hopefully weaken the toxic right-wing worldviews many young men are being exposed to while also empowering women."
What Does the Future of Church Look Like?
Unless this trend reverses course, churches may look wildly different in the coming years and decades.
“I’m not sure what church life looks like with a decreasing presence of women,” said Russell Moore, Christianity Today’s editor-in-chief. “We need both spiritual mothers and spiritual fathers.”
Presbyterian Pastor Tod Bolsinger added that churches need to collectively right the ship – before it’s too late. “You have to have something to offer people,” said Pastor Bolsinger. “If we are losing the people who have historically been the most loyal, that’s a four-alarm fire.”
What is your reaction? Do you have a theory for why young men are feeling called to church services – and why young women are turning their backs?
66 comments
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Melinda Fulk
Not all denominations treat women with disdain and disrespect, but all the ones we keep hearing about do. And why would a woman want to walk through the doors of somewhere telling here she isn't even a second class citizen?
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Reverend Paula Copp
Brava!
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Patricia Ann Gross
Great comment, Melinda. I once asked a seminary colleague the same question, since she was a lesbian and trying to become a minister in a church that refused to ordain women, and her comment was that she was brought up in that church, and loved it. Furthermore, it was likely easier to generate change within the church from the inside rather than the outside. Personally, I'm with you and would not want to go wherever I was seen as second class, but I understood her point of view and wished her well. I don't have the time or the energy for that fight. I wish I knew what happended to her.
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Reverend Paula Copp
Has church become a magnet for Incels? Religion is under the control of the patriarchy and the men (and women) who are desperate to belong often crave the structure churches offer. Although I don’t subscribe to the necessity for such rigidity, I do understand that some people don’t function well when left to their own devices…
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Rev. Dr. Father JJ
religiosity, like goD and patriotism have been co-opted by the regressive goppers. recent articles show that the regressive right has been successful at recruiting young males. on utoob there are channels run by young frat/brah types that are strongly regressive and strongly pro-trumpler.
if these recruiters, or groomers of young men are also part of some church complex then they are encouraging their new 'recruits' to join as well (note: members of the KKK were all good kkkrs chn church going people).
the modern uniform of the regressive right gopper (incel) isn't going to be 'brown shirts' but rather, khaki pants, collared shirt, cross-pins on the lapel, a bibble under their arms and an ar-15 slung over their shoulder.
[it's saturday morning so the release or censor of my post may wait til monday, or tuesday....]
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Keith D
First, what's happening in the 'spiritual' and 'spiritualist' categories? Eastern belief systems and magical systems from all over the world?
That helps us map the baseline. Christianity has a nasty tendency toward a sort of chauvinism that "religion = Christianity." To ignore the things that may attract women TO them is classic Western 'science' error: not understanding the baseline.
Make no mistake: I'm a late middle aged man, all man, Caucasian, long family roots in N America since the Mayflower. Some of my ancestors would certainly lynch me as 'a witch.' Well, I think they know better now, but that is a context.
You won't find me in a 'church' unless it's this one, which bears my beliefs no ill will, or one I'm attending on some kind of 'one time' invitation, or to catch a glimpse of its energy and level of grasp.
I'm an Esotericist, a Hermeticist and an occultist, interested in the level of Divinity consciousness of any system that gets to the mysticism. 'Occult' effectively means that if your mind is closed, it is closed to you.
The energies of Earth are changing and that includes a lot of its archetypal architecture--that includes humans. Men must still be men and women women, but consciousness must develop that we all have components of masculine and feminine, and sometimes, they are really counterintuitive. And humanity is going to see outlandish changes overall.
Young women (and older ones) are recognizing that 'female' and 'feminine' are not weak and servile, but partners in the power and magic of life. So they leave the paternalist Piscean Age churches that really didn't grasp the profound meaning of woman, even after Jesus rather shoved it at them.
Older ages were off balance, too, as they held women more sacrosanct than men. But Piscean paternalist notions of modern churches probably appeal to a cluster of men who recognize that the 'anti male' propaganda of our day is not right. But they don't know where to turn, and even when they do, unless it's a materialism palace, they are met with misguided animosity from women who haven't yet healed from a genetic memory of the last couple thousand years, and they think, 'Well, this isn't the place.' Spiritual and spiritualist gatherings tend to have a lot of this, along with simps and von artist virtue signaler screaming BS about 'toxic masculinity' because... not because toxic, but because male.
So much for the vaunted experts of this article. Bah.
All: go within. Find your inner sovereign. Get acquainted and rise into the outer with that sovereign, to rule you and none other, and to be ruled by none other. Respect for all as part and parcel of the Unity. As Rumi said:
You are not a drop in the ocean, but the entire ocean in a drop.
Be that. Men and women can do this. As individuals and in teams.
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Russel A. Kester
This article is a great example of the problem. Most of it focused on young women after a few paragraphs about young men. I hope more women leave the church so that more young men will feel comfortable within its walls. Historically, both Judaism and Islam separated the sexes. They had the right idea. We also need to separate the sexes in school. Women teachers are a terror for boys because they "just don't get it." Especially when the boys are younger. As for church, a strong Christianity that teaches boys to become strong, self-confident young men would be most glorious indeed. Boys and young men need single-sex spaces to be themselves; to become the men God intends them to be. Any reader of my comment should notice that I kept about boys/young men and their needs. If you respond about girls and their needs, then you are part of the problem.
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Rev. Dr. Father JJ
yes, we are all aware of your thoughts about young boys and men. whether we all agree with them or not is the question
but anyway, welcome to what....the 1800's, 1600's? let me guess, are you of the mind that women contaminate or somehow are bad influences on men/boys? because your idea of separating them reeks of sexism and maybe a skosh of misogyny
and yes I am aware of studies about separating the sexes in school, and the reason appears to be because it's better for the girls, they don't have to deal with the rowdiness of boys but I have the feeling you thing it may be the opposite
but let's circle back to the part where you are all in favor of women leaving the church and letting the men have it. so not just in the classroom but in the church as well you want to keep girls away from boys, or boys away from girls, it' kinda the same but not.
but like you end your comment, I can see your point. clearly anyone that stands up for girls, women, are in your words "...the problem." Hmm, curious how you see these things. since historically it's been a (white kkkris chn) man's world, since forever, really, you seem upset about women getting equal advantage, would you suggest the schooling for girls ends at around 6th or 8th grade? I suspect that would please you.
so paint me "...part of the problem." I am proud to be so and will work diligently to see that women, all women, including my daughter are able to compete and succeed to the best of their abilities and desires despite people who think as you. I know more people will agree with me than with you, here and in the real (non-delusional) world
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Russel A. Kester
Yup, JJ, I agree with your statement that you're part of the problem. You wrote six paragraphs all about girls and women. I do hope that someday you will be able to care about boys and young men as much as you do about girls and young ladies.
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Rev. Dr. Father JJ
do you realize just how absurd your comment is?
if I thought boys and men needed to be advocated for as much as girls and women do I'd be doing so for them. but as it stands, males (white males mostly) get the breaks in our society.
do you see religion going after men for impregnating women?
do you religion going after ED medications for men?
do you see religion dictating what men can and can't do with their bodies?
so the question that remains is:
why (despite your claim about a 'girl friend') do you appear to...well, let's call it 'dislike women'?
something there we should know about?
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Russel A. Kester
JJ, just about everything you posted was wrong. You simply refuse to see the truth. Read some books about the issue such as The War on Boys or Boys Adrift. They're getting a bit dated now, but still provide good information.
I asked Google AI if boys were falling behind girls in society and here is its response:
"Yes, boys are falling behind girls in several areas of society, including school, college, and the workplace:
School: Boys are underperforming in school, and are more likely to be held back or drop out. In the United States, the top 10% of students are two-thirds female, while the bottom 10% is two-thirds male.
College: Boys are making up a smaller percentage of college matriculants.
Workplace: Boys are losing ground in the workplace.
Development: Boys' brains develop more slowly than girls, and they may be developmentally behind when they start school.
Some reasons why boys may be falling behind include:
Gender socialization Society's emphasis on masculinity can teach boys that being a "strong man" is about playing sports, being competitive, and establishing power.
Barriers in education These barriers can include discriminatory structures, adult biases, and distractions.
Reforms to boost college readiness Reforms to boost college readiness led to increased literacy skills in the early grades, which boys are less developmentally equipped to absorb."
Your views are outdated and archaic.
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Michael Hunt
Google AI isn't a good source since AI has proven time and time again to be unable to sort fact from fiction.
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Russel A. Kester
Ah yes, try to discredit the source when the facts don't favor ones argument or world view. And not one fact in your comment. Sad. If one despises boys simply say so. Or if one is afraid that standing up for boys will make them a target of the intolerant left, then grow up already! See reality instead of stale propaganda which is over 50 years out of date.
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Reverend Paula Copp
Spoken like a true misogynist.
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David Douglas Winters
Many thanks foolish, sexist, failed woman.(Note that you utterly failed to be respectful. Why should anyone respond otherwise?)
Any other empty ejaculations you must release?
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Russel A. Kester
Ah, Paula, you wound me. I'll assume the last part of my comment is what caused your response. But I think you don't actually understand my position. It's true that I do not like feminist ideology as it expresses itself today. It, like the rhetoric on the left, uses great sounding words, but its actions speak another language entirely. Using the current example JJ and I have been going 'round and 'round about, it is a fact and is verified by the Department of Education that the following from an article is true:
"In 1972, 57% of college students were male and only 43% were female. By 2010 those numbers had flipped: 57% of college students were women, and that number keeps increasing."
https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/the-strange-evolution-of-title-ix
And closer to our own time:
"Nationwide, women comprised 58% of all college students in 2020, up from 56.6% six years earlier. Women have outnumbered men among college students for decades, but the gap continues to widen."
https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2024/08/07/women-continue-to-outpace-men-in-college-enrollment-and-graduation/
But not a word from these same organizations about the current situation which is greater then it was back in the early seventies when it was declared to be a crisis. That's the hypocrisy which I detest in feminism; it calls for equality but only when girls lag. When boys lay behind these these people just give each other knowing smiles and remain silent. Men do not do better as they're either clueless or remain silent because they don't want to be called a misogynist which is what the left does anytime someone stands up for boys and young men. Well, I'm not afraid of adjectives, nouns, or participles. But please do verify what I've written, and give us your honest assessment.
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David Douglas Winters
Perfectly on target.
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Reverend Paula Copp
Spoken like a true misogynist.
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David Douglas Winters
You give the response of sexual deviants when confronted with simple truth.You have yourself away..
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Michael Hunt
It is a fact that AI has a hard time sorting fact from fiction, which is why I wouldn't rely on it as your source, only a starting point so that you can find a reputable source that confirms, or contradicts, what Google AI says.
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Russel A. Kester
Well in this instance, it got it right because I've already read, watched, or listened to other sources which said many of the same things. Again, you did no research to confirm what it said but simply dismissed it despite writing that one should follow up on the information provided. Very disingenuous. It seems from your comments that wokeism and today's feminism can't handle the truth.
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Michael Hunt
Again, I'm just saying don't rely on Google AI as a source. I never said that you were wrong, just that you should use better sources.
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Russel A. Kester
That's a fair response.
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Patricia Ann Gross
Russel, did you realize that you just described WHY women should are being seen as superior to men? Higher graduation rates. Smarter. Emphasis on things besides sports and establishing power (at all costs). It's a really telling argument when you just disproved what you were trying to prove. All this proves is that the male emphasis on power grabbing was not sustainable, and they are now paying the price for centuries of inequitable treatment. Toxic masculinity has now poisoned the male of the species.
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Russel A. Kester
Patricia, your interpretation of the data is flawed. Remember that men were going to college in greater numbers until the schools were feminized, advantaging girls over boys systemically. The fact that you wrote that girls are smarter than boys is telling indeed. The truths are that boys' brains develop later than girls and that boys perceive and understand the world differently; not better or smarter just different. To wit, those boys at the top of their class in later grades and who do succeed do far better in the workplace and move to top positions in companies in greater numbers than women with comparable education. What studies show is that when children attend single-sex classes adjusted to their differences both boys and girls do equally as well. So your assertion that women are superior to men is like having a foot race wherein the boy has sandbags attached to him and then told he wasn't as good as the girl. It simply wasn't a fair race and treatment of boys in our educational system isn't fair to boys. And why would you disparage sports when girls worked so hard to get into sports? Sports teaches many important lessons in leadership, fortitude, and teamwork. Tsk, tsk.
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Patricia Ann Gross
I was only repeating what you said about test scores, etc. I agree that one isn't better, we're just different. That doesn't mean we can't be treated equitably. As for your comments about men doing better and more often rise to executive position is only evidence that the "glass ceiling" still exists. Try moving your "research" or Google AI, or whatever you "study" to something that if you want proof. The reason that men more often get the executive jobs is because the people in power to put them there are predominately men. Boards of directors and executives are the ones that place executives in their jobs.
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Russel A. Kester
Patricia, I'm glad we can agree that different doesn't mean better. And yes, both sexes should be given an equal opportunity to succeed. But before the school system can be changed to make that a reality, we as a society must recognize the current inequalities. I appreciate how you and a couple of other people engage with the conversations. I do seriously consider other's views and perspectives. And hope they do mine. Unless you have more to say on this topic, I look forward to our next!
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Rev. Rory
You are advocating for "DEI" for Christian boys? Interesting. I'm all for DEI - for everybody, of course, hence the name. DEI is when all people regardless of gender, race or religion have an equal opportunity without fear of exclusion. In the United States we are supposed to have that right - anybody can participate in society, in theory, and to the best of their abilities. Of course, in religion the same rules don't apply. And THAT is why religion and secular laws should not overlap. Wouldn't you agree?
If young men are joining or returning to their religion, yay for them. If women wish to be second class within their religion, yay for them. I don't want it to be the law of the land.
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April B
Russell, I get what you are saying. I do agree men should be teaching men how to be men. However, historically, women were the strong ones in the church because women can handle multitasking. Plus, men were not good at taking care of their responsibilities, so everything fell on the shoulders of women. So why bother if you get no respect? Let men figure themselves out, by themselves.
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Russel A. Kester
April, I agree with you. I appreciate your take on the subject. And, yes, men will not learn to be responsible as long as women step into the breech. I'm hoping men and boys will learn these lessons. I'm also hoping this will help teach men to be mentors and loving fathers to their sons. Of course, first they themselves will need to do some growing up. Thank you for your comment great comment and its insightful observations.
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Dixon Myazs
This whole article is about making the church more appealing to women and yet you are only focused on the men. Are you trying to tell us something about yourself? You do realize that no rational woman would ever want to be part of something that actively belittles them, forces them into labor and childbearing and rearing, and allows, and encourages, men to beat them? I think you're in the closet and like to beat women and just want a free pass to beat women
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Russel A. Kester
Wow, Dixon, perhaps you're new here, if so welcome, or perhaps you simply don't read the posts much. Either way, as many here know, I'm gay. So no I don't beat women and detest those who do. That was a terrible accusation to make without any foundation.
The article was about why gen Z men are more religious than women, not about making the church more appealing to women as you portrayed it. However, there was an article about women and the church a little while ago which you might want to read. But you seem to be speaking out of both sides of your mouth. On the one hand you seem to be justifying and even encouraging women to leave the church, but on the other hand you want to lambast anyone who sees their departure as a positive thing. So which is it?
I am advocating separate spaces for BOTH men and women. Now that's pretty fair. It doesn't place one above the other and gives BOTH safe spaces. How could you be against that? It's the perfect solution to all of the horrors you think accompanies women being mothers.
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Daniel Gray
Because we are more family oriented then Gen Z women are. All I ask my female partner is to love me like I love her, to be a partner in my life and show me the same feelings as I show her. I will love and cherish her till the day we die. Just dont go woke on me cause I still want to open the car door for her, give her gifts and treat her like the lady she is.
So tell me, what is exactly wrong with this? And the women who throw a fit about this are the same women who are forcing men to go overseas to see partners.
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Reverend Paula Copp
Daniel, Daniel, Daniel! What has attending church got to do with being family oriented? I think women want a partner, not a lord and master. The “woke” comment is just silly, unless you want a trad wife, in which case she deserves what she gets.
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Daniel Gray
Sorry paula, if you would have attended a Church you would already know the answer to that question.
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Amber Fry
Many of us have been to church, in some cases several churches and she's right. Many of them just don't teach family orientation but a more militant construction where a man rules and women fall in line. Many women who are also older have stepped away from the church for that exact reason. I know, I'm one of them.
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Reverend Paula Copp
Oh, Daniel. I’ve spent 40 years in the church. Going to church is one thing. Having a family is another. Sadly, most of the time the two don’t intermingle.
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Daniel Gray
And I am well over 25 years older then you and can easily see that with your attitude, that clearly is the reason for your response.
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Patricia Ann Gross
Daniel, I'm with you up to the "woke" statement. What does being "woke" have to do with showing respect and good manners? If you are truly partners, do you let her hold the door open for you when your hands are full and hers are free, or do you insist on putting everything down so you can "show your place" (and hers) by opening the door for her? I've known some men like that, and it's just silly, because we are all here to help each other. People on the "woke" side are those that are saying we have to reach out and help each other out, not live up to some hierarchical standard of servanthood. Going to church does not mean you have any more family values than someone who doesn't. Neither does it mean you have more common courtesy, decency, and politeness. A person can be an atheist and be a decent human being that looks out for others. I've acutally known quite a few who were.
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Nicholas J Page
Thank goodness I'm not Gen Z if women are leaving the church there must be a reason why.
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Christopher John Amies
"Incels" or as we used to call them NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training) (I'm sure there's a good overlap) - but that implied that it was in some way society's fault and they should be helped, and of course we can't have that ;). You have practically admitted that it has become somewhere for people who are socially isolated. Women have been far better at making connections and networking - and one place they've done it historically has been the church. Now if men are socially isolated and fragmented why shouldn't they find somewhere supportive where they feel at least visible? I don't buy that it's all 'right wing.' Maybe it's different in the US but many churches are socially conscious and proactive.
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Christopher John Amies
Sorry, this was a comment to something further up the comment stream.
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Walter J. Holbrook
You mean White Christian Nationals. Women have always been the backbone of the church. You are see a resurgence of racism in the church with Gen Z.
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David Douglas Winters
Note that the majority of responses about the increasing number of young men coming to Christianity are from hostile, sexist, females, the frustrated incels from a class that is of superior privilege in our society, saturated with “rights” while burdened with comparatively no responsibilities.
How’s that working out for them? Not great. They cannot be satisfied at the well they have chosen. Scriptures teach how to satiate their thirst, but scriptures are rejected. These women pursue their NEW truth. It’s empty, and so are they.
We observe this detachedly knowing that they rebel against their own best interests. Scriptures explain this too. Scriptures are rejected at great price. They are paying themselves into bankruptcy.
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Donald G Magel
Wow! Such thoughts! I think that strong women are just realizing that they don't fit the "church" model for them. Church is mainly a "Man" company focused on where "men' see women in our society. Todays young women do not want to be protected by "Men" that see them as weak and needing protection.
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Russel A. Kester
Donald, your response makes me wonder if you've ever belonged to a religious denomination when you wrote that church is just about a 'man' thing. Religion is about life and ethics and values and morality and so much more.
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David Douglas Winters
Note that the majority of responses about the increasing number of young men coming to Christianity are from hostile, sexist, females, the frustrated incels from a class that is of superior privilege in our society, saturated with “rights” while burdened with comparatively no responsibilities.
How’s that working out for them? Not great. They cannot be satisfied at the well they have chosen. Scriptures teach how to satiate their thirst, but scriptures are rejected. These women pursue their NEW truth. It’s empty, and so are they.
We observe this detachedly knowing that they rebel against their own best interests. Scriptures explain this too. Scriptures are rejected at great price. They are paying themselves into bankruptcy.
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Riley MacDougall
I think people in the world that want to follow Jesus Christ and they compassion about Jesus Christ I think they should follow their heart and the heart will tell them if they are willing to follow our Lord Jesus Christ in the path of him but they have to decide on themselves and they have to pray and see if Jesus wants them to follow his path And And to follow our Lord Jesus Christ, don’t know the path to follow if they pray that Jesus Christ and ask ask him what should I do? Jesus Christ will give you an answer. Follow him if he wants you to follow him or if you’re connected to Jesus Christ he will let you know. Best way to answer. Is to be consecrated in in our Lord Jesus Christ that is the only way to find out
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Riley MacDougall
The only way to find the path of Jesus Christ and your mother Mary of God is to Be consecrated in Jesus Christ and holy mother Mary of God is the only way to be connected to Jesus
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David Arthur Lewis
Gen Z is a lost generation. They have no roots, no real connection to family or community because they were raised by strangers instead of their mothers. Day-care, Pre-K, Kindergarten, school sports, all staffed by poorly-trained, poorly-paid strangers with no responsibility for the long-term results. Mom is just a means of transportation to and from activities coached by strangers. It is no wonder that many turn to religion, radicalism, and guns.
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Patricia Ann Gross
Sorry David, but why are you putting all the onus on the mothers? Isn't child rearing a joint responsibility for both parents?
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Rev. Carol M Anaski-Figurski
Interesting article! Men of faith rising by leaps & bounds is significant & glorious all the same. Amen! Keep the faith growing. Next message, bring your wife or girlfriend to church. Women are juggling more busy lives work, raising a family, & getting the grocery shopping done. It might be easier for them to catch church service on media. who knows. Good Parenting of sons & God core is excellent in reaching out for faith & establishing what your parents taught you. Keep those priorities growing as family values. God first, family second, career third. blest be....Keep on praying all the time. miracles do happen.
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Steven Ferrell
There was a time that church was a community and the males would do things together like softball, basketball, fishing trips, etc. it helped men feel a sense of identity as a male. But as people moved further into the suburbs, as the push came to try and make male feel guilty simply for being born male, the attraction to church as community where men could enjoy things together was getting lost. Their identity was being lost. It is good to see males going back to church and seeking that identity as men of God once again. I assisted in an urban church for 10 years. At one time the pastor and I were the only men in the church because as the young males reached teen years, they were on the streets, getting into drugs, dealing, carrying weapons and ending up in prison or dead.
That trend is changing and starting to see some of those teens and young men coming to church. They are realizing there is more to life than what the streets have to offer.
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Richard Clark
As a pastor within the Presbyterian Church USA, it's very simple it's all about patriarchy and fundamentalism. Males are using the Bible to dominate women. I can understand why women, especially younger women, are leaving the Church. They're sick and tired of males controlling their bodies especially on abortion rights. Little do the males know, the Bible doesn't say one thing about abortion. As a matter of fact there is a passage in the Bible, from Numbers 5: 16-22 where God tells the priests if a wive is suspected of committing adultery, a potion is made and if guilty she will have a miscarriage. If the wive is not guilty she will not have a miscarriage.
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David Douglas Winters
And your kind of nonsense is why our congregation severed ties with your denomination. Not growing are you? See a pattern here?🫵🤷♂️
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David Douglas Winters
And your kind of nonsense is why our congregation severed ties with your denomination. Not growing are you? See a pattern here?🫵🤷♂️
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Teresa Freeman
Women are led by their emotions , multiple man made religions and so much controversy over abortions , and not knowing our place in the kingdom , for so many false teachers and cultures still instigate that women stay in the background, men are geared by logic , and if men and women stayed bible based , the Babylonian mindset goes away , from both mindsets
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Patricia Ann Gross
To me, the answer is simple. Women flocked to and stayed at the churches when they were welcomed in and treated as equals, especially in church leadership roles. The quote from the Baylor University student is very telling, "Men are attracted to the hard truths." I read that as "Men have the power, and are attracted to whatever allows them to keep and exert that power. As a point of context, Baylor University is in Waco, Texas. I attended there in the first year that women were allowed to be seen anywhere on campus wearing anything but a dress and heels. This was 1974, and women before that time were not allowed to be seen on campus wearing pants or other casual wear, but had to be dressed in their Sunday best. It wasn't until my junior year before I felt comfortable wearing jeans on campus. Baylor, at that time, was run by the Southern Baptist Convention which is very much like some of the most conservative "Bible thumping" Christians that exist today. So for you who want to return to such sexist and unequal times, and those of you who don't acknoledge that gender has no play in God's plan to call people to any sort of ministry, please describe how that would make things better in today's world.
My biggest question that was not completely answered in the article, is how was "religious" defined? Is it sitting in the pews? Applying to seminary? Taking on leadership roles in the church? Or is it just checking a box marked "Christian" on a survey form. The title suggests it is about the religiosity of Gen Z men, but the only religion discussed is Christianity.
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P. Keith Benefiel
Religion is all about control...of women.
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Timothy J Norton
Please don't worry about the rest of the world. God has already been making a plan accordingly. We finite in an infinite place. Let us just reach out to our neighbors and understand each other. Respect and accept our friends and together we will make our world a blessed place. I serve, God judges. Start with simply saying hello understand how to listen with out all the preconceived ideology we were indoctrinated with,remember there is no room for hate in the end. I know that these seem very simplistic tenets to follow but after all is not keeping it simple the best way to make a better world. May peace and love ❤️ follow us all and to you my friends my peace and love is always there.
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Kenneth Kling
A church is nothing more than a place where people congregate for a common cause. Often people go to church to "find something." They really don't know what that something is, so they blame their exit on the Pastor was too this or that or not enough this or that ...... wasn't looking for all that hymn singing and praying .... wanted an exciting and exhilarating experience with electric guitars and a living floor show experience ........ on and on ....... until a person experiences a personal connection to God it will always be someone else's fault for "It just doesn't do it for me." It's really easy to dupe and take control over a person who just wanders through life ..... the first step is Socialism .......
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Rev. Dr. Father JJ
lol so it's either religion...or socialism? lol, that's funny
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David Douglas Winters
Seven decades of observation and experience have proved to me beyond any doubt that if women seek leadership of the church, men happily leave it to them… and stay home.
These men will kick back with a beer and a newspaper and await a more worthy challenge… something that requires more strength and stand-up fortitude than any woman can achieve. A real man’s job. It’s what men do.
Meanwhile, left without male leadership, the organized “church” always flounders, wains, and ultimately dies… always.
This is nothing new. It’s merely seldom acknowledged though easily observable. No matter what is used to explain this fact, feminist, sexist, hostile, purely academic, or any other rationale, this fact is what matters. The fact alone, immutable as a law of physics, is the truth which simply must be accommodated, not foolishly and uselessly resisted. This is the reality.
Scream, whine, stomp your foot, file lawsuits. It matters not. Accept this truth and work within it, or fail. The decision is yours, just as the decision of the men is theirs. Nobody can force you, just as nobody, including you, can force these men to fall into the ranks you demand.
But given this fact, if you want the church to stand, ladies, then SIT DOWN. It will be led by men, or by nobody. The crisis point has arrived. The departure of frustrated women from “modern, liberal, woke” congregations, and the influx of masculine young men into churches of Orthodox principles holds promise for a revival of Christianity in America. If anybody is surprised by this, it’s only because they’ve not been paying attention.
As the numbers show, this revolution and revival have already begun. Resistance is futile. Get over it. Try succeeding instead.
"Why Are Gen Z Men More Religious Than Women?" White, male Christian Nationalism. "Why Are Women Leaving?" Ditto.
I have a suspicion that a lot of the men going to church are incels who want to exhort each other about the awfulness of women…
All religions teach male superiority which attracts men and repels women.