Perhaps more men are finding out that, in the end, our culture’s obsession with absolute autonomy, personal peace, and affluence only leads to emptiness. That’s because image bearers, male and female, want something to live for, even if they’re not sure what that is. The Church should know.

A recent article shared by Justin Brierley described a trend in Norway that is also being seen in Finland and other European nations. Church attendance and membership jumped there by 750 new members. While that would not be anything notable in Texas, it is in almost every European nation.

While over 60% of the population in Norway are formal members of the state church, only 2% of Norway’s 5.5 million people attend. That’s a stark contrast to the United States, where roughly 25% of Americans attend weekly, a third once a month, and two-thirds show up once a year. In Norway, even what may seem a tiny increase is notable.

The same is true of other European nations that were once the heartland of Protestant Christianity and sent thousands of missionaries across the world but are now thoroughly secularized. Though Christianity remains the official state religion, most of these countries have not only seen incredible drops in church attendance but also stark departures from Christian morality, influence, and practice.

It’s not just that more Northern Europeans are attending that makes this good news. It’s also who is attending. According to the article,

In addition to the general increase, there is another wave underway that they have not observed before: young adults joining the church. Every fifth person enrolled in the Church of Norway is between the ages of 25 and 34.

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