Since 2008, when I began compiling an annual list of important theology stories, Christianity has been receding across the West. And while many years include some glimmer of hope, generally the outlook has been dim. News journalism, with its bias toward negativity, could be to blame. A great recession and global pandemic didn’t help. Neither did the ubiquitous adoption of smartphones, which gave rise to an anxious generation.

For the first time, 16 years later, it feels like something has shifted. This noticeable new mood is not always Christian, as we see in growing acceptance of assisted suicide and abortion. It’s not always concrete. And it’s not primarily political. It’s more like unexpected doors opening for Christian engagement and evangelism. Consider a few examples:

• Last year, I noted that October 7 was a turning point, as the “identity synthesis” lost its grip on a public that refused to justify terrorist attacks on Israel. By the end of 2024, even the University of Michigan had dropped its demands for diversity (DEI) statements from faculty, a practice that has weeded out many Christian academics.
• After years of relativism, the categories of good and evil returned. Morality snapped back to reality as we debate the proper course of action with Israel at war against Iran’s proxies in Gaza and elsewhere, Russia grinding down the defenses in Ukraine, rebels taking down Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria, and China threatening to instigate world war by invading Taiwan.
• Following years of feminist objections, J. K. Rowling broke the transgender spell as she defied a new hate-crime law in Scotland that would target orthodox Christians.
• Legacy and mainstream media, with their reflexive skepticism toward Christian beliefs, were strong enough to help push Joe Biden out of the presidential campaign after a disastrous summer debate. But they lost control of public discourse, replaced by podcasts reaching tens of millions by talking about everything from UFOs to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So far, surveys haven’t turned up any signs of younger generations flocking to church in, say, secular Sweden. And I don’t sense this trend is the major cause, or effect, of an election that once again elevated a president overwhelmingly supported by American evangelicals (and more ethnic minorities than any other Republican nominee in decades). It could be nothing more than a vibe, a slightly coherent sense that Christianity has become so transgressive in Western culture that it’s on the verge of cool for the first time since a similarly tumultuous period, the 1960s. All I know for sure is that the kind of rebellious, anti-institutional voices I expected to trash Christianity in 2008 now show openness to hearing and discussing and debating the gospel and its implications for life.

I don’t know what the future holds. But 2024 brought many surprises, some of them welcome for the church.

Regardless of how people receive Jesus, our calling remains the same: “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Tim. 4:2). The gospel will never be accepted by all. But, if the Lord wills, it may be accepted by more these days, even as others continue in their hostility. Remember, “We are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life” (2 Cor. 2:15–16). 

Wherever the cultural winds are blowing, thanks to the Lord, we can be “steadfast, immovable” (1 Cor. 15:58). So don’t be anxious about the news as you read this annual retrospective, where I attempt to discern the top theology stories of the year. As always, I write from the vantage point of an American who subscribes to The Gospel Coalition’s confessional statement. Your list will differ, but together we give thanks whenever the gospel bears fruit and increases in the world (Col. 1:6).

10. Bible sales spike.

American election anxiety and niche marketing can’t by themselves explain a 22 percent increase in Bible sales during 2024. Most encouraging, it’s not just long-time Christians adding more collector editions. It’s easier than ever for first-time buyers to encounter the Scriptures through podcasts with high-quality narrators. Also of note was the English Standard Version reaching #1 on the translation bestseller list in October.

9. Demographic collapse triggers national debate.

It’s not news that fertility is declining rapidly in almost every country around the world. But in 2024, this civilizational collapse—the greatest demographic shift since the bubonic plague in the 1300s—