Lawrence Jones sees ‘spiritual comeback’ as Gen Z turns to faith in new series

By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Assistant Editor Monday, April 13, 2026

Lawrence Jones believed the Church was dying — until he began documenting what he now calls a “spiritual comeback” unfolding across America.

The 33-year-old FOX News co-host spent months traveling the country for his new FOX Nation series, “Revival with Lawrence Jones,” capturing what he told The Christian Post was a personal resurgence of faith, particularly among younger Americans.

“I really did feel like the Church itself, not faith, but the Church was kind of dying,” Jones told CP. “And I left with this renewed sense of hope.”

The five-episode series, which premiered April 2 and features Zachary Levi and Tim Tebow, follows Jones as he explores what he sees as an unexpected embrace of faith both among Gen Z, a generation often characterized as skeptical or disengaged from organized religion, and Americans overall.

While Jones said he has long been open about his own faith, the scale of what he encountered during his travels surprised even him.

“I think people have been shocked about the amount of young people who are going back to faith,” he said. “There are so many people who think … this is just a trend. But I think through the series, they’re realizing, ‘Oh, this is happening everywhere.’”

Recent years have seen revivals across college campuses in the United States. In March, thousands of students gathered for extended worship, prayer and repentance at Southeastern University in Florida, while revival broke out at Asbury University in Kentucky in 2023.

Jones traced part of the shift to the cultural aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which he said left many young people isolated and searching for meaning. At the same time, he suggested that the renewed interest in faith is largely driven by personal exploration rather than something imposed on people by their parents.

“I feel like COVID changed a lot of things within Church, but it changed a lot for young people as well, because they became very isolated,” he said. “Either young people feel lost, or they feel like they need that revival … and I think that’s what we’re seeing right now.”

“There was this resistance to faith, not because they didn’t believe in God, but they felt like it was pressed upon them,” he said. “These young people have developed their own personal relationship … they are studying the Word for themselves.”

Jones said there’s a clear “indictment” on the Church for past messaging that may have led young people to believe they needed to be perfect before coming to faith, as well as an emphasis on the prosperity gospel, which teaches that believers can use God for material gain.

“We didn’t share with them that you don’t have to be perfect when you come to Christ, that’s part of the Gospel,” Jones said.

“And maybe this is megachurch culture that took place, but we went through this period of time where everything was about prosperity, and that your worth was in your prosperity. I think that younger people are realizing that Christ doesn't care about that, that your next job is not incumbent on your faith, that God is not necessarily angry with you because you didn't get a raise or a promotion or a death took place. I think people are finding comfort in their faith, and I think that's a beautiful thing.”

Yet even as Jones points to signs of spiritual renewal, some analysts caution that reports of widespread revival may be overstated.

In the United Kingdom, a widely cited “quiet revival” narrative faced a setback when YouGov retracted the Bible Society's 2024 report after acknowledging its survey data included fraudulent responses.

At the same time, broader research presents a more complex picture. Studies from organizations such as Ipsos MORI and the Pew Research Center suggest that while overall Christian affiliation continues to decline in parts of the West, younger adults in some cases report higher levels of prayer and church attendance than older generations.

Observers have also pointed to increased Bible sales, adult baptisms and a growing public conversation around faith as evidence of renewed interest — though not necessarily proof of sustained revival.

In the U.S., similar debates have emerged. While large-scale worship gatherings and campus movements have drawn national attention, some experts note that long-term church growth remains uneven, and enthusiasm around revival narratives can fluctuate over time.

Jones, who has spent years studying trends in culture and politics, acknowledged that sustaining faith among new believers may prove challenging, particularly as they encounter hardship.

“I do think it’s lasting with a caveat,” he said. “We’ll see another dip … they’re new believers, and they’re going to hit a wall where something is going to go wrong, and they're going to expect God to have been there in the way that they wanted God to be there for them, not in the way that He designed for their lives. They're going to start to understand providence and understand that, in the long run, He was there with them, but they didn't get what they wanted out of it at the time. But that doesn't mean God abandoned them in some way. I think all believers go through that.”

“I do think it’s real … and I do believe that once a believer, always a believer,” he added. “Compared to other trends, I think this is more genuine. The other trends … have not been long-lasting. I feel like this is sustainable.”

A central theme of the series is the role of community, a topic he discusses at length with actor Zachary Levi, which Jones described as essential to sustaining faith. From college campus baptisms to informal gatherings and online communities, the Fox host said young people are finding connection in a variety of ways.

“Community is accountability, but it’s also the shoulder that you can lean on,” he said. “If it’s going to be stable and long-lasting, you need a group of people that believe the same thing that you believe.”

“You’re seeing pizza gatherings … you see the podcast, you see the Catholic church now with all these young people,” he said. “He’s meeting them where they are.”

When it comes to the responsibility of the Church, Jones stressed the importance of discipling the generation with care, emphasizing the importance of authenticity and grace.

“The responsibility right now for the Church is to guard the hearts of these young people,” he said. “Be careful what you’re telling them … be careful of the judgment that you put on them.  That doesn't mean that there shouldn’t be accountability. That doesn't mean that you should try to water down the Gospel. The Gospel is what it is, but be careful in how you teach the Gospel to these young people. When they feel hopeless, give them the Word of God.

He added that the visible imperfections of believers — including his own — may actually be part of what resonates with younger audiences.

“I felt unqualified to do the series,” Jones said. “But I think, honestly, that’s why I’m a good fit for it, because that is this new generation. They’re coming with all their baggage … and that is OK.”

And through the series, Jones said he hopes people can understand that “the God of today is the same God from generations ago,” adding: “The same works and wonders that took place back then can take place now. There is an awakening happening.”

“Revival” is now streaming on Fox Nation.