The seeds of ‘quiet revival’ were planted decades ago. Thank God we’re now seeing the fruit

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As Premier Christianity turns 60, past editor Dave Roberts takes a trip down memory lane to discover how and where the seeds of renewal were first planted

It was a whisper that slowly became a shout following the publication of the Bible Society’s Quiet Revival report earlier this year. Anecdotal stories of young adults turning up at churches uninvited, having had visions of Jesus and begging for Bibles, were fleshed out by detailed research. The number of 18-to-24-year-olds attending church has risen by twelve per cent since 2018. Over a similar timeframe, Christian publisher SPCK noted an 87 per cent increase in Bible sales. And according to Evangelical Alliance research, twice as many people are making first-time commitments to follow Jesus today, compared to 2021.