Over the last few decades, the tide of faith has been going out. Church membership has been declining, believing in God has been out of style, and general interest in religion has been waning. But now, Justin Brierly argues, the tide is starting to come back in. Brierly hosts a podcast titled Unbelievable? in which he interviews secular thinkers and moderates debates between believers and atheists. Over the last few years, he has noticed a surprising and welcome trend: more secular thinkers are considering Christianity. The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God explores why this trend is happening and what it means for Christianity.

Brierly frames his book in terms of “story.” Secular thinkers in history, science, philosophy, and psychology are trying to make sense of their story. They are trying to understand the story of the world around them. Increasingly, Brierly posits, they are finding that the Christian story helps them make sense of their story and the story of the world (215).

Brierly walks through six stories in which people have tried to make sense of themselves and the world – stories that ultimately leave them with more questions than answers.

First is the story of New Atheism, an early 2000s movement which tried to remove God but not replace him, which leaves a vacuum of meaning which people find unsatisfactory.

Next is the story of our present culture, which promises freedom of self but does not deliver answers to life’s big questions of identity and purpose.

The third story is that of history and morality, which can provide some answers to life’s big questions – if you understand them through their Christian roots.

This sparks an interest in people re-examining the fourth story: the Bible itself. In this story, people discover the wealth of psychological and spiritual wisdom contained in Scripture, which primes them for later belief in Scripture.

Next comes the twin stories of science and materialism. (Notably, this materialism is the belief that humans are simply happenstance arrangements of matter. This is distinct from the materialism which overvalues earthly possessions.) These related stories, it turns out, provide an abundance of evidence that points toward God rather than atheism (134).

After examining these six stories, Brierly concludes that none of them provides adequate answers to questions of meaning or identity. Seeing person after person reach that same conclusion, Brierly believes “the reason we are beginning to see a rebirth of belief in God is because the story of Jesus still makes the best sense of our own stories” (202).

So does Brierly prove his main point? I think he comes close but ultimately fails to connect. For instance, his thesis is that “we are witnessing a sea change in people’s openness to faith”(3). Through his hundreds of interviews, Brierly proves that prominent thinkers are more open to the Christian faith. But is this openness to Christianity the same as what the book title claims is happening: a “surprising rebirth of belief in God?” Openness to Christianity is not the same as believing in God. A willingness to rethink Scripture is not the same as trusting in the God of Scripture. Brierly’s title and thesis, therefore, are saying fundamentally different things. He proves his thesis, but not his title.

Consider a few examples of Brierly proving his thesis, but not his title. First, while discussing the rise and fall of the New Atheism movement in chapter one, Brierly classifies the shrinking number of people who disparage Scripture and ridicule Christians as a sign of progress back toward the faith. While that is certainly a positive change, are such people looking to believe, or have they grown weary of juvenile mockery? Are such people looking to explore Christianity, or are they simply questioning their current belief system? A willingness to question their current beliefs is a nice first step, but it does not indicate a full-fledged bullrush back to Christianity.

Second, Brierly points out that more people are seeing the psychological, practical, and spiritual wisdom of the Bible (101). While that is certainly a good thing, it’s not on par with believing the message of Scripture. It seems that Brierly is simply clocking some positive first steps in a possible return to Christianity. To be fair, he does say that “the withdrawing Sea of Faith is beginning to reach its farthest limit, and we may yet see the tide of faith come rushing back in within our lifetime (4).” But pointing out some positive initial steps is still a far cry from the book’s titular claim that there is a “rebirth of belief in God.”

In the spirit of fairness, Brierly clarifies that his book has twin purposes. He writes to Christians, encouraging them that Christianity is not done and over. He also writes to unbelievers, explaining why Christianity has made sense to so many (5). On those two fronts, Brierly hits it out of the park.

Perhaps the biggest knock on this book is that it downplays the role of the gospel of redemption through Jesus Christ. For example, Brierly focuses on ways to make people more open to hearing the gospel but stops short of using the gospel to plant faith. He states, “The most fruitful way we can introduce people to the Christian story is through the realm of imagination rather than the intellect” (213). In other words, make people want Christianity to be true (because it answers their deepest questions of meaning and identity), then show them why Christianity is true (through the use of apologetics). Brierly’s emphasis on generating a willingness to consider Christianity crowds out the one thing which creates Christian faith: the gospel.

Should you read this book? It depends. If you enjoy the fields of apologetics and philosophy, you will enjoy this book. If you are looking for some fresh ways to engage unbelievers or skeptics, you will find this book helpful. If you want to gain an understanding of how unbelievers and agnostics are viewing Christianity, you will find good insights. If you are looking for the minimum effective dose of this book, read the last chapter for its summary and practical suggestions for conversations.