Thursday, May 7, 2026

For the first time in decades, church attendance in the United States has risen—according to a major new study from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, which analyzed data from 7,500 congregations. The findings, described as unprecedented by lead researcher Scott Thuma, suggest a reversal of the long-standing trend of secularization that has defined much of Western civilization, particularly Europe and increasingly Canada. While liberal Protestant and Jewish communities continue to decline, evangelical and conservative churches are seeing growth, especially in the South, Central, and Mountain regions. This resurgence challenges the decades-old secularization theory that predicted Christianity’s steady cultural retreat. The episode also examines how media transformation—particularly the 1980 launch of CNN by Ted Turner—reshaped cultural influence, enabling new forms of ideological competition. Meanwhile, the 2026 Met Gala is portrayed as a performative spectacle of elite wealth, consumerism, and progressive politics, symbolizing a cultural divide that extends beyond fashion into worldview. The rise in church attendance, combined with the persistence of elite cultural gatekeeping, presents both a challenge and an opportunity for Christian influence in America.