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The Return to Religion is a Turn to Jesus – Even Among Its Skeptics

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Most of us can’t remember a time when belief in God was growing. For the last half-century, there has been a steady erosion of faith as secularism took root and grew in the soil of rebellion and doubt.

But today, interest in religion is growing. And it’s growing fastest among Gen Z.

Citing findings from the National Opinion Research Center, Christian Paz from Vox reports that the rise of the nones has stagnated, primarily due to the undeniable fact that Gen Z is “rediscovering faith.” There is no one explanation for this trend, but it’s clear that “members of this generation who feel isolated or lost might be finding community and friendship in organized religion.”

A new Barna study agrees with these findings. Its research shows that belief in Jesus is on the rise, fueled by younger adults. According to Barna’s latest data, two-thirds of all U.S. adults say “they have made a personal commitment to Jesus that is still important in their life today,” marking a 12-point increase since 2021, a clear indication of “meaningful spiritual renewal in the United States.”

Two significant indicators show how this trend is playing out in the lives of these younger adults, and both are at the heart of exactly how people are seeking answers in religion in general, and Christianity in particular.

The first is an increase in Bible reading. “For the first time since 2021, we’re seeing an increase in both Bible use and scripture engagement, particularly among younger adults and in men,” says John Plake, the Chief Innovation Officer for American Bible Society. “People are curious about the Bible and Jesus.”

As you might expect, this curiosity in Bible reading is leading to a tangible trend: Bible sales. According to data collected by BookScan, sales of Bibles rose 22 percent last year, a startling statistic considering that most other categories of book sales were flat. And just who is driving this dramatic increase in Bible sales and reading? You guessed it — Gen Z.

The other indicator isn’t as measurable as Bible sales, but it is perhaps even more dramatic. Younger adults are looking for meaning and hope in something that transcends their everyday lives, something Lauren Jackson calls “spiritual longing.” And just where do people go when confronted with this longing? Jackson says it this way: “I want a god.”

This desire for a god follows decades of loneliness, anxiety and growing dissatisfaction amid rising secularization. The rise of the “nones” — those who claim to have no religious affiliation — has made headlines for a long time now, while those who found meaning in religion shrank in numbers and influence.

At least it seemed that way, as belief in God was overshadowed by the so-called “New Atheists,” epitomized by Richard Dawkins in his 2008 book, The God Delusion.

“America’s secularization,” writes Lauren Jackson in a New York Times op-ed piece, “was an immense social transformation.” By 2021, nearly a third of Americans identified as “nones.”

But this shift didn’t lead to more satisfying lives. Quite the opposite. Research shows that those who are less religious “rank lower on key metrics of well-being” than those who have some kind of belief. “They feel less connected to others, less spiritually at peace and they experience less awe and gratitude regularly,” writes Jackson.

Especially among Gen Z — those born between 1997 and 2012 — the rates of loneliness and anxiety have skyrocketed.

As Jonathan Haidt concludes in The Anxious Generation, social media bears much of the blame for this “epidemic of mental Illness.” Although Haidt is a self-described atheist, he uses spiritual terms to describe both the impact of and the solution for this destructive trend.

“The phone-based life produces spiritual degradation,” he writes, “not just in adolescents, but in all of us.” And what does he suggest anxious and lonely people do to reverse this trend and improve well-being? Engage in “certain spiritual practices.”

And more people are engaging in spiritual practice — and becoming genuinely curious about Jesus. One of the places people are apparently looking to satisfy this longing is the multi-season television series called The Chosen.

In fact, one-third of all people who have viewed at least a portion of an episode are not believers at all. But they are curious about a show that is telling the greatest story about the greatest person in history.

Reports indicate that people who may have left the Christian faith are returning, partly as they’re “reexploring Christianity” through The Chosen. Others are agnostics or even atheists who are seeking answers and appreciate the way the show portrays Jesus.

By portraying Jesus and his chosen followers as real people with human traits we can identify with, The Chosen is introducing the faithful and curious alike to Jesus by simply inviting them into the story of God’s beautiful plan to offer hope to people living in a time when anxiety, loneliness, and despair are everywhere in our world.

And this introduction comes at a critical time: A moment when more and more people desire and seek precisely such an invitation.

“Nobody becomes a Christian because they lose the argument,” John Plake posted on his social media page. “It’s because they’re invited on the journey.”

That’s what this “return to Jesus” is all about. People are curious, people are watching, and people are joining the journey Jesus invites us to take.
Sources:CBN News

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Woman Meets Jesus During Shocking NDE: ‘I Was Preparing to Die’

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Vanessa Joy Lancellotti was a newlywed preparing to get her life moving when the unthinkable happened — a February 2016 near-death experience that was absolutely terrifying.

“I had a ruptured arteriovenous malformation of the brain … and it’s something that I wasn’t aware I had that you can actually develop … in the womb … before birth,” Lancellotti told CBN News. “And, so, it just ruptured out of nowhere when I was having tea with my two sisters, Amanda and Melissa.”

The sisters were having a good time when Lancellotti started experiencing sharp pain in the back of her head — an ache so strong she collapsed to her knees in discomfort.

Lancellotti, who tells her story in the new book, “Miracles Really Do Happen!: Jesus Makes All Things New,” said she was “really scared,” and that her sisters rushed to get her to the hospital.

“I felt [like my head] was wet inside,” she said. “I felt it rupture. I felt the bleed out.”

Lancellotti said she knew what she was experiencing was serious and “life-threatening” and that death might befall her.

“I started preparing myself to meet Jesus because I really felt and believed that, ‘OK, this is it. I think I only have a few minutes left and I better get ready and prepare myself to meet Jesus,’” she said. “And, so, I started to repent the best way that I could and go through kind of my life history.”

She continued to repent while on the way to the hospital, fully prepared to die.

By the time she reached the hospital, she was unable to function. With the hospital ill-equipped to deal with the situation, they prepared to transport her to another facility and loaded her into an ambulance.

“I was preparing to die,” Lancellotti said. “I was not praying like, ‘Oh, Lord, let me be healed,’ because I knew that this was happening quickly. … It was like I was preparing to meet the Lord.”

Suddenly, while in the ambulance, she felt like she had been swept up into a “new place” and all of her pain and fear dissipated.

“I had no recollection of the past at all whatsoever,” she said. “It’s like sin never existed, pain never existed — no physical, spiritual, emotional pain at all. It was all gone, and it was wiped away immediately, and I was in the presence of the Lord. It was just this bright white, vibrant light around me, like this pure, pure white.”

Lancellotti said it is hard to put the experience into words. Overtaken by peace, she said she was suddenly with Jesus.

“I had an encounter with Jesus, like he was standing before me and He was just brilliant,” she said. “He was in brilliant white robes with this light blue sash around him, and I remember I felt like this little girl, like I felt very pure and innocent.”

Lancellotti continued, “And I remember that Jesus — He hugged me. I felt so, so loved … just like I was completely taken out of any trauma and I was in His presence. I was in His arms … He hugged me with His wide open arms and I felt so loved, and like all the fear was gone and I knew that I was protected.”

And then she said the Lord delivered a message she’ll never forget.

“He said to me, ‘It is not yet your time,’” she said. “I went back into the ambulance or back into the hospital.”

What’s most remarkable is the fact that her heart didn’t stop, so at no time was she clinically dead. Yet she doesn’t believe the experience was merely a dream or a vision.

“I was literally in a new place,” Lancellotti said. “I believe I was in paradise. I was with Him in heaven.”

The interaction profoundly transformed her life.

“Right after I had the encounter with Christ and my family was around me, my mom, she’s like, ‘You have such a glow around you,’ and I had such a joy despite what just happened or what we were going through.”

That joy persisted even as she was prepared for surgery. Suddenly, her spiritual awareness was totally illuminated, with Lancellotti focusing on Jesus’ imminent return as well as His care for her.

“He loves me,” she said. “He saved me.”

Afterward, she started attending revivals and learned more about the Holy Spirit. Over time, she said her faith got much stronger.

“Up to that point…I knew I had a strong knowledge and understanding of the Gospel,” she said. “I had a relationship with Christ. But, up until that point, I didn’t really know very much about the power of the Holy Spirit or the gifts of the Holy Spirit and how they operate in us as believers.”

Now, Lancellotti is sharing her story in an effort to help build up others’ faith, using her book “Miracles Really Do Happen!: Jesus Makes All Things New” to inspire.
Sources:faithwire

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Popular Preacher Almost Quits Ministry, Accidentally Sparks Revival

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A California pastor is getting candid about why he almost quit ministry, shedding light on struggles preachers routinely face.

Shane Idleman of Westside Christian Fellowship in Leona Valley, California, is out with a new book, “I Almost Quit: My Journey of Leading Through the Landmines of Ministry,” a text detailing the factors that almost drove him away from the pulpit.

Idleman said he had gone through a “hard season” in recent years that presented difficult challenges — a time of chaos that started with COVID-19 chaos and lockdowns, his mom’s death, health issues, and extended into other realms.

After nearly leaving it all behind, the preacher could have concealed what he faced and felt, but, instead, he decided to openly share it all.

“I didn’t want to write it, of course,” Idleman admitted of the book. “Number one, it’s a little embarrassing. Of course, I’ve got the armchair critics. … ‘It’s God’s call. You should never want to quit.’ But, then, on the other hand, we know all the pastors I’m hearing from feel the same way.”

Recent survey data show that around 1 in 100 preachers leave the pulpit each year, a relatively low number, according to Lifeway Research. But the pressures of the role are evident.

“Two in 3 (67%) [preachers] feel they must be ‘on-call’ 24 hours a day,” the research firm reported. “Another 57% say their role is frequently overwhelming, up slightly from 54% in 2015 but down from 63% in 2021.”

Lifeway continued, “Around half (47%) of pastors often feel the demands of ministry are greater than they can handle.”

Idleman was feeling some of these very pressures.

“Everything was just hitting, and hitting, and hitting,” he said. “And I went through a very difficult season.”

What’s most interesting is that Idleman’s decision to share his struggles with his congregation actually encouraged spiritual fervor and sparked revival.

“When I finally [spoke] to our congregation, the floodgates broke,” Idleman said. “The following Sunday, we couldn’t even have a service. We just went into worship, the altar’s full — it really sparked revival in our hearts and in our church.”

The preacher believes the decision to be “transparent and repentant” helped others in their own faith walk.

“I had to repent of it,” he said. “I was disgruntled, I was discouraged, I didn’t really want to go to church.”

But Idleman was encouraged by the response and decided to write the book. Already, he’s hearing from other preachers who are feeling strongly encouraged by his honesty — a testament of struggles to which many of them can deeply relate.

“I just want to be faithful,” he said. “And we get our hearts right, we’re happy, we’re filled with joy. It makes all the difference.”

Ultimately, Idleman said God worked on his heart in key ways that prevented him from actually taking the plunge and quitting. At first, he wondered if he needed a sabbatical, but his wife pushed back.

“I thank God for our spouses, right? She’s like, ‘No, I don’t think you need another sabbatical. … You need a man up and just do what God’s called you to do,’” he said.

Idleman leaned into worship and repentance, telling God about his discouragement and apologizing. He also asked the Lord to bring back joy in his life – and he committed to showing up to church and fulfilling his obligations despite his feelings.

“He’s a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him,” Idleman said of God. “And that’s a process of just pressing in.”

As for his health, the preacher regained self-discipline and was able to get his body back in order.

“When you discipline your body, it has spiritual benefits because the physical effects is spiritual,” Idleman said. “It’s quite amazing. And so all of those things combined together really just released that floodgate that opened up.”
Sources:faithwire

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സ്വന്തം പേരിൽ സ്മാർട്ഫോൺ വിപണിയിലിറക്കി ട്രംപ്; ബുക്കിങ് തുടങ്ങി, ഇന്ത്യയിലേക്ക് അൺലിമിറ്റസ് കോൾ റീചാർജ് പ്ലാൻ

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യുഎസ് പ്രസിഡൻ്റ് ഡോണൾഡ് ട്രംപിന്റെ (Donald Trump) ഉടമസ്‌ഥതയിലുള്ള ദ് ട്രംപ് ഓർഗനൈസേഷൻ (The Trump Organization) മൊബൈൽഫോണും റീചാർജ് പ്ലാനും അവതരിപ്പിച്ച് ‘ടെലികോം’, മൊബൈൽ സേവനത്തിലേക്കും കടക്കുന്നു. 499 ഡോളർ (നിലവിലെ വിനിമയനിരക്കു പ്രകാരം ഏകദേശം 43,000 രൂപ) വിലയുള്ള ‘ടി1′ (T1) സ്മാർട്ഫോണാണ് “ട്രംപ് മൊബൈൽ’ (Trump Mobile) ബ്രാൻഡിൽ വിപണിയിലിറക്കുന്നത്.

സെപ്റ്റംബറിലാണ് ഫോൺ വിൽപനയ്ക്ക് എത്തുകയെങ്കിലും 100 ഡോളർ (8,600 രൂപ) നൽകി ഇപ്പോൾ ബുക്ക് ചെയ്യാമെന്ന് ട്രംപ് ഓർഗനൈസേഷൻ വ്യക്തമാക്കി. അതേസമയം, ഫോൺ ബുക്ക് ചെയ്യാൻ ആളുകൾ തിക്കിത്തിരക്കിയതോടെ കമ്പനിയുടെ വെബ്സൈറ്റ് ഏറെ നേരത്തേക്ക് പ്രവർത്തനരഹിതമായെങ്കിലും പിന്നീട് സജീവമായി.

റീചാർജ് പ്ലാനിലും സവിശേഷത

പ്രതിമാസം 47.45 ഡോളറിൻ്റെ (ഏകദേശം 4,000 രൂപ) റീചാർജ് പ്ലാനും ട്രംപ് ഓർഗനൈസേഷൻ അവതരിപ്പിച്ചു. അൺലിമിറ്റഡ് കോളും എസ്എംഎസും ഡേറ്റയും (ഇന്റർനെറ്റ്) ഒപ്പം 24*7 റോഡ്സൈഡ് അസിസ്റ്റൻസും ടെലിഹെൽത്ത് സേവനവും മറ്റും ഉറപ്പുനൽകുന്നതാണ് “ദ് 47 പ്ലാൻ’ (The 47 Plan). ഇന്ത്യയിലേക്ക് ത് അടക്കം 100ഓളം രാജ്യങ്ങളിലേക്ക് അൺലിമിറ്റഡ് കോളും വാഗ്ദാനം ചെയ്യുന്നു.
Sources:azchavattomonline.com

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US President Donald Trump’s company, Trump Organization, launched an America-made smartphone named Trump Mobile on Monday, 16 June 2025, according to the news agency Reuters. The company aims to capture conservative consumers and give them an alternative to other major telecom providers.

According to the agency report, the company has fixed the price of the phone at $499. The Trump Organization also said that both the call centre and the manufacturing of the phones will be done in the United States.

“Trump Mobile is going to change the game, we’re building on the movement to put America first, and we will deliver the highest levels of quality and service. Our company is based right here in the United States because we know it’s what our customers want and deserve,” said Donald Trump Jr. in the official announcement on Monday.

Monthly cost of Trump Mobile
According to the official website, Trump Mobile is offering “The 47 Plan,” which is wireless services for a monthly charge of $47.45 through which users will be able to avail unlimited talk, texts, and mobile data (first 20GB at high speed).

The benefits also highlight that the users will be able to call internationally to 100 destinations, have no contract and will be eligible to cancel anytime.

The company also said that it will not carry out a credit history check before giving a user a SIM card. Trump Mobile will also give out SIM cards to people who bring their own phones.

Other special features of the new device will be to provide Roadside Assistance through Drive America.

The company also announced that it will release its golden colored ‘T1 Phone’, which is made in America, for the people of the United States.

“Trump Mobile is also excited to announce it will release the “T1 Phone” in August. It is a sleek, gold smartphone engineered for performance and proudly designed and built in the United States for customers who expect the best from their mobile carrier,” said the company in the official release.

According to the agency report, more than 60 million smartphones are purchased annually in the United States. However, all of these devices are manufactured in India. China, South Korea, India and Vietnam are the major smartphone manufacturing hubs of the world.

The agency cited that due to the higher labour costs, supply chain complexity, and dependence on overseas component sourcing, the domestic manufacturing of smartphones has always been a challenge in the US.
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