A Dutch theologian questions whether reported interest in faith among young people reflects genuine depth, a caution for Christian media covering claims of a youth revival.
Gerrit Immink, emeritus professor at the Protestant Theological University, has expressed doubt about reports of a religious revival among young people in the Netherlands. He argues that contemporary culture tends to simplify or flatten religious belief, rather than deepen it. For Christian media and church organisations, the claim is a caution against reading isolated signs of youth interest as evidence of a broader spiritual shift. It also raises a question about what counts as depth in faith among younger generations, a question relevant to how Christian content is produced and framed for this audience.
ECMS 2026 data, gathered among an engaged Christian audience in the Netherlands and Belgium, found that demand for Bible study was higher among under-35s than over-55s within this sample, a finding that sits alongside, though does not confirm or contradict, Immink’s scepticism about the depth of youth faith.