Correction: The Jesus revival is coming (and it’s wearing Dôen)
Why the coastal elite might be headed back to the pews—flowy dresses, GRWM videos, luxury fashion and all.
Correction: The earlier version of this newsletter cut out an entire paragraph due to a technical issue. This is the full version.
A few weeks ago, I shared my prediction—backed by real-life examples—that church, Jesus, and the old Christian aesthetic will become fashionable again amongst the liberal, culturally influential elite. My friend Sadie first planted the seed in early 2024, and ever since, I haven’t been able to unsee it.
First, I saw Shia Labeouf convert to Catholicism this winter. That’s right, my generation’s biggest bad boy has traded his vape pen for the rosary.
Next, I saw Altar’d State’s growth mentioned in
’ Gen-Z newsletter. Altar’d State is a faith-based company guided by Christian principles. Some sources state that the company has made a rough increase in 1,500% in revenue from 2023 to 20251. They’re blowing up.Then, as season 3 of The White Lotus unfolded, I noticed religion and both Eastern and Western forms of spirituality emerging as central undercurrents. Piper announces she wants to join a Buddhist monastery in Thailand and give up her material possessions in pursuit of enlightenment, distancing herself from her conservative Southern family and their attachment to traditional values.
It made me think about how religion is either cool or cultish, depending on your zip code.
In liberal cities, it’s common and socially acceptable for people to seek spirituality or answers in Eastern teachings, philosophies, and practices, while avoiding traditional Western religion. Piper is clearly leaning liberal and grossed out by her own privilege. I’ve lived in both New York and Los Angeles for the past 13 years, and was born and raised just outside of NYC, so believe me when I say: in my circles, it’s considered uncouth to talk openly about religion, God, or—heaven forbid (pun intended)—Jesus Christ.
While faith still plays a role in some lives in these cities, for many of us, our liberal arts colleges in the early 2000s pushed us away from those values. We became disenchanted with God, Jesus, and the idea of “traditional family roles.” Many people who suffer from religious trauma and cult-like religions flock to New York, LA, and San Francisco, far from the “religious territory” that we often associate with the southern and Midwest states.
In the big coastal cities, there were always murmurs—quiet judgments and subtle ostracization—if someone continued following Jesus Christ after leaving home and becoming their own person. “Omg, she’s a Jesus freak.” It was a red flag. Something weird. Maybe even sinister.
In the circles I move through, it’s far more acceptable—safer, even—to carry books on attachment styles, astrology, meditation and yoga. But one could argue that healing, self-improvement, and astrology function as belief systems too. It’s religion, just dressed differently.
But as we’ve seen time and time again, the pendulum always swings back. Today, Jesus Christ and religion are largely associated with conservatism. But that won’t last forever. I think we’ll see liberals begin to reclaim religion, spirituality, and even Jesus himself as a cultural figure—whether or not they identify as Christian.
Here are the reasons behind this prediction, with sources and all:
What was once uncool always becomes cool again.
As long as people continue to feel stressed and hopeless—politically, economically, existentially—they’ll turn to what humans have always turned to, time and time again: God, church, and community. Faith in a higher power, or any kind of collective spiritual gathering, offers a break from the hustle, the anxiety, and the “I have to do this all on my own” mindset that so many young adults in America are stuck in today.