Hello The Other Millennial, thanks for taking the time to respond.

You said:

"Even if I presume that you are right, it would be for the wrong reasons.

"The worldwide epidemic of mental illness, psychiatric and behavioral emergencies "(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5316796/)

Might it be that 👆 has something to do with a 5 times faster increase in your faith?"

In my day job, I work with people in their darkest places. I lead them to Jesus. He heals them.

I can't tell you how many people have come in with depression, anxiety, a mind that always races with thoughts they don't want, obsessions of self-harm, and the like.

Do you know what they find in Jesus?

Peace.

It's become a common refrain to hear people say "This is the first time my mind has been this quiet."

Jesus restores mental health, my friend.

You said:

"I can't think of any good reason. Can you?"

I can think of hundreds!

Let me give you three.

The first is what I talked of above: Jesus really heals. You can bring your pain to Jesus -- whatever kind of pain it is -- and experience Him healing it.

The second is truth. The more we investigate the Bible, the more we find it verified. Did you know astronomy has completed verified the Star of Bethlehem? https://medium.com/hope-youre-curious/astronomy-authenticates-the-star-of-bethlehem-we-can-see-what-the-wise-men-saw-971b571da5fe

Third, people are seeking better alternatives that what they grew up with. Did you know that Christianity is exploding in Iran, the bedrock of Islam? https://medium.com/hope-youre-curious/astronomy-authenticates-the-star-of-bethlehem-we-can-see-what-the-wise-men-saw-971b571da5fe

You said:

"I mean, it's not like your faith is a newly minted hot product that has gone viral. It has been around for 2000-odd years, why is it going viral now? what changed?"

Christianity has "gone viral" from the beginning. It's never stopped. The centers of growth shift, but the growth always continues.

2,000 years ago, there were about 120 Christians when Jesus rose from death.

Today, there are 2-3 billion.

The growth has never stopped. It just keeps going.

You said:

"Do you ever think about these things?

By the way, the study you cite is self-sponsored.

"Enlightening Today’s Church with Relevant Insights" is what Lifeway research does 👏👏

Has it come to that now? counting self-goals?

Good luck."

The study's findings are replicated constantly by other studies. This isn't an isolated result.

It shouldn't be surprising that Lifeway would be interested in the stats of religions around the world. That's key information to Christianity, whose focus is evangelism of everyone who doesn't yet know Jesus. We need to know where to go next!