John Naisbitt and Patricia Aburdene, authors of Megatrends 2000 (the follow-up to the 1982 bestseller, Megatrends), have included a chapter in their new book entitled “Religious Revival of the Third Millenium,” which describes the “unmistakable signs of a worldwide multi-denominational religious revival.”

According to Naisbitt and Aburdene, “The bond we share today with the people of past millenial eras is the sense of living in a time of enormous change. The last time the United States experienced such a deeply religious period was during the nineteenth century, when the country’s economy changed from agriculture to industry … When people are buffeted about by change, the need for spiritual belief intensifies.”

The “God is dead” philosophy of the past is being quickly replaced. “With the millenium in sight, the powerful countertrend of the religious revival is repudiating blind faith in science and technology.”

Along with a recent upsurge of millenarianism in the Church (the belief in a literal millenium in which Christ rules the earth), huge increases have been experienced in church membership, especially among Evangelical and Charismatic denominations. With the explosive growth continuing, many baby boomers are leaving the staid, conservative “mainline” churches of their upbringing.

Naisbitt and Aburdene conclude that a religious revival will continue as we approach the year 2000. A “global phenomenon” is taking place that will replace modernism and a reliance on science; “the ideal of progress has given way to the return of faith.”

Editor’s note: Megatrends 2000 gives a highly perceptive view of the future which will probably prove to be exceptionally accurate. We do not, however, endorse the “new age” worldview offered by the authors.