On The Rise: Has Secularism Peaked in the US? + An honest look at being canceled

Published 9 days ago • 4 min read

Welcome to the On The Rise newsletter, where I feature fascinating, helpful, and sometimes curious content that caught my attention this week.

Today, Ryan Burge presents new data on the rise and decline of the religious Nones, your ideal sleeping temperature, an honest look at the life of a comic who got canceled (and came back), and a call for more moral voices.

Are the Religious Nones In Decline?

It looks that way

Ryan Burge recently took a deep dive in the state of religion in the USA and notes that the religious ‘nones’ are in decline among every age demographic over the last four years.

The reason? Well, he’s not sure.

The decline is more pronounced among Boomers and Gen X than among Millennials and Gen Z, but it’s still down across the boards.

Before you declare victory too soon, fully 43% of Gen Z still say they have no religious affiliation in particular. That’s a lot of people left to reach.

The Challenge I Keep Coming Back To

And a playbook for leading your church through what's coming

What if everything you're afraid AI will do to your church is what's about to make it matter most?

That's the question I kept running into as I wrote AI and the Future Church and the more I sat with it, the more convinced I became.

Here's what I mean. As life gets faster, more automated, and more artificial, people are going to be starving for the very things the church has always carried:

Presence.
Real community.
A place where someone knows your name and your story.

So no, this isn't a tech book. Instead, it's a pastoral playbook for leading a church through a season nobody has a map for yet.

For now, here's where I've landed: if you lead a church or a team, this is the season to get your church ready for what’s ahead.

If you think AI and the Future Church can help get you there, you can pre-order your copy today.

Pre-Order Now

How Cold Should Your Bedroom Be At Night?

Cooler than you think

We’ve worked out enough challenges in our marriage to narrow down our key disputes to a few simple issues. One of them is temperature. My wife Toni is always cold. Me, not so much.

So now I have more science to back me up. If you want optimal sleep, a cooler bedroom is the key. Here’s the temperature range considered “optimal”.

Spiritual curiosity is rising — especially among young adults.

The data is striking right now.

People who walked away from faith are asking questions again. But here’s the tension most church leaders feel: the curiosity is real, and your church isn’t quite sure how to meet it.

Alpha was built for exactly this moment. It's a free guide to lead a series of conversations so people can unpack the basics of Christian faith together — no pressure, just honest conversation over a good meal. Any church, any size, fully supported. Nothing to build from scratch.

If your church is ready to open a door for the people in your community who are searching, Alpha has a free 3-Step Launch Plan that shows you exactly how to get your first gathering off the ground.

Download it at alphausa.org/carey. That’s alphausa.org/carey.

Get FREE the Plan

Book Recommendation

Delete That, by John Crist

I know, you’re thinking, why would I read a book by a comedian?

As I’m re-recommending books, this is one of the most brutally honest accounts of the rise and fall of a leader I’ve ever seen. John is so transparent about what got him canceled back in 2019, and the road that led him there. If church leaders could be as transparent and vulnerable as John, we’d have a healthier church. This is a fantastic book.

If you want to watch my first interview with John, where he shares exactly what led to his collapse, you can watch it here.

Check It Out

Quote I’m Pondering

In case the incentives get to you

Morgan Housel calls incentives the most powerful force on earth. As a church leader, you’re incentivized to do good, because if you don’t, you get fired. But if you get greedy, go broke, or otherwise struggle with money, the incentive to shade the truth or default to deception to get ahead financially can be strong.

The same is true of everything.

The incentives with AI can be huge, which is why we need voices like Chris Olah, co-founder of Anthropic, who appropriately notes:“

"We need moral voices that the incentives cannot bend.”

He was responding to Pope Leo XIV’s AI Encyclical. Essentially, that’s the world asking the church to lead.

Church leaders, take note.