Why are Bible sales experiencing a surprising 22% surge? Is Western culture becoming spiritually curious again? In this episode of Candid Conversations, Dr. Jonathan Youssef welcomes Dr. Sean McDowell—author, speaker, and Biola University professor—to unpack this unexpected trend.

Sean shares insights from his years of engaging the next generation on matters of faith, culture, and apologetics.

🎯KEY POINTS:

• Why a sharp rise in Bible sales should give us pause—and cautious hope

• How cultural voices like Jordan Peterson and Jonathan Rauch are contributing to renewed interest in Christianity

• Why secularism may be losing momentum among young adults

• How Christians can better engage a spiritually curious culture today—not with confrontation, but with conversation

⏱Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction and welcome

01:16 Sean shares about his family and career

02:27 Jonathan introduces the topic of Bible sales increase

03:04 Sean discusses the 22% surge in Bible sales

03:31 Cultural openness to spiritual things

04:00 Theories behind the spiritual shift in culture

04:30 The decline of Christianity has slowed

06:26 Sean shares his perspective on cultural changes and the impact on Christianity

07:29 New secular voices rediscovering the Christian worldview

08:46 Secularism is dead

09:30 How Christians can respond to new spiritual openness

10:36 Shifting from defensive apologetics to conversational engagement

11:45 The power of asking questions like Jesus did

Guest Bio:

Dr. Sean McDowell is a professor of apologetics at Biola University, the cohost of the Think Biblically podcast, and a best-selling author. His latest book, Apologetics for an Ever-Changing Culture, helps Christian's address today’s toughest questions with clarity and compassion. Drawing on historical shifts, current research, and his experiences equipping students and churches, Sean encourages believers to rethink how we present the gospel in this pivotal moment. Instead of arguing like it's still the era of the "new atheists," it’s time to listen, ask better questions, and meet people in their spiritual hunger.

Connect with Sean:

Website: seanmcdowell.org

YouTube: @SeanMcDowell

Instagram: @sean_mcdowell

Get Apologetics for an Ever-Changing culture https://www.amazon.com/Apologetics-Ever-Changing-Culture-Biblical-Culturally/dp/0736989277

#secular #secularism #secularnews #candidconversations #seanmcdowell #bible #trends #biblesales #christianpodcast #christiannews #christianfaith

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Video at Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbpEZAJP2g0