What’s Behind the Modern Grace Revolution?

Every day there is more evidence of a worldwide Grace Revolution.

Just check out the booming increase in the number of sermons, books, podcasts, and videos about grace. Grace preachers and teachers are springing up everywhere, and it is only a matter of time before we see a corresponding increase in the number of grace churches.

A good question to ask is why? Why is a Grace Revolution happening now?

The roots of the current movement can be traced back for decades. Influential grace preachers and teachers have been laying a foundation for at least 70 years. But only recently, in the last 15 years or so, has the grace movement burst into life.

The current Grace Revolution shares some similarities with the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. Just as the Reformation needed fuel for the fire, the current Grace Revolution came about because the conditions were ripe.

Is today’s Grace Revolution the Reformation of our time?

Four factors that preceded the Protestant Reformation were: (1) a deepening spiritual hunger for truth, (2) widespread distrust of the institutional church, (3) a growing appetite for critical thinking and challenging authority, and (4) the invention of a disruptive new technology (the printing press).

Similar forces have played a role in shaping the modern Grace Revolution:

1. A growing spiritual hunger grows in a world of crisis

In an era marked by war, pandemics, inequality, environmental degradation, political turmoil, anxiety, and information overload, people are searching for truth they can stand on and hope they can hold onto.

2. Declining trust in the institutional church

Fifty years ago, two-thirds of Americans had confidence in organized religion. By 2024, that number had dropped to less than one-third. Scandals, corruption, secularism and perceived hypocrisy have fueled a growing distrust of religious institutions (source: Gallup).

3. The rise of critical thinking and spiritual questioning

The global spread of education and the democratization of knowledge have encouraged people to ask questions and re-examine long-held religious assumptions.

4. New technology has made it easier to reach large audiences

New technology (e.g., self-publishing, YouTube, podcasting, social media, email newsletters, crowdfunding, community platforms, online courses, etc.) has made it possible for reformers and grace preachers to reach global audiences without relying on traditional pulpits or gatekeepers.

A movement of nobodies

The modern Grace Revolution shares some similarities with the Protestant Reformation, but it differs in one respect: The Grace Revolution is a grass-roots movement. It does not have a central headquarters or leader, and it is unlikely to spawn new denominations.

The Reformation gave us Lutherans, Calvinists and Wesleyans, but the Grace Revolution, with a few exceptions, is a movement of nobodies. By “nobodies”, I mean people who are flying under the radar.

Take me, for example. When I started writing about grace, I had just stepped down from being a pastor. I had no pulpit, no platform, and no best-selling books next to my name. All I had was an email newsletter that I occasionally sent to a handful of pastor friends.

Even now, I remain a nobody. I live in one of the most remote nations on earth (New Zealand), I don’t preach, and I say “no” to virtually every request for an interview. Yet every day, God gives me words that help people all over the world. All glory to God.

Who introduced you to grace?

Whenever I meet brothers and sisters in the Grace Revolution, I like to ask, “Who was instrumental in the early days of your grace walk.” Almost always, they reply, “You wouldn’t know them. They’re nobody famous.” Often it’s a pastor of a small church in some Podunk town, or it’s an elderly minister who is now retired.

Sometimes I look up these “nobodies” to learn more about them. More often than not, I learn that they have no platform, no books, and no hordes of followers. They don’t have a reputation for greatness, but they have a great grasp on grace. They are mature believers who shine with the love of the Father.

And by the grace of God, they are changing the world.

The thing about us nobodies is that we have no choice but to rely on God. We don’t have the reputation, resources, or political capital to do anything else. In the economy of grace, being a nobody is an advantage.

To learn more about the similarities between the Reformation and the Grace Revolution, check out my new book The Grace Revolution: Who, What, When, How and Why. You can download it FREE from my Patreon page.

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