THERE HAS BEEN a monumental and omnipresent rise in visual support for Christianity amongst young people on social media. Purple cross emojis, psalms and bible verses have been popping up and multiplying in Instagram bios.

Many online vehicles are being used to promote religion and faith as something modern and cool, using the language, tactics and digital aesthetics of social media influencers and content creators. One such example is the contemporary style-led Irish Christian fashion and accessory brand Truth Apparel, whose vision is “to see a generation of Christians sharing the gospel easily on the streets, workplace, gym, etc”.

If faith is your jam, have at it. If you’re lucky, it is a long life – whatever gets you through.

However, it’s difficult to imagine this faith resurgence is having an organic revival when you start looking at why and how these Christian beliefs and tribal online markings are coming to be.

Appeal of community

Take for example, The Send – ‘a global Christian movement focused on mobilising believers to share the gospel and step into mission.’ According to its Instagram profile, The Send exists ‘to gather and mobilise a generation into their missional calling and to bring the gospel into schools, universities, neighbourhoods and nations’.

With multiple geolocated profiles that appear in the same manner as an influencer, they use visuals that echo hip gig posters aesthetics for their SEND NIGHTS events – billed as ‘united worship experiences centred on God’s presence, inspiration, and action’.

In Ireland, The Send is travelling around the country leading up to two arena events of worship, prayer and teaching in the SSE Arena in Belfast and the RDS on 1 November. Both arena events are preceded by Send Week, where the vision of ‘activating’ hundreds of people to take to the streets to speak directly to those who are ‘spiritually hungry and looking for answers, but they’re not coming to us as they see the church as a tradition of the past.’

Separately, on 27 September, The March for Jesus kicks off at the Garden of Remembrance and ends with live worship and prayer on stage at St Stephen’s Green South. Brought to you by Christian Voice Ireland, who have been most active mobilising against inclusive, age-appropriate SPHE (social, personal and health education) programming in schools, specifically the lightning rod subject of ‘transgender ideology’, the event is a ‘Christ-centred celebration declaring hope in a dark world’. At the extremely well-attended 2024 March for Jesus (12,000, according to their website), attendees held up signs reading ‘Jesus can change your life’.

There is often a faith resurgence during dark times in the world’s history as people clutch at finding brightness and meaning in the dark. And who can blame them? Watching the horrors that are being uncovered and those that persist, it is difficult to find the humanity. In an increasingly atomised society, the community provided by the church is understandably alluring.

Influencers are now using their platforms to show videos of their baptisms and their journeys, often from something traumatic to this moment.

But watching an influencer-ification of organised religion’s recruitment process, it can be difficult to see past the huge marketing push that is going behind it.

Where does marketing come from that targets people who need Jesus to change their life; vulnerable and often traumatised people who have seen their hope pushed to the limit – no hope of owning their own home, no hope of a steady career, no hope of being able to afford to have their own family?

Misogyny

A huge majority of those active in this online space is a cohort of young men who are posting videos about their devotion to Jesus with a misogynistic edge. The historically patriarchal values of religion are emerging again proudly to the fore.

Internet personality Jake Galluccio, who has 130,000 Instagram followers, recently posted a video of himself with a bible with the caption: “Women want a man that loves the Lord until he says he’s not comfortable with her drinking, partying and dressing like she’s single.” The post has 14,000 likes.

Russell Brand found Christianity after being accused of rape and sexual assault. Right wing podcast host Joe Rogan, who regularly mocked Christians, has begun regularly attending church following the appearance of Christian apologist Wes Huff on his podcast in January 2025. Even Elon Musk is getting in on the action. He described himself as a “cultural Christian” during an interview with questionable psychologist and author Jordan Peterson.

In October 2020, Trump declared that he no longer identified as Presbyterian and now considered himself a nondenominational Christian.

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, published what has come to be known as Project 2025, the blueprint for Trump’s second term – despite Trump’s attempts to distance himself from it. According to Politico in February last year, this think tank was “developing plans to infuse Christian nationalist ideas in his administration should the former president return to power… Spearheading the effort is Russell Vought.”

Almost all of the suggestions in Project 2025 have been activated by the Trump administration, including cutting Medicare and Medicaid; removing legal protections against anti-LGBT discrimination; ending diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.

The project recommends the arrest, detention, and mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, deploying the US Armed Forces for domestic law enforcement; criminalising those who send and receive abortion and birth control medications and eliminating coverage of emergency contraception.

Control

Vought of Project 2025, himself a Christian Nationalist, has a close affiliation with Christian nationalist William Wolfe, a former Trump administration official who has advocated for overturning same-sex marriage, ending abortion and reducing access to contraceptives – all areas that have faced huge focus and attention in recent months by the administration.

The rise of the idea of the ‘trad wife’ and the glamourisation of large families on social media is not just happening by chance. The growth of a pronatalism movement within right wing political circles, in techbro communities and with high profile tech leaders like Musk and Peter Thiel have roots in religion and patriarchal movements and beliefs.

We could see the perfect example of the type of women held in esteem by these circles who are leaning into the ‘instafication’ of religion in Erika Kirk, wife of murdered right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Erika is “currently studying for a doctorate in Bible studies, has launched a ministry programme and hosts the Midweek Rise Up podcast focused on Biblical leadership” and “also acts and models, and has a faith-based clothing line”, according to the BBC.

Only in August did US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth share a video of Christian Nationalist pastor Douglas Wilson, who supports repealing the US’s 19th Amendment, which would remove a women’s right to vote. The religious leaders on the CNN segment said votes should be made as households and that the men of the household would be the ones actually casting the vote. As recently as 8 September, The White House posted President Trump’s Top 100 Victories for People of Faith.

We shouldn’t be surprised by anything that the Trump administration does, as it is all mapped out in Project 2025. When people tell you who they are, listen. However, we could stand to be wary of the rise of religion through what seem like innocuous and fun platforms, knowing what lies behind it.

Andrea Horan is the founder of Dublin nail bar Tropical Popical, The Hunreal Issues, co-founder of No More Hotels, and co-presenter of podcasts Don’t Stop Repealin‘ and United Ireland.