Gen Z at the Ecclesiology & Ethnography Conference 2026
This summer, Edward presented findings from the Gen Z Role Models Project at the annual Ecclesiology and Ethnography conference, held at Durham University. Huge thanks to the conference organisers for the invitation to deliver the final talk in the concluding plenary session. The Ecclesiology & Ethnography Network is a community of leading and emerging voices…
Forthcoming Book: Researching Religion through Exemplary Figures
Researching Religion through Exemplary Figures: Exemplarist Narrative Analysis for Theology and Religious Studies is my (Edward’s) newly contracted book with Routledge, as part of their Routledge Focus on Religion series. I’m in the thick of researching for the text, and it’s due to be published in Q1 of 2028. The book comes out of my…
God is Trending, and Gen Z is Serious About it
Edward is featured in this article by Asta Gabriel of Trill Magazine, one of the most exciting independent media platforms out there, “where emerging voices [like Asta’s!] develop the skills, confidence, and reach to shape journalism’s future.” Read the full piece for free at trillmag.com
Book Launch and Story Workshop at Blackfriars, Oxford
On Friday 22nd May 2026, we officially launched our new book, The Spiritual Narratives of Generation Z, with an enthusiastic audience at Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford. Co-authors, Dr Edward David, Claire MacLeod, and Ning Xu, walked through the book’s main findings — its typology of five spiritual narratives — and invited participants to interpret…
Discussing Gen Z with Australia’s Christian Education National
I had the pleasure of chatting with Sam Burrows of Makerspace, a Christian education podcast run by Christian Education National (CEN), a network of Christian schools across Australia. Have a listen through the Spotify link below. Huge thanks to Sam and CEN! “This week I get to chat with Edward David, the Director of the…
Oxford Book Launch and Workshop
Blackfriars Hall, University of OxfordFriday, 22nd May 20264:30 pm – 6:00 pm BST Join us in person for an interactive book launch and workshop introducing The Spiritual Narratives of Generation Z (Routledge 2026), based on cutting-edge research on youth religion supported by Oxford’s John Fell Fund and AHRC funding at King’s College London. By reading and discussing short stories written…
Reflecting on the King’s Summit
The King’s Gen Z Summit, hosted at King’s College London, brought together 25 participants from across London, including students, young professionals, and representatives from the Saint Paul’s Institute at St Paul’s Cathedral. The event formed part of the ongoing Gen Z Role Models Project, inviting attendees to act as co-researchers in interpreting new data on…
The Quiet Revival Retracted: A Reflection from Oxford and King’s Academics
In April 2025, The Bible Society published their influential report, The Quiet Revival. This report, based on data from YouGov polling, claimed that church attendance in England and Wales rose by 4% from 2018 to 2024 with the most dramatic increase among young adults (8-12% increase). Contrary to prevailing trends of religious decline among young…
Generation Z and the rise in Bible sales
In the past several days, Dr Edward David has appeared on UK media commenting on the rise in bible sales and the surprising trend of young people going to church. Huge thanks to the producers and hosts for the opportunities to speak. BBC Sky News To learn more about young people and the rise of…
Faith in Flux: How Gen Z is Reimagining Religion
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Diocese of Oxford’s annual chaplaincy conference. With the attendees, we explored what our study calls exemplarist narratives—the recurring stories Gen Z tell when they meet spiritual influence online and then make sense of it offline. I shared three of those narratives: Taken together, these stories don’t…
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