For decades, it was assumed that modernization would lead to the decline of religion. As societies became more educated, wealthier, and scientific knowledge grew, religion was supposed to gradually vanish from people's lives. In many ways, this prediction has perhaps come true. Churches are emptying out in many European countries, and traditional churches are losing their cultural influence. Religion is disappearing from public space. And even the recently published studies on a "Quiet Revival" don't seem, upon closer examination, to offer much hope to the contrary.
Despite the retreat of institutionalized forms of religion, spirituality remains a very much alive social topic. In our research, we focused on six highly secular European countries: Estonia, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Belgium, and the Netherlands. According to Pew Research Center studies, these countries rank among the least religious societies in Europe.[1] Yet it's clear that spirituality hasn't vanished from these societies. It has simply changed shape.
Many Europeans today reject organized religion while still believing in various forms of transcendence. Meditation, mindfulness, energy work, alternative healing practices, or individualized spiritual practices have become a common part of millions of people's lives. In Estonia, for instance, roughly two-thirds of the population report believing in some kind of spiritual force or energy.[2] In the Czech Republic, 29% of respondents believe in God, but more than 40% believe in the soul or fate.[3] So Europe isn't becoming less spiritual. It's just becoming spiritual differently.
We call this phenomenon liquid spirituality (or fluid spirituality). We're drawing here on the sociologist Zygmunt Bauman and his concept of late "liquid modernity." What does this mean? In today's society, people accept the authority of traditional institutions less and less, and increasingly construct their own identity and values themselves. This applies even to spirituality — instead of belonging to one tradition, people assemble their own "spiritual toolkit": a bit of psychology, a bit of mindfulness, a bit of Christianity, a bit of Eastern spirituality. In short, whatever currently seems useful to the individual.
Alongside spirituality, we also tracked data on mental health. The historical expectation that as religion receded and technological progress increased, people would flourish more did not hold up. Although the countries we studied are economically developed, educated, and secularized, they struggle with high rates of anxiety, depression, loneliness, and other psychological difficulties. Simply put, the retreat of religion hasn't automatically led to greater human happiness. People still seek the spiritual dimensions of meaning, hope, and inner healing. In fact, the WHO has, in recent decades, increasingly recognized the importance of spirituality, meaning, and existential questions for human quality of life, and has developed special tools for measuring spirituality and religiosity as part of wellbeing.[4]
So how do churches themselves fare in this respect? Does religious affiliation actually help people live a balanced and psychologically resilient life? In our deeper analysis of data from the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Global Church Member Survey 2023, covering the six countries mentioned above, we found that psychological difficulties don't spare the church environment either, and to a very similar degree. For example, 43.9% of Czech Adventists and 47.5% of Adventists in Estonia reported experiencing feelings of dejection, depression, or hopelessness in recent weeks. A significant portion of respondents also admitted to having suicidal thoughts. Among the broader population in these countries, some degree of anxiety or depression is reported by 48% (Czech Republic) and 50% (Estonia).[5] It seems, then, that religious affiliation alone isn't enough for psychological wellbeing.
Religious affiliation alone isn't enough for psychological wellbeing.
This is precisely where the central paradox of our study emerges. Contemporary alternative spirituality often offers psychological comfort but lacks deeper formation, long-term relationships, and stable community. Traditional religion, on the other hand, often offers theological truth but sometimes neglects emotional healing, trauma work, and people's psychological needs. Alternative spirituality thus offers comfort without the relational commitment that is key to mental health, while institutional religion sometimes offers dogma without interest in a person's inner world.
Is there a solution to this paradox? We decided to call it Christian Liquid Spirituality. Here, "liquid" doesn't mean relativism or abandoning biblical teaching — quite the opposite. It's a spirituality deeply rooted in Christ that is at the same time flexible and sensitive enough to enter into the concrete wounds, questions, and existential struggles of people today. Its fluidity corresponds to the ungraspable nature of the Holy Spirit, the person of the Trinity who is key to inner healing. This spirituality unites three fundamental dimensions: firm theological grounding, relational and emotional formation, and cultural intelligibility.
In practice, this means the church of the future will not merely be a place for passing on correct doctrines. According to the data, such a rigid conception of church isn't enough. Tomorrow's church will be a place of healing, safe relationships, authentic community, and deep spiritual experience. If churches in post-secular Europe want not only to survive but to be a significant part of society, they will need to offer people not just truth, but also a space where they can be known, accepted, healed, and transformed. This, it seems, is the key to thriving churches and other Christian communities in a post-secular world.
This article is based on the published study Eder, P., & Činčala, P. Secular Spirituality, Mental Health, and the Future of Christian Spirituality in Post-Secular Europe. The research builds on a broader discussion about the relationship between spirituality, wellbeing, and human flourishing. The recording is from a presentation given at the Adventist Human-Subject Researchers Association 2026 (AHSRA).
