The tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk in September 2025 sent shockwaves through the young conservative and Christian movements he helped energize. His death left thousands of young believers, many of them new Christians, without one of their most influential voices. I fear this will contribute to what researchers describe as “arrested spiritual development,” where initial enthusiasm for faith doesn’t translate into deeper spiritual maturity.

Research on the stages of faith development suggests that a significant portion of believers remain in earlier stages of spiritual growth throughout their lives. Now that this current generation of young adults is experiencing a wave of new believers, the great risk for the Church will be that too many remain comfortable, never pushing forward into the challenging but transformative journey toward meaningful spiritual growth.

While I’m not a neuroscientist, my extensive research into spiritual maturity has led me to surprising discoveries about the connections between our biological design and our capacity for continuous spiritual growth and transformation. The research reveals something profound: God has wired our very neurology for transformation.

These connections between faith development and brain science are too important to ignore, especially when a generation of young believers desperately needs a roadmap for moving from spiritual infancy to mature faith.

The Crisis at the Heart of the Modern Church

We live in a time when countless believers find themselves saved but stuck—sitting in the pew week after week, yet never growing, never thriving, never maturing spiritually. This crisis lies at the heart of the modern church: Christians who have accepted Christ but have no idea........

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