Faith-based content has exploded in new media and is increasingly piercing through mainstream culture, culminating in a Christian podcast overtaking top-dog “The Joe Rogan Experience” on Apple podcasts.

The Daily Wire has been tracking the faith-based trend for a few years now, which included the rise of Angel Studios and prayer and meditation app Hallow — and Christian content has only continued to grow, specifically making massive inroads in the podcast space, where there are no gatekeepers.

Ascension’s prayer-focused podcast “The Rosary in a Year,” which is hosted by Father Mark-Mary Ames, recently debuted at No. 1 on the Apple podcast charts in all categories, topping even podcast behemoth Joe Rogan, prompting celebratory and good-natured headlines about “Rosary over Rogan.”

“I think there are a lot of people out there who are serious about their faith and they’re hungry and they’re thirsty for more, and so when there are resources out there that are substantial, they really are drawn to them,” Fr. Mark-Mary told The Daily Wire in an interview on Monday.

“The Rosary in a Year” follows Ascension’s breakout hit from 2021, “The Bible in a Year” podcast, which is hosted by a Father Mike Schmitz, a charismatic priest serving in Minnesota. The listenership for “Bible in a Year” is massive, garnering well over 700 million downloads; “Rosary in A Year” could be on track for similar numbers. After debuting in the top spot on the Apple charts, it still remains in the top ten.

And there are many other Christian shows gaining steam in the podcast space. Catholic discussion podcasts “Pints with Aquinas” and Bishop Robert Barron’s “The Word on Fire” each get millions of views just on Youtube, and Allie Beth Stuckey’s podcast “Relatable,” which mixes politics and Christianity, gets comparable numbers.

CELEBRATE #47 WITH 47% OFF DAILYWIRE+ MEMBERSHIPS + A FREE $20 GIFT

Hallow, which has been endorsed by stars like Mark Wahlberg and Gwenn Stephani, also brings in staggering numbers. The app has over 22 million installs, and around Easter time last year, Hallow landed at the No. 1 spot on the Apple App Store – marking the first time a health, wellness, meditation, or religious app ever accomplished such a feat.

Stand-alone faith-based content is not where it stops, either. Reigning podcast king Joe Rogan has increasingly been bringing on Christian perspective guests. The same week “Rosary In a Year” was climbing the Apple charts, Rogan dropped a highly anticipated episode with biblical scholar Wesley Huff. Just one week later, he brought on outspoken Catholic actor Mel Gibson, who is currently working on a sequel to the massively successful “Passion of the Christ” film. Moreover, all of this comes as Rogan himself has drastically changed his tone toward Christianity, from openly hostile years ago to seemingly curious in 2025.

The discussion of faith on Rogan’s podcast is a prime example of faith breaking through the mainstream. “The Joe Rogan Experience” audience is mostly male and not particularly religious – and the reach is massive. It’s the most popular podcast on Spotify, with 14.5 million followers, and episodes average around 11 million views each. Huff’s episode is already nearing 5 million views on YouTube, and Gibson’s has racked up more than 7 million views.

Fr. Mark-Mary is not at all surprised about Christian content busting through the mainstream, and isn’t sure how anyone could be.

“I think it’s funny how people are kind of being surprised that some of this Christian content is resonating with people and doing so well,” he told The Daily Wire. “And it just strikes me as, it’s a very modern sort of worldview that wouldn’t view God as mainstream. God, who is the creator of everything … the idea of this being mainstream is the most reasonable thing in the world to me. And so, I’m grateful that it’s sort of breaking through again and reminding us that people are made by God, made for God.”

While the Christian content trend is undeniable, polling shows a more complex picture.

An average of all 2023 Gallup polling found that about 22% of Americans are not affiliated with religion, which is the highest it’s ever been. And nearly half of all Zoomers, those born between 1997 and 2012, are not religiously affiliated, according to a 2022 YouGov survey. But there’s also data showing a shift toward religion. A Springtide Research Institute survey from 2023, for example, found that a third of people aged 18 to 25 believe more than doubt the existence of a higher power. That’s an increase from only about a quarter in 2021.

There are also other signs, like the significant spike in Bible sales; or more anecdotal happenings, like the trend online of noticing more athletes talking about their faith, or arguably the most popular comedian in the mainstream right now, Nate Bargatze, being a clean Christian comic who speaks openly about his faith.

At the same time, though, it’s undeniable that there’s a more extreme push away from God in the mainstream. A prime example of that is the explosion and normalization of OnlyFans, which is largely a subscription pornography site.

“Each person’s story certainly is going to be unique, but I do think that one thing that can bring many people to God — and it happens in individuals and it can happen in a society — is a distaste or a disillusionment of some of the other options out there,” Fr. Mark-Mary said of the polarity in the culture.

“Okay, here are the proposed worldviews, here are the proposed lifestyles — many young people, or people in general, have tried it a little bit and they’re like, no, that is just not what I’m looking for,” he continued. “So they go looking somewhere else, and it brings them to the Lord, or to being more serious about their faith.”

“I do think that God uses that to bring people to Him,” Fr. Mark-Mary added.

Related: ‘A Couple More People In Heaven Would Be Nice’: Hallow CEO Talks Success Of Catholic App, Rise Of Faith-Based Content

​[#item_full_content]  

​[[{“value”:”

Faith-based content has exploded in new media and is increasingly piercing through mainstream culture, culminating in a Christian podcast overtaking top-dog “The Joe Rogan Experience” on Apple podcasts.

The Daily Wire has been tracking the faith-based trend for a few years now, which included the rise of Angel Studios and prayer and meditation app Hallow — and Christian content has only continued to grow, specifically making massive inroads in the podcast space, where there are no gatekeepers.

Ascension’s prayer-focused podcast “The Rosary in a Year,” which is hosted by Father Mark-Mary Ames, recently debuted at No. 1 on the Apple podcast charts in all categories, topping even podcast behemoth Joe Rogan, prompting celebratory and good-natured headlines about “Rosary over Rogan.”

“I think there are a lot of people out there who are serious about their faith and they’re hungry and they’re thirsty for more, and so when there are resources out there that are substantial, they really are drawn to them,” Fr. Mark-Mary told The Daily Wire in an interview on Monday.

“The Rosary in a Year” follows Ascension’s breakout hit from 2021, “The Bible in a Year” podcast, which is hosted by a Father Mike Schmitz, a charismatic priest serving in Minnesota. The listenership for “Bible in a Year” is massive, garnering well over 700 million downloads; “Rosary in A Year” could be on track for similar numbers. After debuting in the top spot on the Apple charts, it still remains in the top ten.

And there are many other Christian shows gaining steam in the podcast space. Catholic discussion podcasts “Pints with Aquinas” and Bishop Robert Barron’s “The Word on Fire” each get millions of views just on Youtube, and Allie Beth Stuckey’s podcast “Relatable,” which mixes politics and Christianity, gets comparable numbers.

CELEBRATE #47 WITH 47% OFF DAILYWIRE+ MEMBERSHIPS + A FREE $20 GIFT

Hallow, which has been endorsed by stars like Mark Wahlberg and Gwenn Stephani, also brings in staggering numbers. The app has over 22 million installs, and around Easter time last year, Hallow landed at the No. 1 spot on the Apple App Store – marking the first time a health, wellness, meditation, or religious app ever accomplished such a feat.

Stand-alone faith-based content is not where it stops, either. Reigning podcast king Joe Rogan has increasingly been bringing on Christian perspective guests. The same week “Rosary In a Year” was climbing the Apple charts, Rogan dropped a highly anticipated episode with biblical scholar Wesley Huff. Just one week later, he brought on outspoken Catholic actor Mel Gibson, who is currently working on a sequel to the massively successful “Passion of the Christ” film. Moreover, all of this comes as Rogan himself has drastically changed his tone toward Christianity, from openly hostile years ago to seemingly curious in 2025.

The discussion of faith on Rogan’s podcast is a prime example of faith breaking through the mainstream. “The Joe Rogan Experience” audience is mostly male and not particularly religious – and the reach is massive. It’s the most popular podcast on Spotify, with 14.5 million followers, and episodes average around 11 million views each. Huff’s episode is already nearing 5 million views on YouTube, and Gibson’s has racked up more than 7 million views.

Fr. Mark-Mary is not at all surprised about Christian content busting through the mainstream, and isn’t sure how anyone could be.

“I think it’s funny how people are kind of being surprised that some of this Christian content is resonating with people and doing so well,” he told The Daily Wire. “And it just strikes me as, it’s a very modern sort of worldview that wouldn’t view God as mainstream. God, who is the creator of everything … the idea of this being mainstream is the most reasonable thing in the world to me. And so, I’m grateful that it’s sort of breaking through again and reminding us that people are made by God, made for God.”

While the Christian content trend is undeniable, polling shows a more complex picture.

An average of all 2023 Gallup polling found that about 22% of Americans are not affiliated with religion, which is the highest it’s ever been. And nearly half of all Zoomers, those born between 1997 and 2012, are not religiously affiliated, according to a 2022 YouGov survey. But there’s also data showing a shift toward religion. A Springtide Research Institute survey from 2023, for example, found that a third of people aged 18 to 25 believe more than doubt the existence of a higher power. That’s an increase from only about a quarter in 2021.

There are also other signs, like the significant spike in Bible sales; or more anecdotal happenings, like the trend online of noticing more athletes talking about their faith, or arguably the most popular comedian in the mainstream right now, Nate Bargatze, being a clean Christian comic who speaks openly about his faith.

At the same time, though, it’s undeniable that there’s a more extreme push away from God in the mainstream. A prime example of that is the explosion and normalization of OnlyFans, which is largely a subscription pornography site.

“Each person’s story certainly is going to be unique, but I do think that one thing that can bring many people to God — and it happens in individuals and it can happen in a society — is a distaste or a disillusionment of some of the other options out there,” Fr. Mark-Mary said of the polarity in the culture.

“Okay, here are the proposed worldviews, here are the proposed lifestyles — many young people, or people in general, have tried it a little bit and they’re like, no, that is just not what I’m looking for,” he continued. “So they go looking somewhere else, and it brings them to the Lord, or to being more serious about their faith.”

“I do think that God uses that to bring people to Him,” Fr. Mark-Mary added.

Related: ‘A Couple More People In Heaven Would Be Nice’: Hallow CEO Talks Success Of Catholic App, Rise Of Faith-Based Content

“}]] 

 

Sign up to receive our newsletter

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.