With many young adults feeling isolated, anxious and lonely, the newest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said faith-based colleges and universities are uniquely positioned to address declining faith and meaning in society.
Elder Clark G. Gilbert returned to his roots at Harvard University this week to speak with college students and faculty about the role of faith-based colleges in American pluralism and diversity in society at the Harvard Faculty Club on the Cambridge, Massachusetts, campus on Thursday, March 26, 2026.
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“If you are a person of faith, you have to keep going back up to bat,” Elder Gilbert said. “It is my prayer and my hope that people of faith will stand up, that they will be counted, that they will find ways — even if it takes multiple at-bats — to keep having their voices heard in the public square.”
Elder Gilbert earned his doctorate and taught in the Harvard Business School before becoming an Apostle in February. He also served as the Commissioner of the Church Educational System and president of both Brigham Young University–Idaho and BYU–Pathway Worldwide.
The Loneliest Generation
Elder Gilbert said a growing percentage of Americans are religious “nones,” those who are not affiliated with an organized religion.
“Your generation in particular is the loneliest in the history of America,” Elder Gilbert told the young adults, linking the trend to not just smartphones and social media but also a lack of religious affiliation.
He pointed to a U.S. Surgeon General report identifying the loneliness epidemic.
Elder Gilbert said college-age students also face a crisis of anxiety and depression and cited a recent Harvard University study demonstrating that nearly three in five young adults lack a sense of purpose. Pew Research Center data show a rise in adults with no religious affiliation, while those who attend religious services regularly report higher happiness and satisfaction.
“It turns out that nones are some of the most unhappy people. The only people who are more unhappy are the atheist and the agnostic,” Elder Gilbert said.
He said many of the nones may reaffiliate with organized religion over time.
Faith-Based Universities Grow
Despite the rise in religious nones, Elder Gilbert reports that faith-based universities are growing nationally. In fact, from 2000 to 2025, the BYU system grew by over 100,000 students. Other universities with religious affiliations are also seeing growth as students, including nonreligious ones, seek an education that includes faith and character development.
Elder Gilbert authored an August 2025 article for Deseret Magazine outlining these very themes. The Chronicle of Higher Education recently published a follow-on article titled “Religious Colleges Are Booming. Why?”
“America needs faith,” Elder Gilbert told the audience. “The majority of nones want God in their life. The majority of the nones pray. The majority may have disaffiliated from a specific religion, but they’re feeling the gap in their lives with no faith.”
The senior Church leader said faith and reason are not in conflict, explaining that if America truly values a pluralistic society, where all are welcome, then American institutions and the public square must also include faith.
“One of the things secular universities could simply do is allow convening of faith in communities on their campus,” Elder Gilbert said.
He continued, “This is a nation calling for something more, something deeper, and most people don’t think that faith and reason are in conflict.”
Elder Gilbert concluded his remarks by inviting the students to stand up for their faith and to have the courage to help others do the same.
“If you’re a person of faith, you have to keep getting back up to bat and be happy with a lower batting percentage because of the pressures and biases that are against people with faith in the public square,” he remarked.
“I hope you will do that throughout your lives, both here at the university and in your professional work,” Elder Gilbert concluded.
