From Disney magic to ancient faith: David Henrie on why Gen Z is flocking to church

Disney star David Henrie has been encouraged to see a rise in young people attending church over the years and believes it's a sign of a deeper cultural shift of younger generations turning to God.

"I'm seeing it everywhere. Every time I go to mass, there's more and more young people," he told Fox News Digital.

The Catholic actor, who rose to fame playing Justin Russo on the Disney Channel’s "Wizards of Waverly Place," said he believes young adults are returning to the faith after finding emptiness in worldly distractions. Years ago, Henrie experienced his own spiritual awakening.

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"I've seen it coming. I was one of those people who was not living a Christian life and then suddenly found the world was completely empty and was searching for something otherworldly," Henrie said. "That's why I think you're seeing kids flock to the faith right now. It's because they're tired of the world."

Catholic leaders across the U.S. have reported sharp increases in the number of adult converts. A recent Gallup poll also found that 42% of young men now say religion is "very important" in their lives, a 14 percentage point jump from the previous year.

Henrie believes young people are seeking a specific form of faith rooted in tradition and history.

"You know, I'm Catholic, I always say like, they want 'Lord of the Rings Catholicism'," Henrie said. "You know, they want bells, smells, ancient expressions of the liturgy. That's where the young people are flocking right now. That's why you're seeing the Latin mass booming."

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The actor recently wrapped filming for his faith-based travel series "Seeking Beauty," on EWTN+, as well as his return to Disney for "Wizards Beyond Waverly Place." He is also set to release a faith-based children's book this fall, co-written with his wife, Maria.

The picture book, titled "Is God Bigger Than a Dragon?" turns a curious child's questions about God into spiritual lessons. Henrie said his young son inspired the project.

"[He] is very inquisitive, and he asks great questions, and he's trying to understand God," Henrie said. "So from a four-year-old, trying to understanding God sounds like this: 'Papa, is God bigger than a dragon? Is God bigger than New York City? Is God big than a killer whale?'... And so he just kept asking all these great questions, and eventually it was like, I need to make this into a kid's book."

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Henrie said the picture book uses a question-and-response format and is geared for children ages 2 to 8. It pairs rhyming answers with Scripture references on every page and ends by encouraging parents to revisit the Bible verses with their kids for further study.

The father of three, who is expecting his fourth child this month, said he and his wife feel it is important to foster faith in their children from an early age and help them tackle their big questions about God.

After reading the book, he hopes kids take away "a greater understanding of God's love, God's care, and just how powerful He is and how powerful he can be in their lives."

"Is God Bigger Than a Dragon?" published by Ascension Press, is available for preorder and is expected to be released on November 10.