They say, “If you can’t beat them, join them. And then beat them.” Opponents have never been able to tear down the Church from the outside, so they do it from the inside. Secularists & political progressives have been thwarted over & over in their attempts to makeover society by one major group standing in their way–Bible-believing Christians. If you think society has gone off the rails lately, can you imagine how bad it would be if the minority of conservative believers weren’t around to push back at all? I’m not even referring to anything political at this point–just the drift away from traditional Christian values that used to be a major cultural influence. Yet, such churches & denominations have been infiltrated by those very forces seeking to subvert those values.
Some could see this taking place, but few, including me, realized how bad it really is. The veil is being pulled back in a newly-released best-selling book: “Shepherds for Sale: How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda.” Author Megan Basham is getting plenty of attention through podcasts for her exposé of progressive political ideologies being pushed into Evangelicalism (a confusing term, but generally referring to Bible-believing Protestant & non-denominational Christians). She says that such Christians “always present a massive hurdle to leftist power grabs” & “stand as a fortress in the way of the political left.”
The collapse of mainline Protestant denominations over the past century has been tragically stunning. What were once Christian universities, seminaries, publications, & organizations were long ago co-opted by liberal theologies, rationalism, humanism & Marxism. So their leaders were trained & swayed to reject biblical teachings, affirm all sexual behaviors, promote liberal politics, & teach about a socialist Jesus made in their image. They used their pulpits to push a pseudo-religious Social Gospel of worldly do-goodism. The mission drift from spiritual discipleship to societal benevolence resulted in once-Christian organizations like the YMCA/YWCA abandoning anything to do with Jesus. How many today even know the “C” once stood for “Christian?” Their churches replaced gospel preaching with so-called social justice & progressive activism.
But Evangelicals continued holding on to biblical orthodoxy & morality, even starting their own conservative universities, seminaries, publications, & organizations. What “Shepherds for Sale” has brought to light is how leftist organizations began funneling money into front groups that promoted their agendas through once-solid institutions & influencers. Like the century before when mainline denominations were subverted & taken over, we’re seeing history repeat itself with Evangelicals. Leftists have been secretly slipping in, distorting Scripture & dividing denominations through movements advancing immoral sexuality & dysphoria, feminism, abortion, climate change, & illegal immigration.
They re-label climate alarmism as “creation care” or as “environmental justice.” They re-label critical race theory as “social justice.” They leverage celebrity preachers, publishers, & denominational leaders to push fellow ministers to compromise & move left. Those ministers then persuade & shame fellow Christians by invoking Jesus’ words to “Love your neighbor” in order to promote whatever programs they want–for example, acting as mouthpieces for government propaganda about Covid-19 lockdowns & mandates.
You may not know the names of these Evangelical elites who have betrayed Scripture, but they are very influential, such as: The National Association of Evangelicals, World Vision, Rick Warren, Andy Stanley, & Ed Stetzer. Max Lucado apologized for preaching against same-sex immorality. Two presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention (the largest Protestant denomination in America) said the Bible only “whispers” about sexual sins. The flagship Evangelical college, Wheaton, is woke. The flagship Evangelical publication, “Christianity Today,” is trash. Once-trusted leaders & institutions have sold out for money, prestige, & cultural approval.
That’s not to say those people & organizations aren’t teaching & doing some good, but we can’t politely ignore or excuse the damage they’re doing (James 3:1, 1 Tim. 5:19-20, Acts 20:28-29, Rom. 16:17, Gal. 2:11-14).Though some of these power brokers have tried to dismiss & discredit Basham’s book, it stands as a warning to all Christians to have their spiritual radar up about what may be going on. While warnings & criticisms are made to silence biblical Christians about bringing politics into the church, it’s actually the leftists who are politicizing everything to change Christianity.
We should speak out, but we shouldn’t start politicizing everything too. I will encourage Christians to vote by all means, but I’m not going to get sidetracked into preaching politics because at some level it’s corrupt & about advancing worldly power & secular agendas. I’m not going to tie myself to some politician or party or movement that will likely end up disappointing me, doing things I don’t approve of or agree with. But I will always continue to “contend for the faith” (Jude 1:3).