Those undertaking this effort never seem to learn that elites are “just not that into you.” They never have been and never will be ( John 15:18-19). Pursuing the approval of elites is a fool’s errand. It was a failed project in the last century, and it will be a failed project in this one to the degree that “evangelical elites” pursue it. For miracle-denying “Christians,” theological liberalism became the faith of the apostates not the faith once for all delivered to the saints ( Jude 3). As we all know now, that project led to the denial of core teachings of the Christian faith. What he describes is nothing other than the age-old temptation of theological liberalism, which in many ways was simply an attempt to make Christianity acceptable to cultural elites. He basically admits that “elite evangelicals” aim to win the respect and praise of Christianity’s cultured despisers and that such is the temptation in the CT newsroom itself. What’s surprising is that Galli confirms it in so many words. But it happens on the left just as often.Īnyone paying attention to CT over the last decade or so is not surprised by any of this. And along the way, many of your convictions will be sidelined. We’ve seen this happen on the religious right in the political nightmare of the last few years. We see an ancient dynamic here: When you seek to win the favor of the powerful, you will likely be used by them to enhance their own status. Better to try to get such a column published in the most popular Pentecostal outlet, Charisma. Ah, but that would do nothing to enhance the prestige of evangelicals among the culture’s elite.Įvangelical columns in large part merely bolster the reputation of secular outlets, as these publications can now pat themselves on the back and say, “See, even religious people agree with us.” Rarely if ever will you see an evangelical by-line in such outlets that argues to protect life in womb or affirms traditional marriage. If these writers are really interested in getting those evangelicals to change their minds, the last place they should be is in the mainstream press.
However, their writing doesn’t reach the masses of evangelicals who take a contrary view and don’t give a damn what The New York Times says. This tendency has only gotten worse, as now the mark of a successful evangelical writer is to get published regularly in the Times, Atlantic, and so forth. What’s interesting about such pieces is that (a) such writers make a point that affirms the view of the secular publication (on topics like environmental care, racial injustice, sexual abuse, etc.) and (b) they preach in such pieces that evangelicals should take the same point of view.
New York Times or The Atlantic or other such leading, mainstream publications. For the longest time, a thrill went through the office when Christianity Today or evangelicalism in general was mentioned in a positive vein by The We all just want to be loved, and if not loved, at least liked and respected. Elite evangelicals are not just savvy evangelists but also a people striving for acceptance. I don’t know that evangelicals have been sufficiently self-reflective to admit their basic and personal insecurities. It’s just no fun being an outsider to mainstream culture. This has been a temptation since the emergence of contemporary evangelicalism in the late 1940s, the founding of Christianity Today being one example… Will it be from among “elite evangelicalism” (e.g., Fuller Seminary, CT, Intervarsity Press, World Vision, etc.), or will it be from among the constellation of “reactionary Reformed conservatives” (e.g., Doug Wilson)? Galli then goes on to talk about his tenure at Christianity Today and what it revealed to him about the priorities of “elite evangelicalism.” He writes,Įlite evangelicalism (represented by CT, IVPress, World Vision, Fuller Seminary, and a host of other establishment organizations) is too often “a form of cultural accommodation dressed as convictional religion.” These evangelicals want to appear respectable to the elite of American culture. Galli’s essay discusses where the next generation of evangelical leadership is going to emerge from.
Former editor of Christianity Today, Mark Galli, wrote a jaw-dropping column last week.