Are liberal, progressive power brokers like George Soros, the founder of eBay, and former members of the Obama administration focused on fundamentally changing the American church? Are secular think tanks deliberately targeting Christian media, universities, megachurches, nonprofits, denominations, and high-profile pastors and influencers? Is this another of the plethora of slanderous, conspiracy theories? Or is there a real, intentional goal to co-opt the church for political purposes in exchange for ministries/ministers who toe the left-wing line receiving cash, career promotion, prestige, or praise?
According to Megan Basham, a cultural reporter for the Daily Wire, in her new book, Shepherds for Sale, published last month, evangelical leaders have traded the truth for a leftist agenda and this compromise is impacting Christians everywhere. The book has created quite a firestorm on social media.
The original title of the book was going to be “Evangelicals for Rent”
This sounds like “Big Eva.” Big Eva (big evangelical ministries, media, and ministers) is a populous slang term coined in an article by Dr. Carl Trueman in 2018. By “Big Eva” Trueman means the large evangelical organizations and conferences that seek to shape the thinking and strategies of American Evangelical churches.
Assuming that Trueman was correct in identifying the existence of a “Big Eva,” Megan Basham built upon this ideological union seeking to prove that “Big Eva” is being intentionally targeted by leftist organizations to shape their publications, preaching, conferences, denominations, and ultimately, downstream, the people in the pews.
With clear candor, Megan states her purpose in the introduction:
My ultimate purpose is to confirm for average evangelicals in the pews that the uneasy feelings many of you have been having (perhaps for some years now) that your pulpits and your institutions are being co-opted by political forces with explicitly secular progressive aims are justified. That it is indeed happening." (Introduction XXIX)
I was excited about reading SFS. For some time now, I’ve felt a similar uneasiness over what I sensed as an ideological shift by previously trusted organizations and ministers like, The Gospel Coalition, the leadership of The Southern Baptist Convention, David Platt, Lig Duncan, and others. Basham’s compelling argument for the need for the book resonated with me:
"...ordinary Christians who feel confused and dismayed to see well-known pastors and ministry leaders letting the culture rather than Scripture dictate the content of their teaching. They see leaders insisting that Jesus requires them to get Covid-19 vaccinations and lobby for immigration bills, but doesn't require them to speak clearly about sexual morality. They feel, frankly, like sheep without shepherds. What they all want to know: What is going on? Why is this happening everywhere?" (Introduction, XV)
And...
"Why have so many well-known evangelical institutions and leaders in recent years started promoting causes that no plain reading of Scripture would demand, like lobbying for fossil fuel regulations or dismantling white privilege, while issues that unequivocally call for Christian clarity find them silent and stymied?" (Introduction, XXI)
While I was looking forward to the reading, I had both high marks and disappointments as I worked through the 250 pages of Shepherds for Sale. Below is a brief review:
High Marks in Shepherds For Sale
In her journalistic exposé, Basham prosecutes her case by organizing the book into eight chapters dealing with an octave of cultural/political issues from Climate Change to the #Churchtoo movements.
1. I think Megan makes a convincing case in chapters 1, 2, 5, and 6 that “Big Eva” has been shaped by a leftist ideology, demonstrated plainly by the perennial spiritual wrapping paper they use for nearly every cultural issue of our day and also the most unquestioned dogma currently: “love your neighbor.”
“Love your neighbor and support legislation that bans all fossil fuels.”
“Love your neighbor and get the shot.”
“Love your neighbor and admit that white people (and our country) are saturated in systemic racism.
“Love your neighbor and mask up.”
“Love your neighbor and never speak despairingly about illegal immigration.”
“Love your neighbor by affirming the accuser of sexual or spiritual abuse is ALWAYS right. Period.”
Ironically, this contemporary, evangelical leftism is a modern form of an old heresy, legalism. Why? Because these issues are debatable, secondary and tertiary topics “Big Eva” has now made gospel essentials. As Basham documents well, there is no room for “nuance” or “winsomeness” or differences of opinion. The clear, holier-than-thou message from “Big Eva” is “If you love your neighbor you will/won’t ____________________.” Implied, if you don’t agree with ____________, you obviously don’t “love your neighbor.”
2. I also appreciated Basham shining the light on how the pro-life movement was hijacked by "Big Eva."
Basham helpfully points out that every true, pro-lifer, on Friday, June 24, 2022, celebrated the Supreme Court of the United States' decision that overturned Roe v. Wade in upholding the Dobbs decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.
"It came as something of a shock, then, when many of the big-name evangelical leaders who were supposed to represent pro-life activists...sounded distinctly less than celebratory. Instead, a number of them used the fall of Roe as an opportunity to argue for. bigger government and to bolster the pro-abortion narrative that Christians only care about babies before they're born." (p. 52)
Rather than showing our excitement for the overturning of a five-decade-old ruling that legalized the killing of over 60 million, innocent human beings, we were told to contain ourselves and show compassion for those who were mourning the reversal rather than celebrating the ruling.
"Big Eva" leaders lectured pro-life advocates about their need to be "whole life," from the womb to the tomb instead of fixating on the preborn. Shockingly, evangelical leaders admonished pro-lifers with endless "whataboutisms" straight from the pro-abortion playbook.
"What about daycare?"
"What about the death penalty?"
"What about universal health care?"
"What about affordable housing?"
"It was akin to telling abolitionists on the day of the Emancipation Proclamation that the end of slavery would be worthwhile only if Lincoln also announced a mandatory minimum wage and scholarship program for freed slaves" (p.55)
3. In chapter eight, None Dare Call It Sin, Megan exposes the "red line" that separates orthodoxy and liberalism in our day: LGBTQ.
John Calvin warned: "Ambiguity is the fortress of heretics." Side A (affirming) has been embraced by most mainline denominations. However, the newest "kid on the block" is Side B, which believes that you can identify as a "gay Christian" as long as you don't practice the lifestyle. Both sides A and B are approaches by evangelicals to "move beyond" calling homosexuality a sin. Megan documents the capitulation and compromise by evangelicals in detail.
Disappointments
I had one major disappointment, and one minor one.
[Major] Megan at best misrepresents some Christian leaders; or at worst, slanders them. And, in either case, it was unnecessary. In the first chapter, Megan ends her very helpful chapter on climate change by using a half-dozen pages to dissect a video by Gavin Ortlund on the environment. Gavin graciously defends himself here. You can read Megan's "hot take" on it on pages 24-30 of her book. You'll be able to make up your own mind about how accurately or inaccurately Megan handles Ortlund. I see Megan's end to chapter one as neither accurate nor necessary. I appreciate Gavin's vodcast called Truth Unites, and I have some of his books in my library. Gavin is certainly no "shepherd for sale". (to Megan's credit, she was not including him in that ominous list.) Such an extended illustration to end the very first chapter leaves the impression that Gavin is a leader in "Big Eva" who is hired hand instead of a faithful shepherd. A similar problem occurs, in my view, when Megan quotes and characterizes J.D. Greear. You can read pastor Geear's helpful response here. Again, there was no reason for Megan to use either of these men as examples. There are plenty of clear examples of the kinds of "Big Eva" Christian leaders who are actively and seemingly intentionally, trying to shape broader evangelicals' thinking. People like David French, Russell Moore, Francis Collins, Andy Stanley, and Rick Warren, are clear examples of "Shepherds for Sale." I was disappointed that Megan didn't just stick with the clear, unmistakable examples of Evangelicals for Rent.
[My minor disappointment] was that a book like this is necessary. It's not a fun read. It's not an edifying read. But, I believe it's a necessary one. So, I recommend the book especially to pastors, and Christian leaders as a "check-up" on how much we have been shaped by the "trickle-down" of Big Eva. I also recommend it to all Christians who have found their spirit troubled by sermons, lessons, blog posts, podcasts, or general ministry philosophy that seems to be more informed by the "spirit of the age" than "by the Scriptures."
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