- 00:00
- You know, it's been a while. I wonder what's going on over at Gospel Coalition. Stop throwing pastors under the bus.
- 00:13
- Okay, let's check it out. Do -do -do, stop throwing pastors under the bus by Brett McCracken.
- 00:22
- I've noticed an increasingly prevalent genre of online evangelical Christian commentary in which pastors are shamed because they're insufficiently vocal about this or that outrage or not a militant enough in the culture war.
- 00:35
- Increasingly, it seems there's a lot of social media mileage in throwing pastors under the bus. The formula is familiar.
- 00:42
- A highly online, highly online Christian. Yeah, that's that's a temptation to click another link and I've already clicked one too many today.
- 00:51
- I'm not taking that. The formula is familiar. A highly online Christian takes to social media and puts generic pastors on blast by unfavorably comparing them to secular thought leaders or politicians who are supposedly more courageous truth -tellers.
- 01:05
- But is this a good faith critique and is it helpful? Good question. Let's continue.
- 01:12
- Pummeling your pastor crossed out. The pastors in scare quotes online.
- 01:18
- Few call out their own pastors online, but many employ the imprecise word pastors.
- 01:24
- Every pastor in the world, every American pastor, a few notable pastors you're subtweeting to advance a narrative of negligent clergy sitting out the culture war.
- 01:33
- Often the social media post focuses on a timely front in the culture war and turns it into an indictment on beta pastors.
- 01:44
- Beta pastors who are allegedly naive about the issues gravity. Wake up pastor.
- 01:50
- Wait, wake up beta pastor. While you're trying to winsomely engage the culture, this culture is indoctrinating your congregation with critical race theory,
- 01:59
- LGBT +, agendas, woke ideology, and so on. Quit sitting on the sidelines. Beta pastors.
- 02:09
- Left -leaning Christians also join the pastor as a punching bag social media chorus. Their posts similarly indict pastors as a vague class, taking them to task for enabling various evils.
- 02:19
- Pastors have blood on their hands. They're cowardice and staying silent on blank racism, Christian nationalism, abuse.
- 02:26
- They are 15 mass shootings, climate change, and so on. Means they have zero moral authority on any issue.
- 02:33
- But you know, it's really hard to be a pastor. Poor Brett McCracken and all the pastors out there.
- 02:38
- It's really tough. It's really tough, and you know, they can't really take the criticism.
- 02:44
- It's not helpful to talk about the, you know, there's the pastors and really what you're talking about.
- 02:50
- Your pastor is what Brett McCracken seems to be saying. That's not very nice guys. That's not very nice at all.
- 02:56
- It's hard to be a pastor and pastors should not be criticized online in this kind of a fashion.
- 03:03
- You know, Brett, this is... Beta pastors. That was a good one. It was a good one.
- 03:08
- Beta pastors. I've never said that, but maybe I will. Maybe I'll add that to my repertoire.
- 03:13
- Beta pastors. I think Brett McCracken definitely qualifies as a beta pastor. But yeah, this is funny because this is the thing, like while you're busy complaining about how hard it is to be a pastor and how pastors shouldn't be criticized in this way, when it's kind of like a subtweet, you're really talking about your pastor maybe, but you're just kind of saying pastors, you know, that'd be a lot easier to swallow,
- 03:36
- Brett. If you and your friends didn't make a living doing this exact thing to your congregations, going to the
- 03:46
- Atlantic and writing a stupid brain -dead article about how Christians are evil, they're racist, they're bigoted, they fall for every conspiracy theory.
- 03:56
- It's just unbelievable. You continue to write these poor me articles,
- 04:01
- Brett. This is why people call you beta, by the way, because this is a beta move. You just did what you're telling people not to do.
- 04:08
- You're throwing shade at other Christians. Well, I guess, you know, technically you're not disobeying what you're saying.
- 04:14
- Basically, you want rules for you and your pastor friends that don't apply to the regular Joe in the pew.
- 04:20
- So you just threw regular Joes in the pew under the bus because, oh, poor me, it's hard to be a pastor.
- 04:27
- Dude, if it's good for the goose, it's good for the gander. Pastors aren't special that they can't have any criticism.
- 04:34
- In fact, if anything, pastors should be demonstrating a thick skin. They should be demonstrating a faith and a confidence of their standing before Christ.
- 04:42
- And so online criticism is like the last thing they should be worried about. But for some reason, you and your beta friends, this is all you're worried about.
- 04:51
- This is why people call you beta, because this is a lame move, Brett. It's passive aggressive.
- 04:58
- It's ridiculous. Everyone can see this. And this is why idiots like me on YouTube have a following, right?
- 05:05
- And by the way, I know I'm not an idiot, but I just like to call myself an idiot on YouTube as a separate class, right?
- 05:11
- You've got the very learned, you know, respectable pastor that writes for Gospel Coalition. And then you got the idiots on YouTube that are actually cleaning your clocks right now.
- 05:20
- The idiots on YouTube are cleaning your clocks right now, at least online. And the reason is, Brett, because we've seen this, all of us.
- 05:28
- I'm just a guy in the pew too, right? I go to a church, I have a pastor, and I sit in the pews all day.
- 05:35
- And this is what I do. Well, all Sunday, I guess. And this is what I do. I've got a life in a church, and it's a vibrant life and all that kind of stuff, right?
- 05:42
- But we've seen time and time again, you and your buddies, your popular Gospel Coalition, winsome, limp -wristed beta buddies, go to the media and rip us.
- 05:54
- And rip us, the nameless, faceless, evil, fundamentalist, evangelical Christian who voted for Donald Trump.
- 06:00
- You rip us constantly, and we are sick of it. This is why I'm cleaning your clock,
- 06:06
- Brett. This is why it's happening. This is why people like me have more influence every day, and people like you have less influence every day.
- 06:15
- It's because people are sick to death of the double standard. You're sitting here whining like a little baby about your job being so hard, and I get criticized online as you're criticizing other people online.
- 06:28
- We're sick of it. It's a double standard. It's disingenuous, and it's a beta move.
- 06:34
- So if you don't want to be called beta anymore, Brett, I believe this is the first time I've ever called you beta, but I kind of like it.
- 06:41
- I could get used to this. If you want people to stop calling you and your little latte -sipping buddies beta pastors, you know, beta pastors, right?
- 06:50
- Then stop being so beta. It's the internet, man. What's your deal?
- 06:56
- You have to write an article about this? That's all
- 07:16
- I gotta say. That's all I gotta say. I need to cheer up here.
- 07:22
- This is too depressing. These are our leaders. It's just too depressing. Oh, it smells so good.
- 07:30
- These googan baits smell really good. I keep this empty package of baits at my desk.
- 07:39
- Whenever I need a quick pick -me -up. Oh, man.
- 07:46
- How long? How long must we endure these poor -me -it's -hard -to -be -a -pastor articles?
- 07:51
- How long? It just itches. They are good for a laugh, though, guys.
- 07:57
- They are. I hope to do another video today. I wasn't planning on doing this video, but then
- 08:03
- I just, you know, checked out Gospel Coalition, and it's just hard to understand how this keeps happening.
- 08:11
- It's like Groundhog Day. All right, guys. I hope you found this one helpful.
