Trusting Elites, Disparaging Christians on Shots

Welcome to conversations that matter podcast. My name is John Harris. We're gonna dive right into it real quick today

Last week I was away I was visiting family and people were sending me some of the stuff we're gonna look at but I hadn't seen it so now

I want to talk about it because I I started skimming through some of the stuff that's on my list and I was Like oh man, this is kind of it's sad, but it's kind of funny and it shows something

I think the lesson we're gonna see with some of the things we're looking at is that there's there's a certain variety of At least they think of themselves of an intellectual but these intellectual

Evangelical elites who are primarily social justice minded a lot of them, but there's a certain kind of like There's a strong assumption that they have like really strong and like emotional attachments identity is involved in this

You can't really argue with it because it's an article of faith and that's really the takeaway trusting in the prevailing kovat narrative and the treatments that we're supposed to to trust

That is an article of faith now to such an extent. You can't even

Get someone to look at it in any kind of semi objective manner doesn't say hey, like can we look at numbers?

Can we can you look at some of the things that may be of concern here? Can we compare it to maybe other treatments that aren't are safe and have been proven safe for years and maybe they're working better Is there is there any reason we can have not really and I think it's because of what

I'm about to show you to be in the good graces of those who are secular elites and those who hold the power is

It's like an article of faith. It is like it is what some of these evangelical elites live for It really is and I've seen this over the course of years

I wouldn't be saying this unless I have just noticed this over the course of years and Sometimes they can even say some of the right things

But then they they do the bidding somehow they move whenever they're practically moving

People or inspiring people to act in a certain way they always move the arrow towards the left and it towards those who are in power elites in power and They don't represent their constituents.

And this is a good example of that You have Russell Moore and you have Daniel Darling both formerly with the

Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission for the Southern Baptist Convention and so often They did things that were counter religious liberty and counter ethics against ethics

Or they move the arrow in those directions and and they've kept doing it

Russell Moore's with Christianity today I'm Daniel Darling's probably looking for a job right now. We'll talk about why

But here's the first thing I want to share with you Russell Moore a batch of breakthrough kovat has hit our house

Maria felt okay. The older vaccinated boys were fine all along. I get you know, it's because they were vaccinated.

That's the insinuation. I Feel like I've been run over by a bulldozer Now this is the same

Russell Moore who posted himself double masked with a Lord of the Rings hobbit mask and on the top and he said this hobbits been vaccinated and He's saying now he feels like he's been run over by a bulldozer.

Okay, not exactly your poster child for vaccines But but but we go on here and he says still that's nothing compared to what others are experiencing around the world

He's grateful and then he follows it up The numbers are showing us the rates of vaccinated people hospitalized is tiny deaths even more

So I'm glad to be vaccinated but plead with you all to do so, too Just think to yourself for a moment if you

Were the poster child are trying to promote a certain treatment and it didn't work

Or it's not working. Well, would you be posting about it?

I mean, I'm just saying What's the point of this like if you're really? If you really think it works, why are you want to promote that it works?

Why are you telling people I feel like I got run over by a bulldozer and it gets funnier So you start scrolling down this and you start reading the comments and you start coming up with these

Thank you for having the wisdom to get vaccinated. I hope more evangelicals will follow your example

You want them to be feeling like they got run over by a bulldozer? here's the thing the assumption is a lot of been so much worse if I didn't get the treatment if I didn't get that shot man,

I would have been dead and How do you reason with that? It's an article of faith at that point

There's no disproving it because no matter what happens no matter what bad thing happens It could be the result of the shot they're still going to say well,

I would have been much worse if we didn't get it and And I showed some numbers

I I showed some studies at least that are indicating that look if you already had it

Then you have immunity more so than getting this These shots will give you

You Your body's kind of it's cool. Your body's cool like that. I got designed it that way and There's other things the things that like were recommended during SARS kovat one like 2004 2005 that you can do

That will help you combat this and it is real and it'll help you

And I've mentioned some of those those treatments But It's like you put that on the shelf.

Don't even talk about it. That's crazy talk only focus on the approved big pharma

You know salute supposed solution to this other comments grateful you all are vaccinated.

Yeah, there you go. There's one there Grateful you are vaccinated get rest. I Inspire others to get vaccinated just picture this

Russell Moore on his deathbed feeling like he got run over by a truck now I can say this because he he's recovered as far as I know, which is good for him

But he's feeling like he got run over by a truck and he's now Inspiring others to get vaccinated that yeah, that image just doesn't inspire us.

But this is in my mind. This is just twisted thinking It's just they're not it doesn't cause them to think like maybe it didn't work

Hey, maybe it just Didn't do what it was supposed to do or it's not as effective as it should be.

Maybe Maybe there were some other solutions that were being talked about that might be better No It's this

There's a class of people that they'll believe whatever The the elites tell them and they want to be in their good graces in their favor and that's

I can say that because I've been watching these people for so many years now, but But it just it gets it gets them into these twisted weird spots like this

So I thought it was kind of funny thought I'd share it with you. All right, let's watch this this a little bit of it

I don't know if I want to go through this whole thing This is kind of becoming controversial this guy Daniel Darling who used to be with the ERLC Was the senior vice president of communications for the

National Religious Broadcasters and now? Well, okay. He wrote this article for USA Today called why as a

Christian and American I got the kovat vaccine as an American and Basically, I'll read for you.

He says yeah, we can't trust anyone basically, but in spite of this he trusts the vaccine and it's one of them discovering the technology is one of the most amazing feats and in modern history and many

Christians worked on it and He doesn't want to see anyone else die from kovat

I guess the implication is if you don't get it that that's what's gonna happen. Our family has lost too many close friends even their piano teacher and And as a

Christian and American he's proud to get it and so this is all like this is playing on identity and emotion

It's emotion. It's all emotion. It's just it's look at these people who designed it.

Some of them are Christians Okay, you feel kinship with them because of that there's an attachment there Relatability and then in addition to that.

Well, hey look The it's a great breakthrough amazing

Innovation that that we've come up with and it should just inspire you as an American. I mean, there's no there's no real talking about Testing numbers potential side effects other treatments.

None of that and and that's what we're missing in this whole thing So anyway, he goes on morning This is a you know

Very liberal show on MSNBC and you think you know I always say you think this is the time that you give them the gospel, right?

This is the time but let's see how it this shakes out Talk about your faith and the role it played in you making that decision well,

I think there's two things to think about I think one one of them is this idea that we're to love our neighbors and one of the things we do when we get a vaccine is we not only protect ourselves, but we also do our part in keeping our name our part from spreading the vaccine or spreading the virus and hurting our neighbors secondly,

I also think You know the the way to persuade people to get a vaccine it's not going to come top -down it's not going to come from Sort of elites, but it's going to come from people closest to people.

They're doctors. They're pharmacists. They're pastors As I said, there's a great deficit of trust here in this country

Much of it is earned because our institutions have failed us in many ways and yet This is one area where I do think we can be confident that the vaccine works.

It has had rigorous Protocols, it's a uniquely American success story with our companies coming together and we've had a bipartisan push on it

President Trump Helped shepherd this vaccine through and then President Biden is helping us to get the vaccine out

And so I really encourage folks. I don't shame anyone into getting it I know it's a very big decision to put a foreign substance into your body it's all new but I do encourage folks to talk to their doctor and really consider it just because We just don't want to see anyone else unnecessarily die of this lethal virus

Okay, a few things there that I just wanted to comment on. He doesn't shame anyone into it, but yet He's doing this because he loves his neighbor

He doesn't want to see anyone die he's convinced that this is positive and it works and and so I don't know what you're supposed to feel about that if you didn't take it he also says that It's elites the elites pushing this isn't gonna work, but then you're you know writing from the pages of USA Today and is it's just and you're on MSNBC talking about it like I Don't what's the point if that's not gonna work to convince people elites talking on elite networks and elite magazines

I'm not sure it just I don't know. I don't know. What's the point of all this? I will say this could it be that Daniel Darling?

I mean, I don't want to start a conspiracy here But is it possible that maybe he spread the kovat to Russell Moore who then got it?

Despite the fact that they both got the the shot I don't know, but I and I don't have anything to back it up But neither does neither do they on a lot of things they say so I feel justified

All right. Let's just let's go a little farther with this. I don't want to go too long Because I got to keep this short, but let's just see what what else he might have to say here

So Dan I've asked this question before of other evangelicals that have come on this show and what

I don't understand about many of my friends and family members or the The conspiracy theories that they seem to be more prone to on Facebook You know as I say we we as evangelicals believe we have the greatest story ever told as the foundation

Of our lives. We really don't need Some Christian Chinese and some some

Chinese religious cult Sending conspiracy theories across the world to influence us.

We don't need conspiracy theories on Facebook To wrap our arms around.

Why is it that many of our fellow brothers and sisters are? Not listening to their pastors not listening to their doctors

Not following the words of Jesus do unto others as you would have them do unto you and instead

I Mean and not listening their family members And instead clinging to lies that are spread on Facebook.

What explains this? It's deeply disturbing to me What explains that people the evangelical faith, especially?

Well, I do think actually there's some good news Vaccine hesitancy among evangelicals has dropped significantly and actually if you follow the work of someone like Ryan Burge of Eastern, Illinois University a sociologist actually

Evangelicals are not the most hesitant cohort. There's hesitancy among young people who have no faith

There's some hesitancy among african -american populations But secondly,

I do think the reason why there's vaccine hesitancy and there's a tendency to believe conspiracy theories is twofold

I think first of all, as I said, there's a definite deficit of trust in our institutions And when when trust goes down belief in conspiracies goes up number two.

I think many of us are more Discipled and catechized by our political pundits and people we prefer on the left and the right than we are by scripture and I think we need to return to Really being discipling by our being discipled by our faith

And so I I'm there is good news though Anecdotally in my world a lot of folks who have been very hesitant are getting the vaccine

And I'm hearing from pastors around the country that that's the case as well But he wouldn't want to shame anyone into getting it, right?

it's just that if you follow the words of Jesus, you'll get it and If you don't then you're listening to your political pundits.

I mean, that's the Ed Stetzer talking point, right? This is the whole like well the reason Christians are basically

Conservative basically, that's usually how it comes down the reason that they're the way they are is it's really just because they're watching

Fox News and Tucker Carlson and they're listening too much to Tucker Carlson and And that's why they're they're concerned about critical race theory.

Remember that from Ed Stetzer and and he's doing the same kind of play here It's it's actually really offensive it's like you're you're choosing

Tucker Carlson over Jesus is kind of the insinuation and And so, you know, he's on he's saying this on MSNBC Again writing from the

USA Today. I mean, he's Certainly involved with these more progressive publications And I mean he's followed up and we're gonna go to that in a minute and writing for I think it was

USA Today or somewhere else a liberal publication and What I don't understand why why is it that you know, they're he doesn't defend his fellow evangelicals other than to say

Well, no, no, they're coming around to your side They're there. They're starting to believe what what

Joe believes on MSNBC He doesn't contradict morning

Joe and say hey, look Joe. Mr. Joe Scarborough You know, I understand your concern, but I just want you to know that you know

Christians, they might see things differently the ones that are hesitant about this and they or and not just assume that it's all a big conspiracy theory and not just let

Joe accuse them of Not following Jesus and it's a pretty big accusation.

The Christians are supposed to follow Jesus, right? so if if they're not following Jesus in the sense that they're hesitant about a

This treatment because they think actually it's not loving and I made a whole post about this

I I'm trying to love my neighbors by not doing this by Warning them of the the things that are coming out about it by telling them about the other treatments that exist that could help

Maybe maybe that's how we're supposed to do this But there the the door is shut to all of that that you're not even allowed to entertain those ideas at all

Seeking wisdom diligently not going to happen It's only there's only the person who has the wisdom is the person who is in charge with the force to implement mandates and It's the elite institutions as well.

Then that they have a force called peer pressure and and so it's

I don't know. It's just it's just sad to me. It's just just like What's the point of even having it an evangelical go and talk if that's what they're gonna say if they're just gonna repeat the same kinds of things

And and back up whatever the elites are saying. Why not have someone who's going on there and is going to defend

Christianity and and Christians and and their interests and also is going to actually seek the truth and do it to do so diligently and And and be unique a little more this is just so I mean

I could just I don't need to get this from Daniel Donnelly I could just get this from Joe. He could talk to himself and do a monologue and we get the same thing pretty much

Why why be that way? Why not give them the gospel when you have the opportunity? Why not? Represent something eternal.

I don't know. It's just such a big platform and there's so many people watching that aren't saved and I just can't imagine

Being in that platform and I mean, I I guess there's there's certain times maybe you're you know, you run out of time and you don't don't get to share the truth of Christianity, but oh

Man, I just I can't imagine. I would I would be like chomping at the bit It's time to share the gospel.

We're on MSNBC. Wow. Look what God did What let's move on from this though, let's go to Let's go to this

Oh, this was her reaction So so what happened apparently is that Daniel Darling got fired from the

National Religious Broadcasters? Because apparently they have a policy you're not supposed to take a side on the kovat stuff

So then this this this guy is only a two -minute video His name what is his name?

I'm forgetting his name. He's on the resolutions committee for the SBC or he was He anyway, he'll probably say what his name is, hold on Hey guys,

Bart Barber. Barber. That's right. Pastor Bart Barber Recognized his face.

I can recognize I can't remember his name off the top of my head. Okay, so Bart Barber This is a guy who invited Dwight McKissick to preach at his church on the resolutions committee for the

SBC pushing all the stuff That was pushed last time around I Know I've seen him several times on Twitter.

He tends to defend the social justice side of things he's got I guess I would consider him more of a company man in the

SBC and And so this is this is his reaction to this whole deal

That happened on MSNBC To the workday. I'm out here at the farm.

I want to respond and react to the news Dan Darling Who's this national spokesman for the

National Religious Broadcasters Association? he wrote an article and went on the news to encourage people to Respect one another's choices about vaccination

He said that he understood why some people had reservations about the kovat vaccine but also say that he himself had been vaccinated to give his rationale for being vaccinated and To encourage people to respect one another's freedom of conscience

For that today the National Religious Broadcasters Association fired him

Fired him without severance left his family without income

For suggesting that we respect one another's conscience and for saying why he himself got vaccinated and encourages other people to be vaccinated

And you know I'm gonna stop it right there and say really that's that's the message that he was saying

That's it. That really was his thrust to respect one another's conscience. No, I don't I don't think so I Want you to remember another name though Bobby Lopez?

I want you to remember that name some of you might who've been following this channel for a while you know that name because Bobby Lopez was fired from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and And part of the reason was because and we have the recordings he

Was sharing his testimony and his testimony included being saved out of a homosexual lifestyle and having a family being redeemed and he believed that you didn't have to stay in that orientation and Where were the

Barbara's of the world at that time? Or how about the Russell Moore's Russell Moore also comment on this a bunch of people comment

I haven't gathered them all To show you but we're just appalled that Dan Darling would have been fired for breaking the policy

And yet you have a man like Robert Oscar Lopez who for a much more serious much more related to Christianity reason

Was let go of an institution in a much more disturbing manner and no one lifts a finger

No one think that thinks that's crazy It's amazing to me it really is and it shows the utter hypocrisy the

SBC can't be saved as a Denomination when it's people like this who are running it the pressure only runs in one direction

If you're on the left, then you have immunity in the

SBC You got to be pretty far left to get any kind of criticism

It's almost impossible to be criticized if you're on the left in the SBC and you at least say

Even if you lie about it, you say that you agree with their statement of faith But if you're on the right at All and if you even if you just aren't a company man, if you just decide, you know what?

I'm sharing my testimony and my testimony includes being saved out of a homosexual lifestyle My testimony includes that I I believe in scripture teaches

I my mind that you don't have to stay in that lifestyle You don't have to have those desires and I'm not gonna ask for permission to share my testimony.

That's unreasonable I'm a professor at a university and you get fired for it Now that no one says lifts a finger for that Doesn't really seem to matter

Russell Fuller doesn't seem to matter really what happened to him Doesn't seem to matter if someone disparages people at founders ministries

Doesn't seem to matter if Odie Bockham is raked over the coals He's not even SBC really John MacArthur could be part of that too.

They're not really SBC, but Paige Patterson, I mean we saw what happened there.

I mean, there's all the grace in the world for the Hannah Cates, right for The Dan Darling's for the

Russell Moores for the Walter Strickland's for the Jarvis Williams for the Danny Akins For anyone that's pushing the left the envelope towards the left all the grace in the world all the understanding but when it comes to To to conservatives who want to actually take a stand and they actually are taking a stand and saying

I'm standing on the Word of God here not talking about kovat vaccine not talking about something else.

I'm talking about something directly related to what the Word of God says There's no one there to support them. This is

I'm telling you this is For a lot of people in the SBC, this is kind of the environment that they live in and this is just another example of it and So I just wanted to expose that and just say where were you

Bart Barber when Bobby Lopez was fired and Russell Fuller was fired Where were you?

All right. Um Do I want to finish this video? No, I don't think I want to finish this. I don't think well, should we go on?

Yeah, let's go on just a little more just a little more. It's really not even about Dan And fundamentally, it's not even about kovat or about the vaccine

It's about the fact that I mean when I respond to this I can't help but think about The work that pastors like me are doing all across this country to try to keep our churches from being divided

Over the question of this vaccine in this disease We're working constantly to try to get members of our churches to do just what

Dan said feel free to have opinions feel free to articulate them, but respect one another's freedom of conscience and it's all the more difficult to do that because some of these religious broadcasters are filling our church members heads full of lies and Conspiracy theory crap that causes them to come into our churches and fight with one another

I'm not even I'm not gonna finish this. This is What are the source of quarrels among you?

Quoting from James It's conspiracy theories from religious broadcasters on the right.

That's what it is I mean if you want to talk about this is the absurdity of this it absolutely assert absurd and he doesn't even see it and It's it should be angering for those in the

SBC. I mean that you have guys like this on your resolutions committee He's accusing he's actually pointing the finger and he's not even naming names

He's just saying that there's these religious broadcasters out there promoting conspiracy theories and They're the ones causing division yet He can't even look himself in the mirror and realize he in this moment as he's doing this

Bart Barber is causing division Bart Barber is Saying a whole class of people who listens to whoever these religious broadcasters are

Are the they're the ones guilty of? Division so he's making a division in his mind between those who are causing division.

He thinks and those who are opposed to division and supposedly Dan Darling is he's opposed to division even though he insinuates and goes along with Joe Scarborough Saying basically, you know, they're not following Jesus because they don't have the vaccine

Apparently that's not causing division But what causes division are people who are skeptical about it and rightfully so It's disgusting this that and what he's what he's talking about is absolutely true that him and other pastors

Oh, they work so hard to keep their churches together. And that's and that's the problem They're working so hard to try to keep their churches from splitting instead of pursuing the truth,

I Don't want churches to split but you know what they have to be united around the truth

Yeah, and are there secondary issues out there? Are there things that you can disagree on? Yeah Is the code is this issue with the the mandates because because we know when we talk about this treatment

We're not talking about the treatment. We're talking about mandates We're talking about a whole host of other things that are coming in whether or not.

This is a plan to to bring in socialism or single -payer health care or to Create two classes of people to take away civil liberties to restrict travel to To poison people potentially to make people possibly infertile

Some people think that and some people and they're and they're now our scientists starting to say that They're and I can give you even names of some of them

I have a list but who are starting to say that yeah, this could cause some of these things I mean, you're you're not talking about just a mandate and that's what you got to realize.

That's what's in people's minds and And you have to navigate this you have to acknowledge those things if you want any kind of unity you have to acknowledge that these are actual issues that people are facing and trying to grapple with and As a pastor if you want to apply the

Word of God, you're gonna have to seek wisdom you're gonna have to understand a little bit about what this stuff is and Rather than just saying peace peace when there is no peace

There's a theological thing going on here guys. It's this isn't just a medical thing I just hope you realize that there is a theological thing

And this isn't the way that Russell Moore treats this the way that that it Even Dan Darling treats this it is an article of faith that to trust the priesthood of medical lab coats and Government being the

God who enforces What's good for everyone else? I mean, that's what's going on here

And if you don't see that if you don't see that there's another religion That's forming right in front of you a state religion and it does compete with Christianity Then you're not gonna accurately be able to navigate this issue

And that's what so many pastors including and I don't mind saying it Dan Darling Russell Moore, and I don't know the even their pastors, but bar barber is they are they're guilty of this and I just I don't see how

They're not the church is not in good hands with people like this. All right Is there anything else?

Oh, yes, Dan Darling wrote in the USA Today a follow -up and I I was gonna read it, but I don't know if I had the stomach for it right now.

He's just calling for unity and it's just it's like These guys, you know today we live in a polarized nations and they want to they want to Transcend the divide they all act like they're above the divide.

Have you ever noticed that they always posture themselves as if Everyone's just fighting and they're the adults in the room.

They're not fighting. They can see everything from a bird's -eye perspective Whereas you are the you're the basically you're the moron

You're the moron who doesn't see the full picture and that's why you're fighting and if you just knew the full picture

But meanwhile, they don't have a clue. They're just following what they're they're marching orders most of the time and so and then they call for peace when the when they're on the ropes and It's peace peace when there is no peace.

All right I'll probably get myself worked up. I should probably stop but that's that's all

I have for you today I wanted to just point that out. This is just an ongoing Issue but I I wanted to bring attention to it once again that there are there's a whole class of evangelical leaders out there who are punching right and soft pedaling left and Demeaning the people in their audience who might be coming from a perspective that's more on the right on particular issues like this particular one with this treat these treatments and And they they seem to have this arrogance about them this elitism that they transcend these

Conflicts when in reality, they're the ones that are creating the conflicts and they don't see it So I wanted to point that out it's it is similar to some of the things that the

Pharisees at some of the ways the Pharisees acted in my mind and And I and I've said before in the book that I have coming out

I have a whole section comparing the social justice minority evangelicals to the Pharisees. There's a lot of In any yeah, it's a serious charge and I stand by it because there's a lot of parallels there hope that was helpful to someone out there and There'll be more coming later this week.