Exactly What is The Gospel Coalition Up To? - Neil Shenvi Article

The Gospel Coalition’s Article on Critical Theory

So this morning I was taking out the garbage and I cut myself on a nail and I had to go get a tetanus shot and so Just got back from that. And I got a couple of people a few people sending me this article on the gospel coalition Dot-org it is by two people Neil shin be and Pat Sawyer and it's called the incompatibility of critical theory and Christianity and The people who sent this to me were very surprised that that they would post something like this.

And so, you know, I read through it a little bit and and I was you know Just as I'm reading him, this is this isn't a good article. I agree with most of the things that that Neil and Pat are saying here and I don't really have a whole lot to quibble With I do have some things to quibble with as you would might imagine, but I highly recommend you read the article it's very good and I've read Neal's work before Neal Shen V's work before it's it's it's all very good.

And so it's it's helpful. I recommend it. And this article does not change that. But I did want to talk a little bit about the strategy here the strategy of posting this article because a lot of people were surprised that gospel coalition posted this article and I and that includes me to some degree because up until now Gospel coalition hasn't really and and and and when I say gospel coalition, I mean the actual blog and The Individuals that are members of it, right?

They haven't really felt the need to really respond to anyone pushing back on their social justice Narrative and all of these things. They haven't really felt the need to respond too much. And so to see this article there It's extremely interesting because to me this is the very first thing that I thought when I saw this is that this is really good.

This is really good this means that they are seeing a need to say something in response to this criticism and That's a very very good thing. Now I'm not saying this is the first time that they've done this or individuals in the gospel coalition have done this but it is a significant thing and so I Think you know just kind of spitball in here I mean from a tactical perspective you know, we should we should take this as a good sign for us to continue the pressure because They they do need to respond to some of the criticisms of what their people are saying because what their people are saying is Pretty ridiculous.

It's pretty extreme and the people that they platform you're gonna see I'm gonna be releasing more of the of this documentation that I that I told you about yesterday It is extreme the stuff that that people that they platform are saying and doing and and it's really really Bad stuff.

Strategic Pressure on Gospel Coalition

So anyway so the number one thing I want to say about this article is the fact that they've posted this means it is time to increase the pressure increase the pressure and to be As at just as vocal as you've been being pushed back on this stuff.

That doesn't make sense. That's not biblical Continue to do so because this is a very good sign for us In the sense of from a strategic perspective because these are things that we need to kick around there needs to be a lot more Conversation than there's been it's just that simple.

It is simply Just that simple now a lot of people are saying well But why would why would gospel coalition post this if if they're you know? They've kind of embraced some of the ideas of critical theory and things like that and I think it's very strategic because Neil Shen V he's he's he's a very Important person in this in this conversation this ongoing conversation, but Neil, you know Let's just you know, call it what it is.

If you've got Ezra's and you've got Nehemiah's Neil is more of an Ezra very careful measured language. There's nothing wrong with any of this by the way, and this is not a criticism of Neil. He's very measured he's very Careful he's you know, you know very balanced and everything and and and and really just sticks to the facts and that kind of thing.

That's that's all great. There's nothing wrong with that but the reality is that that that there is a downside to that and and and and and here here's a perfect example, so I'm assuming that this you know gospel coalition does this a lot of blogs do this.

Oppression, Social Justice, and Critical Theory

They'll call out a sentence that they think is important. And I don't think Neil called this out himself, maybe he did maybe he didn't but this looks like an editorial decision, right? Listen to this sentence, okay, and I want you to think about this sentence as I read it and.

And think about it and and and ask yourself if you agree with this sentence or not. Here's what he says. This is what's called out. The bare fact that someone talks about oppression or social justice.

Isn't remotely sufficient to conclude that they've embraced critical theory. The bare fact that someone talks about oppression or social justice isn't remotely sufficient to conclude that they've embraced critical theory.

Now there's a few things going on with this sentence that I want. You know as I read it on the one hand this sounds very similar to things that I've said before. Very similar to things I've said before so, you know strictly speaking.

I do agree with it. But what is the impression that it gives here the impression that it gives here? And I think this is why gospel coalition called this out. Is that it's not really fair to say to someone you've embraced critical theory just because they talk about oppression or social justice.

And that again, that's strictly speaking true. But we have to read this in the context of the gospel coalition blog because here's the reality. It's it's not like we're hearing someone for the first time talk about social justice and we're like, oh critical theory.

Look that's not what's happened here. That's not what's happened here. We've heard Tons of speeches. We've heard tons of sermons. We've read many many articles. We've read books. We've done a lot of homework here.

And the reality is oftentimes when a gospel coalition Member is talking about oppression or social justice. They either one do not define it and so who knows what they're talking about or two when they do define it.

They define it in terms that are exactly the same as the way a critical theorist would define it. You know what? I mean? So so so and they're very rarely if ever even bringing any Bible into it. And when they do they interpret the Bible the way, you know, any kind of liberal does interpret the Bible and they're not interpreting it.

They're using it like it's like the David Platt thing where he said let justice roll down like waters and then started talking about economic Disparities and wealth disparities. That's not what Amos was talking about but yet he used that passage to say that this is what it's talking about and It's just not and so and so so that's the first thing that I'll say.

So this is a very useful for the gospel coalitions Sentence to call out because it makes it seem like well all this bluster about social justice and oppression. See that they're just saying I believe critical theory.

They're not even thinking about it. I don't see that's that's that's that's a very useful Sentence to pull out but but strict while strictly speaking. It's true just because someone does this doesn't mean they've Embraced critical theory in the context of a gospel coalition article in the gut and everything else the gospel coalition blog does it's it gives a wrong impression as if gospel coalitions being wrongly accused and and and that's and that's you know, strategically I Think that this is a very important thing for gospel coalition to do but this sentence.

This is it's very unfair to pull that out it to do the work that they think it's doing. It's not doing that work. It's not doing that work. We're not look the people who are criticizing you aren't foolish enough to fall for that kind of thing.

And again, I don't put this on Neil. This is an editorial decision, right? This is not this is not him most likely. So so that's the thing. So so don't pretend if you if you support gospel coalition. Don't pretend like the critics of the gospel coalition social justice stuff are just saying well.

He used the word oppression. He used the word of social justice and that means critical theory. No, that's not what we say at all. And furthermore, we don't say that necessarily these people have embraced critical theory.

That's the other thing. I don't say that that anyone necessarily has embraced critical theory without proof of it. What I am saying though is that clearly their ideas have been influenced by critical theory.

You can be influenced by things that you have no idea you can be influenced by by ideologies and and and and and and. Presuppositions that you don't you can't identify yourself. That is obviously true.

That is obviously the case and so While this sentence is strictly true it really doesn't have much to do with the criticism that we've made of gospel coalition and we will continue to make and. Again, I look if you care about my opinion at all I mean, maybe you should get your head examined.

But but if you care about my opinion at all, I think this is a fantastic sign for the future of this Conversation the fact that they felt the need to post Neal Shenvey and they're doing a little gatekeeping here.

Neal Shenvey is probably the most palatable of the gospel coalition. Social justice critics and I value him. I I am so grateful for his work. I love his work. So this is not a criticism of Neal. In fact, I saw some people arguing whether or not Neal should have posted on gospel.

I'd post some gospel coalition. I definitely would. I don't question that decision at all. I definitely would because look. Here's the thing gospel coalition thinks they're doing a little gatekeeping.

Well, here's the reality what of what they're doing. Neal Shenvey is the gateway drug to fight laughies Network. By the way, join the fight laughies Network show code robles rob LES become a fight laughies member and you will see.

Very helpful stuff just like Neal stuff very helpful stuff in a way that you know. It speaks very directly and I'm not saying we're not careful. But the thing is like, you know We're more likely to be a little more.

Shall we say like Nehemiah except without the violence anyway, I hope this was helpful. God bless. Just another note on on strategy. Just as I'm you know, while I'm thinking about it I was talking to my brother recently and we were talking about sort of the situation that many reformed evangelicals find themselves in and all of this kind of thing and It's he likened it to sort of the Trojan horse situation, right you've got this Trojan horse and you know, it's Ideally you you destroy the Trojan horse before it gets inside the city walls.

Ideally you you propel it before it even gets inside because if it's inside already it's it's almost too late when it's inside and so we've got is like They gotta look there's there is there's there's obviously a place for being very careful and for hearing people out and stuff like that there's a place for that and that's important and we should always do that, but Don't be shamed into taking action.

Because they people think that you're moving too quickly because the reality is. People are always gonna think that even if you wait a long time like this this this this happened with the revoice conference, right?

A lot of people were telling them. Hey cancel this conference. This is ridiculous the revoice conference. You remember that you know with kind of Recasting gay Christianity and into into into reform them and all that kind of thing people were saying no.

This is this is a stupid idea. Don't do this. This is evil. This is wicked cancel it right now. And and here's the refrain do you remember well, we don't know what's been said yet. So why don't we wait and see what what's what they're gonna say and and then we can talk about it.

It's like no. We don't have to wait until the Trojan horse is inside the city walls. No, we know what they're gonna say. They're they're putting it out there. We know what these people have said in the past and there's no indication that they've changed their mind.

No cancel it now. We know what they're gonna say. We don't have to wait for them to say it again. And that's the thing man, if you're if you're especially if you're a shepherd, you know and and and you know part of the your job is to protect the sheep and It's not like protect the sheep only after the threat reveals itself and is starting to slaughter them.

That's not when you protect the sheep you protect the sheep when the threat is far off and you and you scare that wolf away. And you you attack that wolf while he's far off. So he doesn't have his field day with the sheep.

You don't have to wait all the time and be like so careful that you don't do anything until it's too late. Like that's not the way we should handle this. Look Paul Is is such a good example here because look in order to protect the sheep.

He was willing to even stand up to his brother to stand up to his friend before it got too bad. You know what? I mean before it got too bad. So let's not from a strategic perspective. Look be careful.

Don't say things if you don't know, they're not true, you know, but at the same time don't wait until it's too late. That's read. That's a ridiculous thing to do.