I love it. I guess my biggest frustration with what he is saying is that he is painting the picture that if you are a Christian you are not allowed to have any doubts, but if you arent a Christian then you dont have to believe in anything. Ill confess I havent watched a ton of their stuff, but thats mostly because I dont watch much YouTube at all. He suggested that if all these apologists and theologians were to recant their stories and change their opinions, their livelihoods would be at stake. Theres a good chance the Christian kid who looks up to Rhett (and probably doesnt ever crack open his Bible) will never read those authors now. Because of his feelings. But as both Rhett and Link recounted, there was something brewing underneath the intellectual questions. Ill leave you with Rhetts self-description, since it seems a good place to stop: I would call myself a hopeful agnostic. Rhett and Link met each other way back in Elementary school in North Carolina and they've stuck together into adulthood, at one time passing through a ministry phase as full-time staffers with. But then on top of all this, adding insult to injury, they keep underestimating the sincerity of our search, which may be the thing that stings the most of all. Thats a messy situation. Like in biological puberty where one begins to form an adult identity separate from their parents and begin to wrestle with the understanding that the world is much more complex and nuanced than originally thought. Rhett echoed that hes more interested in what happens during his life on earth. Its got a destination. When I was 11, I only had the opportunity to see Ricky Schroder once a week. Alisa Childers is an American singer and songwriter who writes at alisachilders.com, an apologetics blog for doubting Christians and honest skeptics. It was a relationship. Rhett and Link have grown their brand performing hilarious satirical songs and engaging in zany stunts such as duct-taping themselves together, playing wedgie-hangman, crushing glow sticks in a meat-grinder, and flinging bags of dog feces at one another's faces. As you listen to Rhett, he says that there were basically two things that converged to lead him away from the faith. Peruse many a church website and youll find a Statement of Faith list of things you will need to believe in addition to Following Me. Rhett and Link, extremely well-known YouTubers, recently posted videos talking about how they left the faith. But I also know from experience that the work of defending the faith requires enormous amounts of self-deception, closing one eye and squinting the other to make sure things look the way theyre supposed to look. It gives you something to hold on to. I hope theres something. That is why I read and study. They already know people are saying one of them led the other astray, as if we arentall being influenced by one person or another at any given time. Its no wonder, then, that every time we turn around there is yet another, Rhett and Link have grown their brand performing hilarious satirical songs and engaging in zany stunts such as duct-taping themselves together, playing wedgie-hangman, crushing glow sticks in a meat-grinder, and flinging bags of dog feces at one anothers faces. I mean we have little finite minds and we are trying to understand an infinite God. On Feb. 22, the Rhett & Link's Mythical Entertainment agreed to buy Smosh in a deal that would unite two long-running YouTube channels. Should we avoid it? Copyright 2023 The Gospel Coalition, INC. All Rights Reserved. And thats no laughing matter. My advice to Rhett and Link (and borrowing from the Immortal words of Douglas Adams) is Dont Panic; across the Jordan River of spiritual deconstruction exists a promised Land of a deeper, richer, and more beautiful faith in Christ and his Way. Rhett said, , to believe [Christianity], then why would I? Link expressed, Why was I working so hard to make Christianity work for me if it wasnt even true? Aside from encountering intellectual stumbling blocks, it seems that, to YouTubes favorite pair, the gospel had begun to stink. Why do Rhett and Link homeschool? When the teenage years come and the questions and pushing the boundaries begin most churches are ill-equipped to handle it. If it can make something, can it make everything? On the show, the two comedians . Get your FREE eBook about deconstruction: 'Before You Lose Your Faith'. personally know that jettison God altogether during their deconstruction often become None of this is brand new; its been around for years and years and years.. The younger generation is even more open about questioning their faith and leaving Christianity behind. Just like always, our biggest mistake was thatwe did as we were told. This implies that they are, in fact, deceiving people. He further likens the endogenous retroviruses shared between humans and other ape descendants to a coffee stain that shows up in later versions of a manual, demonstrating an earlier common ancestor who must have experienced the original mutation/stain. They understand if you cease to believe in core tenets of the faithlike sin, the atonement, the resurrection of Jesus, and the reality of heaven and hellthen you shouldnt still identify as a Christian. Indeed they become: From the short exposure Ive had to the spiritual journey of Rhett and Link it seems they will produce even more love, joy, peace, gentleness, and kindness that Jesus says will come from those who are following him. Ray Comfort explains the reason why this happens so often with those who used to believe in Christianity.Visit https://www.LivingWaters.com to view more free Christian videos, articles, and to get tracts and other resources by Ray Comfort and the Living Waters team.FACEBOOKLiving Waters: https://www.facebook.com/lwwotmRay Comfort: https://www.facebook.com/official.Ray.ComfortINSTAGRAMLiving Waters: https://www.instagram.com/livingwatersofficialTWITTERLiving Waters: https://twitter.com/LivingWatersPubRay Comfort: https://twitter.com/RayComfort And we dont have to wait a week for the next episodein many cases theres a new upload every single day. / Politics / Trump / Uncategorized, find a Statement of Faith list of things you will need to believe, had to the spiritual journey of Rhett and Link. After having spent years in young adult ministry, Rhett and Link now call themselves "hopeful agnostics." Their shift away from Christianity, though, raises quite a few red flags, especially given so much of it seems to hinge on their own experiences and desire to embrace the LGBTQ community. On the one hand, we dont want people who are not having doubts in their faith to listen to Rhett and Link and start doubting (Id rather have a millstone necktie). Norman C. Nevin, Theistic Evolution Edited by J.P. Moreland, Stephen C. Meyer, Ann K. Gauger, Wayne Grudem, & Christopher Shaw. First, I am right in the middle of teaching an Apologetics course for the Snowbird Institute, so my mind is already focused on reasons to believe in God. feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Why ban a Tim Keller or Ravi Zacharias book when you can create a community in which no one will want to read one? Can nothing make something? Doubt always accompany faith. By the way, Evolutionary theory doesnt have a sufficient cause for the universe coming into existence out of nothing. Why We Should Not Redeem Deconstruction, Before You Lose Your Faith: Deconstruction and the Church, Why Progressive Christianity Cant Bring Reformation, Jen Hatmaker and the Made-to-Order Gospel. About 24 minutes into the podcast, Rhett compares the development of human DNA to an instruction manual that gets two pages permanently stuck together, leaving the headers and footers in place to show exactly where one ends and the other begins. And as a guy who loves Jesus too I quickly found myself resonating with their stories. The Gospel Coalition supports the church by providing resources that are trusted and timely, winsome and wise, and centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ. It didnt take long before quickly discovering these two were not some boys who got saved at some church youth camp alter call and then used their new found Christianity merely as a buttress against sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll after that. So to Rhett and Link I say enjoy the journey and keep bringing Life and Light to those around you!Peace, Steve, this resonates so much with me, Thanks , 2023 Beyond The Pale. If I wouldve found out he was a former Christian now identifying as agnostic, it would have broken my heart. I could barely stay in my car seat listening to Rhetts story. But it was while still back in North Carolina that Rhetts wife, Jessie, had taken Bible courses under agnostic biblical scholarBart Ehrman, and the historical questions those studies raised continued to impact their lives. Fast forward 35 years to a day replete with a global internet and smartphones, and Postmans words ring with the chill of prophetic accuracy. I hope youll take the time to watch/listen to the show for yourself, along with the follow-up episode in which Link tells his own story about how he left his faith behind after he became an adult. When Scarlett was seen in Ashley's arms at the saw mill she knew. However, when they got to the point where they turned the corner away from the God of the Bible, our paths split and my heart broke. Both Goins-Phillips and Andros commended the comedy duo for their willingness to talk so transparently about what is sure to have been a difficult and challenging process. This is the effect the gospel has, and we should expect these types of reactions. We have taught breakouts on evolution at camp and there are many good books you can read on the subject that Ill put at the end. Listening to their podcast you hear the This was so convenient because the gift card is digital and gets sent right to your email! That tow-headed heartthrob took my breath away with every episode of the 1980s sitcom Silver Spoons. Its no wonder, then, that every time we turn around there is yet another deconversion story being proffered as the newest ex-evangelical smoking gun. Most of my life I saw the one or two aisles of Evangelical / Charismatic Christianity I was raised with as the totality of the whole store. Would Jack Black and Daniel Radcliffe guest star on their YouTube channel if they held to the biblical doctrine of marriage and homosexuality? No, we are the ones who learn to accept that on our best day, were still mostly grasping at straws. They were also Christians, former missionaries, and Campus Crusade (now Cru) staff members. As they mixed with Christians that perhaps Should we watch it? ", "Until we meet againhttps://www.youtube.com/wat". I quickly downloaded and submerged myself into Rhett and Links respective stories (which you can also see on YouTube here and here). As a result, they are surprised and hurt by Christians who promptly said that they never truly were of us ( 1 John 2:19 ). There will be those among us who claim the name of Christ today, and tomorrow they wont. Augustine goes on to say that it is significant when someone of this stature converts . And we as Christians shouldnt be surprised when this happens. As any parent will attest teenagers are difficult, children are much easier to control. Overtime these add on requirements of belief become so ingrained with ones Christian faith that when you begin to question them your whole Christian identity feels under threat. It would appear that despite how destabilizing and difficult their deconstruction processes were, they no longer, The sad reality is that, for the deconverted, disbelief isnt sufficient. The REAL Reason Why Rhett and Link Fell Away from Christianity Ray Comfort Founder & CEO, Living Waters Rhett and Link, extremely well-known YouTubers, recently posted videos talking about how they left the faith. Rhett says hes lost his appetite for certainty, and I know what he means. Postman posited that in the future, we would be oppressed not by an outside force like Big Brother in George Orwells dystopian novel, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think,, He predicted that with the rise of technology and communication, people wouldnt be deprived of information, but rather they would be given, that they would become passive and egocentric. Today that simple choice to follow Jesus and learn to engage Life through his Way comes with a whole lot of additional belief requirements. She Leaves Once This Christian Brings Up This Topic. I didnt have the opportunity to open my laptop (they didnt yet exist) or turn on our home computer (we didnt own one), hop on YouTube, and watch my future husband walk me through his breakfast choices, morning drive, and whimsical musings. Today that simple choice to follow Jesus and learn to engage Life through his Way comes with a whole lot of additional belief requirements. Francis Schaeffer once wrote about the fact that Christians need to have such a commitment to the truth that if it were proven to be false we would be the first to get out of line and join the rest of the world in their destruction. themselves a Christian? What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Why ban a Tim Keller or Ravi Zacharias book when you can create a community in which no one will want to read one? What was scheduled as an hour-long chapel service last Wednesday has turned into a multi-day revival at Asbury University. The sad reality is that, for the deconverted, disbelief isnt sufficient. Is Apologetics Helpful or Necessary in Evangelism? Receive weekly updates about fresh articles, videos, and audios, as well as new resources, special discounts, and upcoming events. I did not have a personal tragedybut I was angry at the thinkers. Its far easier to dismiss this all with the wave of a hand, ascribing imperfect motives to us as if that changes the facts themselves in any way. He feared that truth would be lost in a sea of irrelevance.. I laughed out loud when Rhett talked about engaging people on airplanes by spouting talking points from books byJosh MacDowell and Lee Strobel. Rhett and Link, extremely well-known YouTubers, recently posted videos talking about how they left the faith. As with most former evangelicals (henceforth ex-vangelicals), the majority of key turning points in Rhetts deconversion story coincide with changes in his relationship to the Bible, and to his own traditions reading of it. Co-founder of @mythical. 2. As it is also, evidently, for the more than 16 million subscribers these guys have accumulated since their show started back in 2012. Childers has recently become the go to apologist for Evangelicals who go astray having flirted with deconstruction herself but then (whew) successfully managed to pull herself back from the postmodern abyss. the way they had been taught was not the one size fits all that they thought. If youve been taught your whole life that 1:24; Col. 4:14). The truth is that we have a personality-driven culture in which two comedians can persuade Christians to rethink their faith in just three hours of video. 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