Thursday, March 05, 2020

Itchy ear biscuits

Rhett (from Rhett & Link) responds to his critics. I want to comment on these paragraphs:

However, being misrepresented and having your motives not only questioned but confidently assumed, does. Link and I have been accused of walking away from the faith in pursuit of cultural acceptance, never truly grasping the undeserved grace of God through Christ’s sacrifice, and never having had a sincere interest in seeking the truth. We’ve been reduced to convenient illustrations that can be nicely folded into twenty minute sermons, held up as examples of exactly what can go wrong with your children if they aren’t properly grounded in the faith, and cast as two more sad cases who followed the tired Hollywood script of putting fame and fortune before the pursuit of God...

I understand that neatly condensing me and Link down to theological footnotes is the easiest way to deal with us. If we simply fell victim to the seductive ways of the world and our doubts were based on misunderstandings and false information, then the youth group faith-grounding curriculum pretty much writes itself. But if you take our stories at face value or recognize the sincere nature of our journeys, things get complicated and cumbersome. We become significantly more inconvenient if we went from having a rich and personal faith, and then, after a long and painful grappling with legitimate questions, made the excruciating decision to depart.

1. From the perspective of progressives, I think one of the worst sins someone can commit against them is if people "reduce" their life-stories into convenient labels. If we don't "understand" them. If we can't entirely grasp or appreciate their "rich and personal" stories. However, at the end of the day, what unique stories do Rhett & Link have to tell about their leaving Christianity? How do their stories depart in significant ways from the stories of other apostates from the same or similar background as them? I don't see any fundamental differences, only differences at the eye level, so to speak. Think about it this way. If their story (including "deconstruction") was made into a movie, what would be all that unique about it? That's not to say it wouldn't be a good movie, just like how there are many good Marvel superhero movies, but Marvel superhero movies are formulaic too.

2. On the one hand, it sounds like Rhett wishes to build a bridge so he can have a conversation with people. His words appear to be kind and gracious to some degree. On the other hand, he's actually erecting a wall with this kind of attitude. That's because it sounds to me like Rhett is using this kind of rationale as a reason not to have to engage with the actual reasons and evidences for Christianity - which is what the actual issue should be. It's as if we first have to better "understand" his "story" as the "rich" individual that he is before he'll hear us. Otherwise, he acts like we're just "reducing" him to a label and that's not fair!

3. However, if I'm mistaken, then here's a way forward. Why don't Rhett & Link interview Christian intellectuals on their show? Not popularizers, but intellectuals. Talk to them for however long they want and ask them whatever questions they want. After all, Rhett & Link have invited scores of celebrities onto their show. Why not invite Christian intellectuals too? I'd recommend Rhett & Link consider asking people like: James Anderson, Greg Welty, John Frame, Vern Poythress, Jeremy Pierce, Paul Manata, Tim Hsiao, Tim McGrew, Lydia McGrew, Jonathan McLatchie, Esther O'Reilly, John Lennox, Neil Shenvi, David Wood, Rebecca MacLaughlin, Amy Orr-Ewing, Doug Groothuis, Bill Dembski, Stephen Meyer, Luke Barnes, Sarah Salviander, Richard Klaus.

12 comments:

  1. Have Rhett and Link detailed what led them to apostasy?

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    1. Oh yeah, they have. But it's like 5+ hours' worth of material. I think it should all be on their Ear Biscuits channel.


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    2. 5 hours? Wow, i think I’ll just keep reading Groen Van Prinster’s “Unbelief and Revolution”.

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    3. I "think" this is in chronological order, but I could be wrong because I didn't watch any of them to be honest. Just way too much of a time investment for people I don't know. I've seen bits and pieces though.

      Our Lost Years

      Our Years as Missionaries

      Rhett's Spiritual Deconstruction

      Link's Spiritual Deconstruction

      Our First Memories

      Our Oxperiences After the Lost Years Series

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    4. Lol, yeah, that's definitely a better use of your time! :)

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  2. I can understand why they don't want their motives impugned, but I think both are true. They had what they thought were their motivations and there were underlying motivations they weren't aware of. If they don't want it critiqued, don't put it out in the world to be critiqued.

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  3. I'm curious: Someone told me that they've been deconverts since *before* they became youtube-semi-famous. If this is true, why are they just now revealing their apostasy? Were they trying to decide whether to reconvert? Were they just waiting to build up a Christian audience and then make a "big reveal," tho' they knew all along that they were already deconverts before they ever got started? Did some new event happen? Did their wives ask them to wait? I can think of some really cynical possible reasons for revealing this *now* if it's been a fact all along. I'm sure a lot of people who hear about this secondhand get the impression that they are just now really deconverting and revealing it rather than revealing a fact of long standing.

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    1. Wow, that is interesting indeed! I hadn't heard of that before. To be honest, I haven't watched all their videos (per above, way too long for me), but maybe it's not even mentioned in their videos. In any case, if true, and I have zero reason to doubt you, I think I would almost surely completely agree with your "cynical possible reasons" why they might have revealed this now! Very, very interesting, to say the least. Thanks, Lydia.

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  4. They seem obsessed with being considered sincere in their former faith. Faith in what? According to what they believe now, wasn't it all false? Is there a 180-degree opposite of question begging, where you implicitly assume the truth of your opposition's arguments?

    Believers can discuss the potentiality of genuine apostasy (i.e., wrongly leaving the true faith). I don't see how unbelievers can discuss their departure from a true faith they no longer hold to be true....

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  5. Link, in his testimony, lists November 5, 2003 as the tipping point in terms of his leaving the faith. The duo doesn't become well known on You Tube till around 2006.

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    1. Thanks, Eric! I didn't know that. I presume Rhett was around the same time since they're both joined at the hip.

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