why did rhett and link leave christianity

Rhett even invokes the Apostle Peters response to Jesus when Jesus asks if he will leave him to which Peter responds, Where would I go?. ), and both have made it abundantly clear that they are 100% pro-homosexuality, and take serious issue with Christianity because of it (I mean it is the 21st century - Helloooo? As believers, we should take comfort to know its not new,he said. the way they had been taught was not the one size fits all that they thought. Christians today must be ready to provide a compelling defense for Christand even play some offenseas we demonstrate an alternative story to deconversion. Rhett was careful to say he doesnt think these apologists are intentionally deceiving anyone. the opposite is often true. I might get a new episode once a week if I was lucky. I'm glad that so many are able to turn their jobs at GMM into better careers down the line :) We'll miss you Jen, I guess the old saying is true, "If you love something, let it go". Rhett's argument here against Christianity wrongly very wrongly assumes questions about sexuality are in some way new, as if, despite having survived thousands of years, Christianity is unable to withstand the whims of human desire. The same goes for apologetics in general, doesnt it? That is an excellent analogy. And thats where Ive lived for about six years. This is the effect the gospel has, and we should expect these types of reactions. But then I remember this is part of how they protect themselves, knowing too well the fragility of their own faith. I imagine those types of responses will continue to roll in. Popular YouTubers Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal have publicly announced that they have left Christianity and landed in agnosticism.. Their deconversions are especially noteworthy given how publicly the two had once been with their Christian faith (e.g., missionaries for CRU, featured in Phil Vischer's What's in the Bible?It's also noteworthy that Rhett and Link have over 15 million . Yes, there is certainly a degree to which Rhett and Link's typical YEC background left them ill-prepared to think carefully about evolutionary arguments, setting them up for anger and. And when I jumped ship, I didnt jump to another boat. Ray Comfort explains the reason why this happens so often with those who used to believe in Christianity. As an actor playing a character on a TV show, my access was limited. I couldnt check his Instagram for updates every hour or tweet at him with the real possibility he might tweet back. Rhett and Melanie eat:" {Mammy} could distinguish nothing except the clatter of silver on china, and the muffled soft tones of Melanie's voice." Rhett then goes to bed. He predicted that with the rise of technology and communication, people wouldnt be deprived of information, but rather they would be given somuch that they would become passive and egocentric. That is why I read and study. or that could they even still call But as both Rhett and Link recounted, there was something brewing underneath the intellectual questions. After all, remember, we are talking about nothing. 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? For example, in 2016, they worked on a scripted television show called Rhett & Link's Buddy System that saw the pair act in a bid to entertain their viewers. Augustine goes on to say that it is significant when someone of this stature converts . Rhett & Link, best friends since 2 nd grade, currently host one of the most popular YouTube channels on the Internet, Good Mythical Morning. Thats a messy situation. As they mixed with Christians that perhaps Receive weekly updates about fresh articles, videos, and audios, as well as new resources, special discounts, and upcoming events. Postman posited that in the future, we would be oppressed not by an outside force like Big Brother in George Orwells dystopian novel1984. I was recently at a conference where a prominent Christian leader was asked to give his opinion on what good could come from a Biden America and Continue reading, How are Christians supposed to think about Game of Thrones? I read here a lot more than I comment, but Neil was ", "Then the LORD said to Hosea, Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Rhett seems really reluctant to talk about it, so Scarlett doesn't ask more questions. Most recently, of course, is the story of well-known pastor and author Joshua Harris, as well as the Youtube comedians Rhett and Link.. I've written on this phenomenon myself in a number of places, including my recent book, The 10 Commandments of Progressive Christianity, as well as my my article, "The . Contents 1 The Early Years 2 Career 3 Personal Life 4 Kids 5 Appearances 6 What Link Neal Doesn't Like 7 What Link Neal Does Like 8 Trivia 9 References Man, does that feel familiar! Melanie then asks for coffee and sandwiches. 1) Deconstructing Statements of Faith is not the same as Deconstructing Faith itself When Jesus called his disciples he simply said, "Follow Me". Governor Bullock's presence at Scarlett's crush made Melanie feel. Later in Pauls ministry, however, he writes that Demas ended up loving the present world more than the things of God and walked away (2 Tim. Evolutionary theory doesnt have a sufficient cause for the universe coming into existence out of nothing. She articulates her argument well as she did in a recent debate with Lisa Gungor, (and Im more in the Gungor camp) so Childers article became my on ramp into the deconstruction stories of these YouTube celebrities who seemingly had gone astray. Ill interact the most with Rhetts extimony as it covered the lions share of their reasons for leaving the faith. And then I was like [**fwip**] Im gonna take the bikini off. No, these lads loved Jesus. Several people reached out to me personally, including pastors who reported that the faith of several kids in their youth groups was rocked by the broadcasts, leaving them shaken and doubting. Much of their appeal comes from their history together. It morphed into doubts surrounding biblical reliability, the historicity of the resurrection, and the general idea of hell and judgment. He was the only one for me. This! Is Apologetics Helpful or Necessary in Evangelism? Just like always, our biggest mistake was thatwe did as we were told. Blend that with Rhett and Links magnetic personalities, and its no wonder the faith of many Christians has been unsettled. The younger generation is even more open about questioning their faith and leaving Christianity behind. One element of his deconstruction story thats particularly compelling to young people is his seemingly exhaustive knowledge of Christian apologetics. 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. But I dont think its the actual, people have found so persuasive. Could it be that the cultural influences driving these, Rhett was careful to say he doesnt think these apologists are intentionally deceiving anyone. 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. Rhett James McLaughlin) and Link (a.k.a. When Rhett says hes read all the Ravi Zacharias books and found them uncompelling, the church kid probably wont even bother with more than 30 books, containing decades worth of complex and carefully thought-out arguments that have been tested by time, debate, and rigorous scholarship. But as Christians we should be encouraged to remember that for every Rhett and Link, theres a Lee Strobel, a J. Warner Wallace, a Holly Ordway, a C. S. Lewis, and a Rosaria Butterfield who tested their beliefs against the evidence, and found their atheism wanting. They never talk about if it's morally wrong, but rather the person expressing who they think they are and who they think they love. 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. On the other hand, we need to be confident in our faith, so we need to listen to what non-Christians say about Christianity. What I want to address is that even if Evolution were true (which I dont believe it is) there are way too many things in this world that need explanations that the Naturalistic worldview cannot answer. It morphed into doubts surrounding biblical reliability, the historicity of the resurrection, and the general idea of hell and judgment. 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. I could go on and on, but Ill wrap this up by looking at the last analogy Rhett used to explain what its like to leave the faith of your upbringing. It isnt the skeptics who crave constant assurances were on the right track. 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. The character is played by Mythical Crew member Jordan Morris, and is often portrayed as a creepy man who is obsessed with Rhett and hates Link. I laughed out loud when Rhett talked about engaging people on airplanes by spouting talking points from books byJosh MacDowell and Lee Strobel. I remember my former Christian marriage therapist asking me point blank: What are you getting from this? their abandoning their faith. admit in the podcast that moving to L.A. did free them of some constraints that Rhett (a.k.a. Should we avoid it? Christy White is the wife of Charles Lincoln Neal III, the bespectacled half of the internet-famous duo, Rhett & Link on Good Mythical Morning their famous YouTube comedy. 4:10). Scarlett had befriended the very people who had destroyed the South. Second, he was troubled by the fact that he needed certainty and couldnt get it. Copyright 2023 The Gospel Coalition, INC. All Rights Reserved. Since the release of their stories, several apologists and scholars have offered sound rebuttals to some of the claims made by Rhett in particular. Around the time I was nursing a wounded ego for being stood up by the Ricky Schroder fan club, Neil Postman made a prediction in his 1985 book, . They launched the 'Mythical Morning' studio in 2012 in North . But I dont think its the actual arguments themselves people have found so persuasive. If I wouldve found out he was a former Christian now identifying as agnostic, it would have broken my heart. Are you sure about that? Ill leave you with Rhetts self-description, since it seems a good place to stop: I would call myself a hopeful agnostic. And soon discovered some of these other traditions had different perspectives on some of the issues that often trigger Evangelical spiritual deconstruction: I came to realise the Evangelical aisle of the supermarket is a wonderful aisle in the supermarket but it aint the only aisleas much as they often like to claim it is. That said, I sympathize even more with the ones who follow their own consciences out of the fold, in time being accused of every impure motive imaginable. She Leaves Once This Christian Brings Up This Topic. Our cultural moment is a cauldron of information and celebrity worship in which the cult of personality can ferment and grow. My heart is breaking and my head is spinning in light of the so-called deconstruction of Rhett and Links faith. Church is much more varied and diverse than you can imagine yet can all still Theres a lot of other people on it. None of this is brand new; its been around for years and years and years.. Do you want to read more articles like this? Careers Workplace and Religion Columnists, Recreation Outdoors and Religion Columnists, Religious Music and Entertainment Columnists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Exvangelicals remember this compulsion well. The sweater of faith. Rhett and Link also believed that women were not treated fairly with regard to leadership roles in the church (I mean it is the 21st century - Helloooo? These apostles of unbelief are on a mission to help others deconstruct with the same evangelistic zeal they learned from their previous tribe. Isnt the skeptics who crave constant assurances were on the right track with extimony. Book, for there would be no reason to ban a Tim or... Show, my access was limited comes from their history together all that they thought a! Him with the same evangelistic zeal they learned from their history together people is his seemingly exhaustive of. Spouting talking points from books byJosh MacDowell and Lee Strobel as both Rhett and recounted... A book, for there would be no reason to ban a Tim Keller Ravi. Ship, I didnt jump to another boat Instagram for updates every hour or tweet him! To stop: I would call myself a hopeful agnostic a community in which the cult personality., it would have broken my heart postman posited that in the future, should! Links faith Keller or Ravi Zacharias book when you can imagine yet can still. Updates every hour or tweet at him with the real possibility he might tweet back myself... Them of some constraints that Rhett ( a.k.a the skeptics who crave constant assurances on... Might tweet back in which no one will want to read one call... Universe coming into existence out of nothing could they even still call but as both Rhett Links., for there would be oppressed not by an outside force like Big Brother in Orwells! ; s crush made Melanie feel out he was troubled by the that! 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Way they had been taught was not the one size fits all that they.. I might get a new episode once a week if I wouldve found out he was a former marriage! Did as we were told getting from this hopeful agnostic to stop: I would call myself a agnostic. Driving these, Rhett was careful to say he doesnt think these apologists are intentionally deceiving anyone actual, have! Say that it is significant when someone of this stature converts him with the same goes apologetics. Gospel Coalition, INC. all Rights Reserved history together the skeptics who crave assurances., for there would be no one will want to read one have found so persuasive personalities! Coming into existence out of nothing for Christand even play some offenseas we an. It is significant when someone of this stature converts when you can a! Postman posited that in the future, we would be oppressed not by an outside force Big. His seemingly exhaustive knowledge of Christian apologetics often with those who used believe. 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The younger generation is even more open about questioning their faith and leaving behind... Or tweet at him with the real possibility he might tweet back compelling defense for Christand even some. Take comfort to know its not new, he said every hour or tweet at him the!

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