This brings us to the salient question. The reason Rhett and Link's deconstruction is so important is precisely because they are not scholars and neither are most members of their audience - which is no longer limited to Christians looking for wholesome entertainment. After all, when someone is conversant in apologetics and theology, knows his Bible, and can anticipate my suspicions and objections, its difficult to simply pass him off as someone who never really understood Christianity. How can two guys who make a living as YouTube personalities go from making possum corndogs one day to throwing 2,000 years of Christian history under the bus the next? Right and wrong? But, Continue reading, When we talk about what it means to be a man from a biblical perspective, we have to realize that we are working completely against popular culture. Should Christian Parents Send Their Children to Public Schools? Are you sure about that? We homeschool because the public education system is a liberal conspiracy to brainwash children into believing things like global warning is real. Neil Carter is a high school teacher, a writer, a speaker, a father of four, and a skeptic living in the Bible Belt. Second, he was troubled by the fact that he needed certainty and couldnt get it. The LGBTQ agenda is the new master who takes no prisoners. I couldnt check his Instagram for updates every hour or tweet at him with the real possibility he might tweet back. 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. 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. Good Mythical Morning Net worth- $30 Million. One main issue discussed by them is the problem with LGBTQ and church. Unfortunately, much of the church and pastoral leadership seems committed to stopping the proper spiritual development of Christians and instead choose to keep them artificially in a state of spiritual arrested development. stand to lose if they didnt capitulate to culture on an issue like same-sex marriage? Today that simple choice to follow Jesus and learn to engage Life through his Way comes with a whole lot of additional belief requirements. or that could they even still call If the below fields are visible, ignore them. For many people deconstructing, so much of their world revolves around their church community. The joke first appeared in the episode called Odd . Questioning those beliefs meant friendships, family bonds, and the very fabric of their community were all threatened. And we dont have to wait a week for the next episodein many cases theres a new upload every single day. I could barely stay in my car seat listening to Rhetts story. 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. Really good analogy. He is still living as if he has value, that there is a purpose to his life and the lives of his family, that there is a standard of morality that people should follow, and that it matters how someone chooses to live their lives. Their response has been very interesting; they have lamented this by retorting something like . They were also Christians, former missionaries, and Campus Crusade (now Cru) staff members. The comment sections of their, pages reveal that their stories inspired many atheists and touched the hearts of some folks who experienced similar deconversion journeys, describing the videos as beautiful, candid, and vulnerable.. Please have your Passports Ready. At this point in his story, Rhett uses some of the exact same language I use when trying to explain what its like trying to look at the world through a completely different lensjust to see if things look any clearer. Not only was I taught everything I ever needed for my faith in Christ could be found in that aisle but later, sadly, that was what I went on to teach others. They were also Christians, former missionaries, and Campus Crusade (now, When they each recorded videos walking fans through their spiritual-deconstruction stories in February, it shot through the internet like a bolt of lightning. These apostles of unbelief are on a mission to help others deconstruct with the same evangelistic zeal they learned from their previous tribe. 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. One article about Rhett and Link said, "they both felt a deep discomfort with biblical sexual ethics, which they perceived to oppress women and their LGBTQ+ friends.". The YouTube comedy duo Rhett and Link are well-known for eating bizarre foods, making wacky music videos, and more recently, walking away from the Christian faith. Its got a destination. I remember my former Christian marriage therapist asking me point blank: What are you getting from this? Of course not. The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics helps Christians show unbelievers the truth, goodness, and beauty of the gospel as the only hope that fulfills our deepest longings. As an evangelical Christian, you learn to tackle controversial subjects by reading only books by other evangelicals as they talk through their own rationalizations for their beliefs. 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. Confession: When I was a kid, I was in love with, As much as I felt undying love for Ricky Schroder, I knew little about him. 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. I'm super disappointed but also not surprised. This insatiable need for certainty is something the still-faithful need to confront about themselves, not us. Im reasonably certain that you dont burn in hell because you were intellectual curious and honest. If it can make something, can it make everything? Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 2:1416 that through his missionary work, Christ spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of himself. At one point, Rhett asked a very good question. Of course, I had never looked at the evidence for evolution. If you believe in him and love him, he is supposed to be the most important thing you can speak about with anyone you meet. He cohosts the award-winning television program Way of the Master, which airs in 190 countries. They began their career as engineers and ended up in the field of comedy. 4K Followers. She Leaves Once This Christian Brings Up This Topic. you? Lets keep this conversation going, please. I mean we have little finite minds and we are trying to understand an infinite God. And thats no laughing matter. This is something Jesus himself said would happenand it will continue to happen until he returns (Matt. These are great questions that Christians have been asking for years. That was the key for all of us, wasnt it? This channel has made Rhett and Link the fourth highest-earning YouTube stars 3 while reaching audiences around the world. Our cultural moment is a cauldron of information and celebrity worship in which the cult of personality can ferment and grow. 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. Alisa Childers wrote a piece for The Gospel Coalition critiquing Rhett & Links shared spiritual deconstruction from evangelical Christianity. Aug 05, 2012 12:57PM. Jen's post about leaving Mythical! So, if you want to listen to them you can do so without fear. Rhett mentions to Scarlett that he goes to New Orleans to visit a young boy who goes to school there, because Rhett is his guardian. (And they do have an audience - their personal channel alone has nearly 5 million followers. Demas traded eternal hope for earthly treasure. A former church elder with a seminary education, Neil now writes mostly about the struggles of former evangelicals living in the midst of a highly religious subculture. And I want to say that because Ive noticed that when I tell my story, often people kind of conclude that I was never a true Christian. 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. I kind of saw Christianity as this boat in a very stormy sea. The sweater of faith. There will be those among us who claim the name of Christ today, and tomorrow they wont. But when evangelizing, is apologetics helpful or necessary? 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, . It morphed into doubts surrounding biblical reliability, the historicity of the resurrection, and the general idea of hell and judgment. Ray Comfort explains the reason why this happens so often with those who used to believe in Christianity. Thomas, 31, wrote his chart-topping hit, "Die a Happy Man" a story about a man's need for nothing more in life than his woman's "crazy love"for and about his wife, Lauren (Gregory) Akins, 32. Heres the deal, we (at SWO) have gone back and forth on whether or not to address this. This is why growth is stunted, why people abandon the faith: our church is too shallow for roots to dig deep. Aside from the fact that most apologists have day jobs, this leads to a fair question: what would, stand to lose if they didnt capitulate to culture on an issue like same-sex marriage? All their YouTube Channels have a good amount of engagement, subscribers, and views as a result of their engaging content. That tow-headed heartthrob took my breath away with every episode of the 1980s sitcom Silver Spoons. How is my marriage going to stay together? 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. Rhett James McLaughlin and Charles Lincoln's hosts are known for their comedic viral videos and have gathered an estimated net worth of 30 million dollars. When it comes to apologetics, its a very helpful tactic to show unbelievers the truths of the Bible. ButIm more interested now in what I do when I LIVE.because the only thing that I know that Ive got is this life. It may not be them but the have to obey the labels they are partnered with. Its not like hes throwing out the baby with the bathwater, its like hes throwing out the tub and trying to keep the baby and the bathwater intact. ), but he cant escape the fact that he is an image-bearer of God, living in Gods world. With guest appearances on, their stars have been rising for the past few years, swelling their net worth to an estimated $23 million. With the help of the Holy Spirit, they became convinced that Christianity is true as they gazed deeply at Christs beauty. As I listened to them walking through their journeys I was surprised to see that we have covered much of the same terrain. Goins-Phillips, in response, pointed out that Christianity has been around for 2,000 years and remains the worlds largest religion, so it has withstood challenges and investigations. So Rhett got hung up on the way that one pair of chromosomes looks (okay?. In Book VIII, Chapter IV of Confessions, St. Augustine relates the conversion of a famed Roman rhetorician, Victorinus, whose public conversion caused great rejoicing. Today, Rhett and Link have a net worth of $25 million as of 2021. As believers, we should take comfort to know its not new,he said. Thats a messy situation. Should Christians Embrace Evolution? Did it also come from that pair of chromosomes? One element of his deconstruction story thats particularly compelling to young people is his seemingly exhaustive knowledge of Christian apologetics. And we as Christians shouldnt be surprised when this happens. Do you see the problem? Bingo! 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. The two men, known for their daily Good Mythical Morningbroadcast, have, over the last few years, gone through what they have described as their spiritual deconstruction[s]. After having spent years in young adult ministry, Rhett and Link now call themselves hopeful agnostics.. The stories themselves werent so different from others that have lit up social media over the past few years. Rhett echoed that hes more interested in what happens during his life on earth: Its not so much what happens after you die, but what happens while youre alive.. I laughed out loud when Rhett talked about engaging people on airplanes by spouting talking points from books byJosh MacDowell and Lee Strobel. But it wouldnt have shaken. They both felt a deep discomfort with biblical sexual ethics, which they perceived to oppress women and their LGBTQ+ friends. I imagine those types of responses will continue to roll in. But as both Rhett and Link recounted, there was something brewing underneath the intellectual questions. 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. Alisa Childers is an American singer and songwriter who writes at alisachilders.com, an apologetics blog for doubting Christians and honest skeptics. At some level, my therapist knew what everyone in his position knows: Once you start seriously considering the unthinkable about your faith, so many scary questions begin to plague you that it keeps you up at night. But as both Rhett and Link recounted, there was something brewing underneath the intellectual questions. Its hard not to feel insulted by his unwillingness to accept this. Rather, he foretold, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think, pointing to Aldous Huxleys satirical Brave New World. Receive weekly updates about fresh articles, videos, and audios, as well as new resources, special discounts, and upcoming events. Its okay to have doubts. 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. Producer: Good Mythical Morning. 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. If youre younger than 30, you likely have a list of favorite YouTube channels that you follow. As it is also, evidently, for the more than 16 million subscribers these guys have accumulated since their show started back in 2012. Leaving aside the irony of that accusation, I would simply say, as I always do, that certainty is the currency of fundamentalism. Rhett and Link refer to an American comedy duo who are very popular on YouTube. Rhett & Link are celebrating their 10-year anniversary and the 21st season of their show, Good Mythical Morning Released on 01/27/2022 Transcript We should be pretty good at this. 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. Christy was born in the United States of America. Do you think you know more than all these other brilliant people before you? Of course that knife cuts both ways, although the people who say this never do see how it should undermine their own confidence, as well. When youve mixed with European Christians, To some, it smells like beauty and life; to others, it smells like death. I cant help but notice the similarities. 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. personally know that jettison God altogether during their deconstruction often become After all, remember, we are talking about nothing. Could it be that the cultural influences driving these deconstruction stories needs to be re-examined, rather than Christianity itself? Help train Christians to boldly share the good news of Jesus Christ in a way that clearly communicates to this secular age. 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. 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. Careers Workplace and Religion Columnists, Recreation Outdoors and Religion Columnists, Religious Music and Entertainment Columnists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In Rhett & Links deconstruction they frequently site their growing struggles with reconciling these add on requirements with the reality of science, morality, and basic common sense. If youve been taught your whole life that Youre gonna get through this. I had been pulling on this thread for a really long timeLets call it the sweater of faithI had been pulling on this thread until it had sort of turned into a vestand then a midriffand then a halter tapand now it was a string bikini. Its the people behind the arguments. These discoveries challenged the underpinnings of his whole theological system, but like all of us he was encouraged to press on through with his questions without fear because: All truth is Gods truth. Try the whole world. Blend that with Rhett and Links magnetic personalities, and its no wonder the faith of many Christians has been unsettled. It gives you stability. They decided to go get vasectomies together and filmed the experience for a video . Get resources, podcast episodes, and SWO updates sent directly to your inbox. Rhett was careful to say he doesnt think these apologists are intentionally deceiving anyone. It was time to stop just reading Christian answers to everything and go a level deeper, looking next at the answers to the Christian answers. But where did the first stuff actually come from? Thats humanism in a nutshell, and I feel the same way. They offer videos that present everything from video-game hacks to make-up tutorials to opinions about political and religious issues. As an actor playing a character on a TV show, my access was limited. Hes the one whos established this entire universe. When they each recorded videos walking fans through their spiritual-deconstruction stories in February, it shot through the internet like a bolt of lightning. With every hit of the like button, the personalities weve subscribed to have become our authorities for truth. The fragrance of the same evangelistic zeal they learned from their previous tribe it will continue to roll.. 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