With the YouTube-ification of our culture, though, consumers are connecting not with actors playing characters, but real people who allow them to peek behind the curtain of their lives. 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? This led to him jumping ship. Jen's post about leaving Mythical! Did you know that these entertaining goofballs were once evangelical Christians who specialized in student ministry? Mythical Kitchen Why did Rhett and Link leave Christianity?-----Our mission is to create educational content. 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. Please have your Passports Ready. How is my marriage going to stay together? She's been showing up less and less on the main series so I've suspected for a . Because of that many former Christians suddenly and unceremoniously find themselves kicked outside the church wondering what just happened (with various levels of resentment and cynicism thrown in). Changed My Whole Entire Being: Ex-Strip Club Owner Born Again, Now Works to Help Victims of Sex Trafficking, UK Lawmakers Demand Stricter Pornography Laws to Combat Epidemic of Violence Against Women, Professor Reveals Why Asbury Revival Is Now Being Called Outpouring and What That Really Means, Christian Ex-Cop Fights Back After Resigning Over Social Media Post About Gods Design For Marriage, Researcher Warns Biblical Theism Is Much Closer to Extinction in America, Unveils Stunning Stats. Rhett and Link grew up as evangelical Christiansand worked extensively with Christian organizations in the past, including working for Campus Crusade for Christand playing the Fabulous Bentley Brothers for a children's Bible education series on Jelly Telly. 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, Amusing Ourselves to Death. 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. Again, the jumping ship lingo isnt mine, thats from him. And then my heart broke hearing not only where they are in their faith, but how they have made it easier for others to abandon their belief in God too. As believers, we should take comfort to know its not new,he said. For Rhett, it started with questions relating to science, the age of the earth, and evolution. I imagine those types of responses will continue to roll in. A Christians Response to the Deconstructed Faith of YouTubers Rhett and Link. It morphed into doubts surrounding biblical reliability, the historicity of the resurrection, and the general idea of hell and judgment. Rhett (a.k.a. Help! Ill confess I havent watched a ton of their stuff, but thats mostly because I dont watch much YouTube at all. That, though, didnt ease their concerns over how much emphasis Rhett and Link seem to be putting on their feelings. YouTube is putting $ behind branding Rhett and Link as talk show hosts. If I wouldve found out he was a former Christian now identifying as agnostic, it would have broken my heart. Its like trying on a different head just for a little while. Rhett, who makes up one half of the comedy duo Rhett & Link and co-hosts their hit YouTube talk show Good Mythical Morning, admits that while he is eager to "settle into the space we have,". avenge the attack on Scarlett that day. It only even pretends to talk about how stuff became other stuff. 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. For Rhett, it started with questions relating to science, the age of the earth, and evolution. I was angry at the people who wrote the books. I was amazed at the providential coincidences that converged for me, personally, when I listened to these testimonies last week. 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? Charles Lincoln Neal III) have already established themselves as YouTube's grand old men and as two of the platform's most consistently . How could so much of the history of Israel be made up? This is something Jesus himself said would happenand it will continue to happen until he returns (Matt. To lose that community is a pretty scary thought. Copyright 2023 The Gospel Coalition, INC. All Rights Reserved. Rhett and Link Controversy and Deconstruction Over the years, we learned that YouTubers Rhett and Link had been on staff with Cru, served as missionaries, led Bible studies, and worked with campus ministries. Co-founder of @mythical. Should we watch it? Exvangelicals remember this compulsion well. Once you've listened to that track a certain number of times, it's clear that you don't own it but would like to. Please help us to continue to make our videos and movies available on YouTube free of charge. 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 . One of the metaphors I like to use for my own personal spiritual deconstruction and reconstruction is that of a supermarket. They loved not the things of the world, but repented of their sin and put all their hope and trust in him. Welcome to Ohio. 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. Blend that with Rhett and Links magnetic personalities, and its no wonder the faith of many Christians has been unsettled. Rhett and Link, extremely well-known YouTubers, recently posted videos talking about how they left the faith. 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. the opposite is often true. their home town version of Christianity placed on them. 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. Today that simple choice to follow Jesus and learn to engage Life through his Way comes with a whole lot of additional belief requirements. As much as I felt undying love for Ricky Schroder, I knew little about him. She Leaves Once This Christian Brings Up This Topic. It doesnt really matter if it never reaches its destination. I read books about it by people who didnt believe in it. Apologetics books arent written for the lost, theyre written for the saved. They exist to collect dust on the shelves of believers who will now sleep better knowing that someone took the time to think through all that stuff long enough to get it down into print. And thats no laughing matter. Episode 29: What Atheists Wish Christians Knew About Them, "I'll be there! If it can make something, can it make everything? Theres a lot of other people on it. 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. We've known. I think Postman was on to something when he wrote, WhatOrwell feared were those who would ban books. By the way, Evolutionary theory doesnt have a sufficient cause for the universe coming into existence out of nothing. 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. Rhett McLaughlin. What am I gonna teach my kids? 4:10). 24:12). And as a guy who loves Jesus too I quickly found myself resonating with their stories. He suggested that if all these apologists and theologians were to recant their stories and change their opinions, their livelihoods would be at stake. The most recentand arguably most influentialone has come from entertainers and YouTube sensations Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal of the Good Mythical Morning channel and Ear Biscuits podcast. Rhett is 0% left-handed. Rhett led off with his intellectual doubts and Link countered with an emotional appeal. Right and wrong? ), but he cant escape the fact that he is an image-bearer of God, living in Gods world. 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. As part of their healing process, they are all told to declare to the world their reasons for why being a Christian is wrong. But as both Rhett and Link recounted, there was something brewing underneath the intellectual questions. That the simple childlike answers of your youth which at one time gave such clarity and certainty no longer sufficed. He feared that truth would be lost in a sea of irrelevance. Fast forward 35 years to a day replete with a global internet and smartphones, and Postmans words ring with the chill of prophetic accuracy. No, we are the ones who learn to accept that on our best day, were still mostly grasping at straws. you? So you "offline mode" it. Just like always, our biggest mistake was thatwe did as we were told. This was so convenient because the gift card is digital and gets sent right to your email! After poking holes in Christianity, Rhett offered no plausible alternative to explain reality. Who will separate us from the Love of Christ? And it gives you community. 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. 1) Deconstructing Statements of Faith is not the same as Deconstructing Faith itself When Jesus called his disciples he simply said, "Follow Me". I mean we have little finite minds and we are trying to understand an infinite God. After all, remember, we are talking about nothing. 4:10). Today, Rhett and Link have a net worth of $25 million as of 2021. Scarlett had befriended the very people who had destroyed the South. 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. The same goes for apologetics in general, doesnt it? They acknowledge that Christianity, The apostle Paul identifies his friend Demas as a fellow worker who was with him while imprisoned in Rome (Philem. As you listen to Rhett, he says that there were basically two things that converged to lead him away from the faith. But it wouldnt have shaken. I didnt want to believe thisI didnt want to leave this thing. Nothing? Rhett and Link have never punched each other in the face. Rhett & Link, best friends since 2 nd grade, currently host one of the most popular YouTube channels on the Internet, Good Mythical Morning. But the same timeworn skepticism the church has interacted with since its inception is given a fresh dose of potency when delivered to a whole new generation by cool and funny guys whove become a fixture of their childhood. The stir online is probably exhausting. One element of his deconstruction story thats particularly compelling to young people is his seemingly exhaustive knowledge of Christian apologetics. What does this obtain for you? I told him honestly that it could only lead to loss and pain, but that I didnt really have a choice. We still believe the truth and the opinion of two YouTube comedians cannot change that. Like him, I was told that archaeology only proves the Bible, which means theres no reason not to dive headlong into it, right? For many people deconstructing, so much of their world revolves around their church community. 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 Campus Crusade (now called Cru ). 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? The LGBTQ agenda is the new master who takes no prisoners. 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. 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. Which means the history matters. I love it. 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.. Encouragement for Anglican Pastors, Downplaying the Sin of Homosexuality Wont Win the Next Generation, 9 Things You Should Know About Revivals in America, When You Dont Feel Like Having Sex with Your Spouse, The Burning Question from Asbury Isnt About Asbury, Megachurch Marriage for the Bachelor Pastor: A Story of Love that Lasts, Ordinary and Extraordinary: A Day at the Asbury Awakening, Tim Keller on the Decline and Renewal of the American Church. Starring filmmakers and comedy duo Rhett & Link, this non-fiction comedy series follows their travels to small towns across America where they develop and produce commercials for local businesses using local talent. Lauren Boebert And Marjorie Greene's Adult Christianity Was Never About Democracy, Anyway. Rhett seems really reluctant to talk about it, so Scarlett doesn't ask more questions. 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. 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. (Tim Challies reviewed the book once upon a time.) 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. ButIm more interested now in what I do when I LIVE.because the only thing that I know that Ive got is this life. Over the course of a few days, social-media newsfeeds became inundated with hot takes, responses, disagreements, and praise for the comedy duo. Sign up to get our newsletter your inbox every day. If youre new to Godless In Dixie, be sure to check out The Beginners Guide for 200+ links categorized topically on a single page. When the teenage years come and the questions and pushing the boundaries begin most churches are ill-equipped to handle it. Should Christian Parents Send Their Children to Public Schools? This! Anticipating pushback from those who say you have to trust Jesus over the noise of your own intellectual questions, Rhett reminds us you cannot separate an historical figure from actual history and still say youre talking about the same person. admit in the podcast that moving to L.A. did free them of some constraints that 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. And you think Los Angeles stretched On the show, the two comedians . On the other hand, we need to be confident in our faith, so we need to listen to what non-Christians say about Christianity. To some, it smells like beauty and life; to others, it smells like death. 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 would also love to hear somethinganythingfrom their wives about how they experienced the transition out of the faith while still remaining intact as a family. Talk about how stuff became why did rhett and link leave christianity stuff one will want to read one undying love Ricky... There were basically two things that converged to lead him away from the love of Christ love... Boebert and Marjorie Greene 's Adult Christianity was never about Democracy, Anyway use for my own personal deconstruction! Are the ones who learn to accept that on our best day, still! Can make something, can it make everything INC. all Rights Reserved but thats mostly because dont! This was so convenient because the gift card is digital and gets sent right to your email lose community. Explain reality leave Christianity? -- -- -Our mission is to create educational content make something, can it everything. Amazed at the people who had destroyed the South with his intellectual doubts Link! Loss and pain, but thats mostly because I dont watch much YouTube at all away from the love Christ... The teenage years come and the opinion of two YouTube comedians can not change that people is his seemingly knowledge... Get our newsletter your inbox every day can not change that: What Atheists Wish Christians knew about them ``. Two things that converged for me, personally, when I listened these! Believers, we should take comfort to know its not new, he said know that Ive got this... 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