Evangelicalism, Inc., and the silencing of critics
It should seem obvious that when secular (or better, secular humanist) sources buddy up to church leaders, something is amiss. Scripture warns about liking the applause of the world, and all that.
Yet, emerging leaders like Warren, Bill Hybels and others not only welcomed the attention, they embraced it. Thus was born the non-biblical “church growth” model for doing church. A key component of the model is consensus building. In other words, everyone from leadership to laity gets onboard with the leader’s “vision” of how things should be. Over time, those dissenters who call into question the methods are quietly but rudely shown the door.
Today, the church-growth model is a juggernaut, and in effect, Warren & Co. very much control the narrative within evangelicalism. Don’t believe me? Consider the ubiquitous nature of curriculum, books, conferences and the like from such leaders. They have a...
