Role. Today that simple choice to follow Jesus and learn to engage Life through his Way comes with a whole lot of additional belief requirements. They decided to go get vasectomies together and filmed the experience for a video . By naming several apologists such as Lee Strobel, Josh McDowell, Tim Keller, and Ravi Zacharias, he knocked the legs out from under their arguments. But as both Rhett and Link recounted, there was something brewing underneath the intellectual questions. suggestion that their moving to Los Angeles was just the slippery slope to 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. before can enthusiastically answer, YES, Jesus never answered the thief on the cross who asked Christ to remember him when he came into his Kingdom with, This Day youll be with me in Paradisejust so long as you also believe the world was created in six days. Lori calls it guerrilla evangelism, and its a burden shouldered by everyone who knows Jesus. While God is love, we must remember that Hes also just and holy. My understanding of who Jesus is is not just based on my experience with him personally, but its also based on what the Bible has to say about him. I was crushed. I jumped into the water. 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. 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. I cant help but notice the similarities. She had a pretty nose, little girl's eyes, but her lips gave everything away. And thats no laughing matter. Over the course of a few days, social-media newsfeeds became inundated with hot takes, responses, disagreements, and praise for the comedy duo. Rhett Butler (Born in 1828) is a fictional character in the 1936 novel Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell and in the 1939 film adaptation of the same name. I suppose Im still partially sympathetic toward the people whose job it is to make sense of these things on behalf of the church. Theres one thing I respect about the deconstruction stories of Rhett and Link. 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). 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. 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. They understand if you cease to believe in core tenets of the faithlike sin, the atonement, the resurrection of Jesus, and the reality of heaven and hellthen you shouldnt still identify as a Christian. Christy Neal: Link's wife. At one point, Rhett asked a very good question. No one that I was in personal contact withpastors, Christian friends, elders in the churchnone of them disappointed me or let me down. YouTube is putting $ behind branding Rhett and Link as talk show hosts. None of this is brand new; its been around for years and years and years.. 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. 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. And so as I processed Rhett & Links stories I found 5 takeaways to suggest maybe they hadnt abandoned Jesus as much as their (many) critics suggest: When Jesus called his disciples he simply said, Follow Me. It still provides the stability and the community on which peoples lives depend. On the show, the two comedians . Mythical, founded by Rhett & Link, creates entertainment, products, and experiences that inspire human connection through curiosity and comedy. Leaving aside the irony of that accusation, I would simply say, as I always do, that certainty is the currency of fundamentalism. The lesson we can learn from the Rhett and Link story is to observe the power of the media platform, recognize the roadblocks of the new apostles of unbelief, and keep a humble eye to history, remembering that our Savior told us some would fall away. No, these lads loved Jesus. Do you see the problem? The lesson we can learn from the Rhett and Link story is to observe the power of the media platform, recognize the roadblocks of the new apostles of unbelief, and keep a humble eye to history, remembering that our Savior told us some would fall away. stand to lose if they didnt capitulate to culture on an issue like same-sex marriage? By saying that he does not believe in the God of the Bible he is making a statement of certainty, even if he is trying to soften the blow by using non-threatening language. One element of his deconstruction story thats particularly compelling to young people is his seemingly exhaustive knowledge of Christian apologetics. Neil Carter is a high school teacher, a writer, a speaker, a father of four, and a skeptic living in the Bible Belt. 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., Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 2:1416 that through his missionary work, Christ spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of himself. Would. This creates a sense of community, in which we come to experience love and loyalty for our favorite YouTube celebrities. And the question that Ive gotten from some people who are close to me, who love me. The younger generation is even more open about questioning their faith and leaving Christianity behind. The youth-group kids left flustered and agitated by doubt mightve been entirely unperturbed had they heard those arguments from another source. Peruse many a church website and youll find a Statement of Faith list of things you will need to believe in addition to Following Me. This is the effect the gospel has, and we should expect these types of reactions. 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? Should we avoid it? 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. 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. However, celebrity Christian deconversions, or celebrity conversions, actually do matter. 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. I didnt want to believe thisI didnt want to leave this thing. After all, remember, we are talking about nothing. Im not gonna be scared of the truth. Remember that even John the Baptist had a little crisis and needed to be reassured (Matthew 11:1-11). After abandoning a Young Earth view of the cosmos, Rhett wrestled next with the historicity of the rest of the Old Testament (the stuff about Jesus would have to wait till later). Rhett led off with his intellectual doubts and Link countered with an emotional appeal. It may not be them but the have to obey the labels they are partnered with. 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. And, every time Rhett said, I know you are going to say _____________, I was thinking, Yeah, thats exactly what Id say.. 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? Should we watch it? 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. 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. 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. Gods in control. God draws people to Jesus, He saves them, and He doesnt lose any of them. Listening to both Rhetts and Links stories, you can feel how much pushback they anticipate encountering from people who love them. I couldnt check his Instagram for updates every hour or tweet at him with the real possibility he might tweet back. As a creative team, Rhett and Link have consistently pushed their limits instead of sticking to their comfort zone, a fact that has helped them immensely. She Leaves Once This Christian Brings Up This Topic. 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. We have to understand were not the first people to grapple with these sorts of questions, said Andros, noting Ecclesiastes 1:9, which says, There is nothing new under the sun., In one interview, Rhett argued that, if Christianity is true, it should be able to withstand investigation and inquiry.. When youve mixed with European Christians, I love it. I jumped into a sea of uncertainty. And deal with them now, but dont exchange Christianity with doubts for an empty belief system made solely of doubts. (And Im a regular YouTube watcher)But then Rhett & Link appeared suddenly on my radar when their silo crossed over into mine. 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. Co-founder of @mythical. Tokyo is a recurring joke on Good Mythical Morning. 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. And then I was like [**fwip**] Im gonna take the bikini off. and Asian Christians, and Pacific Islander Christians you soon realize the So Rhett got hung up on the way that one pair of chromosomes looks (okay?. I mean really loved Jesus! If youre younger than 30, you likely have a list of favorite YouTube channels that you follow. First, he read Francis Collinss (the other Francis), The Language of God, and was convinced that evolution is true. 1:24; Col. 4:14). Since the release of their stories, several apologists and scholars have offered sound rebuttals to some of the claims made by Rhett in particular. Charles Lincoln Neal III) have already established themselves as YouTube's grand old men and as two of the platform's most consistently . It gives you direction. When I discovered that there were many other aisles in the supermarket that contained delicious spiritual food I was at first nervous and suspicious. 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? 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. I want to hear MUCH MORE about this from Link and Rhett. the opposite is often true. Rhett McLaughlin. Bingo! (Tim Challies reviewed the book once upon a time.) Demas traded eternal hope for earthly treasure. 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 . I was amazed at the providential coincidences that converged for me, personally, when I listened to these testimonies last week. Cotton Candy Randy is a Mythical character created by Rhett & Link on their daily show, Good Mythical Morning. For Rhett, it started with questions relating to science, the age of the earth, and evolution. Melanie then asks for coffee and sandwiches. 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. Today that simple choice to follow Jesus and learn to engage Life through his Way comes with a whole lot of additional belief requirements. Good Mythical Morning is the most watched daily show online, averaging 100 million views in a month. more Christ-like now that they no longer see themselves as Christians. This is what Ive been teaching them. But that is no way to live. This week, Faithwire managing editor Dan Andros discussed some of those concerns with editor Tr Goins-Phillips. Rhett is 0% left-handed. What was scheduled as an hour-long chapel service last Wednesday has turned into a multi-day revival at Asbury University. We still believe the truth and the opinion of two YouTube comedians cannot change that. Ray Comfort The song became the most-played country tune on the radio for six . 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why did rhett and link leave christianity