“The idea that we can somehow be apolitical is preposterous,” said Metaxas, noting how ridiculous it would be for someone to refuse to take a stand against slavery in an effort to appeal to people on all political sides. It is not possible to reach everyone in this scenario, he said, jokingly calling anyone who would say that an “idiot.”
Metaxas said Christianity Today (CT) was “lefty politics masquerading as the gospel” and criticized Dr. Russell Moore, who recently joined CT, for an article Moore wrote around Easter critiquing people for taking political sides in the interest of societal conquest.
Metaxas might have been referring to an article titled, “Tribalism’s Awful Antidote,” published on April 18. He accused Moore of “game-playing,” saying, “There’s something wicked about it when you’re playing with words and trying to confuse people that way. Although I think he’s probably genuinely confused—he thinks what he’s saying is true.” The fact this article was published at Easter, said Metaxas, is “nasty,” “ugly,” and “unbelievably ironic.”
Moore and those like him are demonizing their opponents just much as they are accusing others of doing, said Metaxas. By simply focusing on preaching the gospel instead of speaking out on issues, they are perpetuating the cultural evils we are seeing. For example, kids who are transitioning are suffering because of the views of pro-LGBTQ “tranny” people, he said. And while we are supposed to love those we disagree with, Metaxas said love is what motivates him to speak out.
Metaxas joined those who now disagree with Tim Keller’s “winsome” approach to reaching culture, saying that in 1985 it would have been fine to say that a Christian could be a Republican or a Democrat, but this is no longer the case. Said Metaxas, “It’s not that world any more. It is now a world that has given itself over to the most monstrous ideas.”
In fact, Metaxas sees many parallels between how the evangelical church is behaving now and how the church acted during the rise of Hitler. “The Nazis did exactly what is happening today,” he said, comparing people who feel pressured to put up Pride and Black Lives Matter flags to churches that were pressured to hang Nazi flags prior to World War II.
Metaxas also believes that the 2020 election was stolen (something several people in the audience vocally agreed with) and that it happened so that God could wake up complacent Christians. “We are appointed by God,” he said. “He’s given us this chilling duty. It’s a chilling duty—we didn’t ask for it. We don’t deserve it. We’re not better than people. But the Lord has said, ‘I’m going to let these ideas of freedom flourish here and you are responsible for keeping the Republic. You are responsible for doing your duty.’”
This article has been updated.
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