Duncan answered, “Jesus was neither a mocker nor a slanderer.” In fact, Duncan said he believes that if those who mock and slander had been alive during the time of Christ, “They would have been going, ‘Yay John the Baptist. Jesus, you’re a weasel.’”
“One of the things the Bible teaches you is there are different ways to be faithful,” Duncan explained.
He acknowledged that Jesus was extremely direct at times—typically with religious leaders “who ought to have known better”—but said Christians should be cautious about this behavior, which requires a great deal of spiritual maturity.
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Duncan pointed out that social media has allowed anybody to broadcast his or her opinion. Ironically, this is exactly what people have been doing at length over the past few days in response to his remarks.
Another part of the conversation (which appears to have since been edited out of the podcast) for which Duncan is being criticized pertains to his comments on the abortion abolitionist movement. That movement supports criminal charges against women who get abortions.
Duncan suggested that the movement only arose after Roe v. Wade was overturned, an idea that abolitionists are disputing.
In response to a request for comment, Douglas Wilson said that he “would be delighted” to speak to Duncan face to face. “Consider the offer extended,” he said. “But I don’t think I would wilt…We would probably just talk, which I think would be healthy.”
ChurchLeaders has reached out to Ligon Duncan for comment and will update this article in the event of a reply.
This article has been updated with a response from Douglas Wilson.
