Looks Like Basham's Book, 'Shepherds For Sale,' Has Ticked Off All the Right People
What does it mean when a book like Megan Basham's "Shepherds For Sale" ticks off all the right people? Could it be that she has struck a nerve, exposing truths that some would prefer to keep hidden?
Basham's book has certainly ruffled feathers among the established evangelical leadership and their supporters—and it has prompted a firestorm on social media.
Drawing on the work of blogs and ministries like The Dissenter (formerly Reformation Charlotte), Protestia, and others—who have been researching and journaling the downgrade in Evangelicalism for over a decade—Basham takes a critical look at prominent figures like J.D. Greear, Francis Collins, Tim Keller, Rick Warren, N.T. Wright, Russell Moore, Ed Stetzer, Andy Stanley, Jonathan Moo, and many others, exposing them for compromising biblical truths for progressive political and social gains.
These leaders, often elevated to near divine-like status in their circles, are not accustomed to such direct and unflinching criticism from a high-profile platform that couldn’t easily be ignored. Hence, the backlash has been swift and fierce, with many of these leaders and their supporters taking to social media to defend their actions and denounce Basham.
The criticism of Basham from such Evangelicals centers on accusations of mischaracterization and a lack of journalistic integrity. For instance, Gavin Ortlund—who was singled out for pushing climate alarmism and essentially arguing that those who don’t accept the “science” are stupid—accused Basham of pushing a misleading narrative.
Ironically, in his response, Ortlund does exactly what he accuses Basham of doing, he mischaracterizes her critique. Here’s just one example (https://x.com/disntr/status/1818971271071150165) where Ortlund complains that Basham quoted another person in her book who says that Ortlund never did any real research on climate science. He then proceeds to accuse them of lying, and then proving that he had done the research—then, in the same breath, says he’s never heard of Greta Thunberg.