Jun 22, 2026 · 41 min · 9 segments
In this episode, the Pugsters welcome Megan Basham to the show. Megan is a former culture correspondent for World magazine and host of their popular podcast “The World and Everything in It.” She has…
Megan BashamGuest
C. R. WileyHost
Tom PriceHost
Glenn SunshineHost
But is there something particularly sensitive in the evangelical world in this respect? In other words, are we super touchy when it comes to like calling out people, you know, like through the 11th commandment, you shall never make your colleague look bad kind of thing.
I wrote about the 11th commandment in the book, which is, you know, the joke that you thou shalt not criticize fellow evangelical leaders.
But I also think that it wasn't necessarily that I was... doing this thing in the evangelical sphere, I think it was more which names I was criticizing.
Because I think, you know, obviously we know certain people, it is fine to criticize in the evangelical space.
I mean, you know, I certainly heard plenty of criticism of John MacArthur over the years and of Doug Wilson and others.
Because even though it was presented in this very erudite way and was presented as this very intellectual, highbrow kind of thing, to me, it was still very much culture warring.
And I didn't really understand, like, why is Tim Keller off limits? And so, you know, I think that was part of it.
I think it was also that there was such lockstep with the establishment messaging, that it wasn't even that, okay, I'm criticizing Saddleback Church.
It is that Saddleback, the ERLC, the leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention, the leadership of the Presbyterian Church in America, all of them were kind of lockstep on a lot of these issues.
And so it was more that I was coming in and saying, wait a minute, I don't think we do need to take that position.
And I think we have let a lot of legalism develop around a lot of this political discourse.
And we're being dictated to, from on high, what is acceptable to think and discuss within those realms.
Well, as a teaching elder in the PCA, I've got my theories about why Keller was the man that could not be touched.
But is there something particularly sensitive in the evangelical world in this respect? In other words, are we super touchy when it comes to like calling out people, you know, like through the 11th commandment, you shall never make your colleague look bad kind of thing.
I wrote about the 11th commandment in the book, which is, you know, the joke that you thou shalt not criticize fellow evangelical leaders.
But I also think that it wasn't necessarily that I was... doing this thing in the evangelical sphere, I think it was more which names I was criticizing.
Because I think, you know, obviously we know certain people, it is fine to criticize in the evangelical space.
I mean, you know, I certainly heard plenty of criticism of John MacArthur over the years and of Doug Wilson and others.
Because even though it was presented in this very erudite way and was presented as this very intellectual, highbrow kind of thing, to me, it was still very much culture warring.
And I didn't really understand, like, why is Tim Keller off limits? And so, you know, I think that was part of it.
I think it was also that there was such lockstep with the establishment messaging, that it wasn't even that, okay, I'm criticizing Saddleback Church.
It is that Saddleback, the ERLC, the leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention, the leadership of the Presbyterian Church in America, all of them were kind of lockstep on a lot of these issues.
And so it was more that I was coming in and saying, wait a minute, I don't think we do need to take that position.
And I think we have let a lot of legalism develop around a lot of this political discourse.
And we're being dictated to, from on high, what is acceptable to think and discuss within those realms.
Well, as a teaching elder in the PCA, I've got my theories about why Keller was the man that could not be touched.
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