Clear Truth Media launched earlier this year as the latest effort to supplant the online behemoth that is The Gospel Coalition. Led by Jamie Bambrick and Steven Whitlow, the upstart outlet relies on a host of contributors, many of whom are great. The ministry already has enough reach to plan a conference. Yet nothing about Clear Truth Media was never seen before. Yet with so many disparate voices, a lack of clear direction and mission is emerging which could threaten to undermine the whole venture.
A recent review of Bonhoeffer is the latest event that raises the question of this ministry’s ability to be a meaningful alternative to The Gospel Coalition. “Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin | A Picture Of Boldness And Humanity” was written by first-time author Stephen Drew. Interestingly enough, The Gospel Coalition is more interested in Wicked despite Brett McKracken being a wannabee film critic, and Christian Post hasn’t done a review despite a lot of positive press.
When my wife and I returned home after watching Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin in the theater, something remarkable happened. She went to our bookshelf, pulled out every Bonhoeffer book I owned, sat down, and began reading The Cost of Discipleship. We’ve been married for fourteen years, and during that time, she’s heard me talk extensively about Bonhoeffer, one of the theologians I’ve read and discussed most. Yet, it wasn’t until she saw his life portrayed in the movie that she felt inspired to read him for herself.Â
It’s worth reiterating, that if Bonhoeffer is a theologian you admire, there are some major issues. Chief among them discussed in our verdict on Bonhoeffer are his denial of inerrancy, inability to affirm the Resurrection, denial of the Apostle’s Creed.
The film concludes with Bonhoeffer walking to his execution, quoting the Sermon on the Mount—a fitting choice given its centrality to The Cost of Discipleship. Despite the debates surrounding Bonhoeffer’s theology, life, and ethics, one truth remains clear: he was profoundly shaped by Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. In the end, he lived—and died—as a man committed to following Christ.Â
The review concludes by asserting that Bonhoeffer’s commitment to Jesus transcends debates about his theology and praxis. This is absurd, as Bonhoeffer’s last writings depict what we today call deconstructing, whereby he wanted to secularize Christianity to appeal to the masses. Drew also lauds the Confessing Chruch as a positive development and not a liberal offshoot.
This demonstrates a lack of discernment when applied to theological figures. The Gospel Coalition is too liberal for Clear Truth Media. Karl Barth was too liberal for The Gospel Coalition. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was too liberal for Karl Barth. Yet Clear Truth Media simps Dietrich Bonhoeffer, anyway. Make it make sense.
A ministry dedicated to overhauling The Gospel Coalition with a stated opposition to Critical Race Theory and Marxism promoting one of the leading theological inspirations for much of the liberalism they opposed is a dereliction of discernment. In this case, they are making an exception to the theology they oppose to appeal to the values they also oppose.
Applying discernment to past figures is generally tough, as the faith of people’s past is an often debated subject. Bonhoeffer is a rare exception because his prolific prison writings are blatantly heretical. People ignore this because of Mustache Man. Otherwise, Bonhoeffer would be as celebrated in Evangelical circles as Karl Barth his chief influence, who, spoiler alert isn’t.
Not all heroes of the faith are that. I believe God exposed Ravi Zacharias. And as American culture becomes post-liberal, Bonhoeffer’s legacy of “Religionless Christianity” will die off as well.
What remains to be seen is whether Clear Truth Media is interested in influencing the church to defeat liberalism or whether it will succumb to its internalized liberalism. Let’s hope for their victory, in this fight.
3 Responses
I seriously do not understand the obsession with Bonhoeffer , and I think it really comes down to an obsession with seeing nazis and hitler everywhere in everyone that disagrees with you.
Several years ago I was watching documentaries about different theologians on Prime. I didn’t know a lot about Bonhoeffer, but after watching the documentary, which was clearly trying to portray him in a positive light, it was clear to me that he was a liberal, and that if he were alive today I would not have anything to do with him. That being said, there are some very interesting things about his life. But that’s about as far as it goes.
It’s a matter of a man being admired because of his politics. Many on the right as well as the left believe Hitler was the worst man in history, which he was not, and despise authoritarianism and the persecution of the Jews. I don’t know if that’s quite the case with this writer, but it is possible. It is the same reason theologically conservative civil rights enthusiasts continue to laid Dr. King, in spite of him being a complete heretic and a bad man by any reasonable standard. Because once you reject Dr. King, you have said that his movement is something less than supremely good, even if you don’t disagree with it.