Review: Shepherds for Sale: How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda By Megan Basham (Part 2)

In the responses to Part 1 of this review, many comments pointed out that I had not engaged much with the negative aspects of Shepherds for Sale. In this second part, I will include reflections on the less precise and more unhelpful things about it and take a look at some of the (warranted) objections. Many of the errors in this book damage its message, but ultimately my takeaway is still overall positive. Other reviewers and critics have pointed out factual errors in Megan Basham’s book, Shepherds for Sale, that (while understandable for this type of data-heavy book) have presented unnecessary distractions from Basham’s main thesis.1 The reality is this book would have been subject to high scrupulosity no matter what (and has been subjected to no small amount of citation parsing). A book chronicling such progressive capture requires the utmost precision, however, both in anticipation of scrutiny and so as to be a trustworthy and helpful guide for Christians trying to parse these issues. Additionally, it would have been less confusing for those of us trying to sort through all the false claims of error made by people who simply did not like the tenor of the book.

An unfortunate reality here that I have mentioned before is that the people who could benefit the most from reading Shepherds for Sale have preemptively rejected it due to their dislike of Basham’s broad, bold approach. This book vindicates those who already took issue with popular evangelical characters like Ray Ortlund and David French (both of whom, incidentally, came out in support of Kamala Harris for president after the book was published). Those who respect and enjoy media like Christianity Today or the Gospel Coalition, however, will likely not be reached by the information in this book since their respected echelons have written Basham off as a hack, and since Basham herself has handed down aggressive character indictments on respected men like Gavin Ortlund and J. D. Greear, both of whom have published videos and articles defending themselves from her scrutiny.2 Her approach leads many to ask whether or not she is worth listening to.

Basham’s book illustrates a tricky issue which those of us in the Christian world have long been debating: When do we start to recognize nuance as a linguistic cover for divergent views? J. D. Greear claims that Megan misrepresented his support for the BLM movement, saying that he did not support the movement or its official goals, even though he may have agreed with some of BLM’s points.3 To someone who is inclined to sympathize with Greear, this defense seems perfectly adequate against Basham’s scrutiny. He sees his own actions in a very positive, innocent light, and Basham sees them as part of a broader trajectory.4 While Greear did not endorse BLM as an official platform, it is true that he still supported core ideological points like a fundamental restructuring of the police system and the inherent nature of “oppressor” and “oppressed” racial categories in society. After carefully reading both Greear’s response and Basham’s defense of herself, I cannot come away with any other explanation for the dissonance than the fact that the two of them see the same exact events in totally different lights, and not necessarily because one or the other of them is outright lying or slandering the other person. As a common rule for all disputes, theological or otherwise, the person being accused of heresy/error/progressive capture is always going to regard their own actions in the most innocent light, and will interpret criticism through the lens of slander and jealousy. There are many popular figures on the internet to whom this applies.

Megan is aggressive in her indictments and has made several sloppy mistakes in the details, which has drawn her a large deal of criticism. But some of the negative responses to Shepherds for Sale in NAPARC are due to Basham’s friendly alliance with Doug Wilson. I understand why some would be wary of that, but not everyone who comes into contact with Wilson does so through the filter of the years of theological battles that have been waged in our denominations (i.e., on Federal Vision and theonomy). Basham, from a conservative Southern Baptist standpoint, sees Wilson as a conservative pastor who aligns with her in criticizing progressivism in the evangelical world. While I personally do not think this bears much on Basham’s book itself, I will leave it up to the reader’s individual judgement to decide how much this alliance affects the content.

With Basham’s tone in view, we can also acknowledge that it is perhaps not all that helpful to title a book “Shepherds for Sale” which includes a wide swath of left-leaning figures, some of whom are actually paid by the government to manipulate Christians, and some of whom are genuinely persuaded to support a range of liberal policy positions. One could easily turn up their nose at Basham’s brash approach, especially if they were already skeptical of her. Yet, her book voices the perspective of many conservative evangelicals who have observed shifts toward progressive expressions of Christianity in their churches. The alarms Basham raises should not be ignored. Evangelical elites can continue to blame their red-pilled and folksy congregations for their pedestrian viewpoint on culture, but eventually their congregations will become fed up and tune out.

There is an intellectual dissonance when we observe that pastors who teach us that “Christianity isn’t bound to a political party” are the same pastors who use that philosophy to justify voting Democrat and denounce those who vote Republican, reciting woes and judgements against political idols. Basham’s book simply points out that liberal-leaning figures are the ones making an idol out of politics. In NAPARC, this makes many of us uncomfortable because we are so averse to mixing church and politics, and a call to arms against Democratic policies is usually accompanied by a rally to support Republican ones. Although Basham herself is politically conservative and is not shy about her support for Republican political figures, her book does not serve as a means to mobilize Christians to support Republican policies. In fact, some of the principles she speaks about would make anyone hesitant to mobilize Christian voters towards specific policies due to the special, set apart nature of Christ’s church.

That being said, I wholly understand the frustration with the exaggeration and errors contained in Shepherds for Sale. Some of the errors Basham’s editors would have been responsible for catching, but some are symptoms of what I see as a formulaic and hasty approach. One example of this is her treatment of the Lilly Endowment in chapter 4, “Christian Media and the Money Men.” Basham points out that the Lilly Foundation has donated millions of dollars over the years to Christianity Today (74). Lilly has given to a wide range of organizations,5 not least of which is the PCA’s own seminary (Covenant Theological Seminary received a $1.19 million dollar grant from the Lilly Endowment last fall).6 The Lilly money is Basham’s introductory point to her discussion on Christianity Today senior staff who made donations to openly pro-abortion candidates (75), but it is not clear that the two are quite comparable. I, too, have questions about the motives behind a pharmaceutical company donating millions of dollars to “Christian Thought” and “Compelling Preaching,” but without any additional information, it is hard to substantiate that Lilly money is influencing the content and actions of its grantees. This may well be happening, and I would love to know if it is. But Lilly may be no more than a company who gives indiscriminately to “religious” causes for a hefty tax write-off. The Arcus Foundation, however, is covered later in the book (202–3), and Basham provides clear evidence that their grantees are directly influenced by the aggressive LGBT agenda behind the grants (77). Similar details are not brought forth for Lilly.

Many have claimed that this book is too divisive and conspiratorial, that it encourages Christians to battle out their social and political preferences as a result. One reviewer even describes it as “Megan Basham’s civil war.”7 His review, although quite moderate, argues we should consider the fact that while Basham’s criticism is broadly correct, her personal convictions as a theological and political conservative blind her to similar influence that right-wing political groups have on the church. This is a fine point in theory, but in my view, it is entirely fair for Basham to focus on left-wing politics as an obvious threat. She has proven herself to be no conspiracy theorist. It is not a bad idea, however, to be aware that there are many ways in which conservative Christians might wrongly preoccupy the church with social and political issues as well.

As a result of the kind of corruption detailed in this book, there are nowadays many ideas cropping up about how to create the perfect Christian nation, one which prevents these very issues. These discussions have consumed a large amount of airtime and attention, but rarely do I see an emphasis on the purity of the church as something that will have an effect on the world. I also lament the diminishment of Christendom, but as it stands now, we could use many more godly men and women who would improve this nation’s moral outlook even as a mere side effect of the church’s discipleship. I do believe we should exercise biblical thinking and our consciences to be good citizens. But I entreat the churchmen reading this: Do not give up your zeal for the building up and purification of Christ’s church. It is the only institution against which the gates of hell will not prevail. As J. Gresham Machen (who surely reaped the consequences of a hostile liberal takeover in his own church) says:

For if one thing is plain it is that Christianity refuses to be regarded as a mere means to a higher end. . . . Christianity will indeed accomplish many useful things in this world, but if it is accepted in order to accomplish those useful things, it is not Christianity. . . . Our Lord said: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” But if you seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness in order that all those other things may be added unto you, you will miss both those other things and the Kingdom of God as well.8

Not much in Basham’s book is surprising if you have been following inter-Christian disputes, but there are many evangelical leaders cited who sidestep the plain teachings of Scripture in exchange for some kind of influence, either conscientiously or unwittingly. It is worth reflection—thinking your denomination is “influential” is usually not a path to wisdom. I can think of many a General Assembly speech where “the watching world” is invoked as a reason why the PCA should change its polity to better accommodate the world’s concerns. I would encourage us all to think carefully about the kind of prestige or even emotional satisfaction that may influence us to weigh in on issues that seem very important to the public but are actually mere preoccupations and distractions from the church’s responsibilities.

Christians in other denominations have been deceived or have even willingly appropriated funds in order to support political movements that were clothed in gospel language. Not everyone suffers from a debilitating desire for approval from the secular media; but remember that even the most powerful institutions are not above this. Former Christianity Today editor-in-chief Mark Galli reported once that the staff of Christianity Today is highly motivated by the appearance of respectability among mainstream publications (76). Not only did they “hunger for worldly respectability,” but they also published very selective coverage on topics in their magazine, never explicitly endorsing things like egalitarianism and theistic evolution, but only giving favorable coverage to those topics (77).

Even in our indictments of bad theology, we should reserve compassion for those who have had their compassion and empathy manipulated. Whether it be compassion towards minorities, a desire for good stewardship of creation, empathy for abuse, or a tender heart for Christians suffering from the temptations of same-sex attraction, many of the people who have “fallen for” progressive ideologies in the church have done so due to a soft conscience and poor judgement. As Christians, it can often be difficult to protect our hearts from the captivity of “philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ” (Col 2:8). Although targeted toward pastors and leaders, this book is a warning for us all to exercise more discretion before jumping on the bandwagon of trendy philosophies, especially those clothed in the language of Christianity.

Shepherds for Sale proves that each of us who has a faithful, local pastor, unallured by the riches of public approval, should be overwhelmingly grateful. In the Reformed tradition, we sometimes have to balance the competing realities of the ordinary means of grace and our favorite ministers on the conference circuit. If there is any wisdom to take from this rigorous exposé of ministers who (intentionally or not) have destroyed their own credibility by platforming progressive political ideologies, or even from recent tragic stories of ministers falling from grace into egregious sin, it is the fact that if you have the true gospel preached to you every Sunday by a faithful local minister, you are far more privileged than you can possibly imagine.

My ultimate takeaway is that no hot social issue can obscure the reality that is the power of the Holy Spirit ministering to your soul through the preached Word and sacraments. Basham’s own testimony (232–8) is powerful here, testifying to the fact that the gospel is not only powerful and effective, but serves as a warning to those pastors who are leaving behind the very purpose for their ministry. Basham is understandably angry at the fact that sinners like herself are walking into churches everywhere and encountering vain political philosophies instead of the piercing power of the Word of God.

If I had walked into that church and heard the same lessons I was getting in my Feminist Theory class or my therapist’s office dressed up in spiritual jargon, I would have had little reason to stay, and if I had stayed, no understanding of how to live my life differently. The pastors might have congratulated themselves for their sophistication, for helping me understand the injustice that had oppressed me, but I would still have been in bondage. (238)

Churches and ministers who preach a social gospel are the reason Basham says, “We should certainly pray for weary, wounded sinners who are coming to the Church in need of the transcendent power of the eternal and who are, instead, given temporal preoccupations with social issues” (xxvii).

Notes

  1. Bethel McGrew, “How the Evangelical Elite Failed Their Flock,” First Things, August 23, 2024,
  2. Gavin Ortlund, “Megan Basham’s Shepherds For Sale: Problems With This Book,” YouTube, July 31, 2024; J.D. Greear, “An Open Response to Megan Basham’s Shepherds for Sale,” JD Greear Ministries, August 13, 2024.
  3. Greear, “An Open Response.”
  4. Megan Basham, “Megan Basham: My Response to JD Greear,” Clear Truth Media, August 13, 2024.
  5. Compelling Preaching Initiative,” Lilly Endowment, January 9, 2024.
  6. Megan Fowler, “Covenant Seminary Receives Lilly Endowment Grant,” byFaith, November 7, 2023.
  7. Hunter Baker, “Megan Basham’s Civil War,” Public Discourse, September 3, 2024.
  8. J. Gresham Machen, Christianity & Liberalism (Philadelphia: Westminster Seminary Press, 2019), 156.

©Zoe Miller. All Rights Reserved.

Megan Basham, Shepherds for Sale: How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda (Northampton, MA: Broadside Books, 2024).

You can find this whole series here.


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    Zoe is a missionary kid, pastor’s wife, and enthusiastically Presbyterian lady. Zoe and her husband Seth live in Couer d’Alene, ID, where he is the planting pastor at Immanuel Presbyterian Church (PCA). A freelance journalist and writer, Zoe occasionally appears in World Magazine, Presbyterian Polity, and other publications. In her spare time, she enjoys cohosting the Presbygirls podcast with her friend Sarah Morris, enjoying beautiful Northern Idaho outdoors, and haranguing her friends on the website formerly known as Twitter.

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9 comments

  1. First off, I want to say I appreciate your review, both for its length, thoroughness, and how you are trying to approach it from a balanced perspective. I agree with most of your reviews (Parts 1+2) but I have two major issues with this work that have caused me to encourage others not to promote it or its ideas.

    Firstly, Basham creates a series of litmus tests for what defines a sold out pastor, a wolf, or as her title suggests, “shepherds for sale.” She uses these litmus tests both online in her public platforms (twitter/x, youtube, etc…) and in this book, and she makes clear it’s use. Those who fail the litmus test must be encouraged to repent. If they don’t, they must be marked, and avoided. Even if they don’t repent, they are now “suspect,” and it is best for the Church (as a body) and Christians (as individuals) to shun these and pray for them.
    Her litmus tests however are not based around holding to orthodox theology, from any of the reformed confessions, or even creeds of the church. Neither are they based even around classical conservative ideals and positions. Rather, they are based upon the modern ideals/positions of mainstream conservatism, which has changed drastically in the last few years. Note her sections, “anyone who believes in climate change has sold out willingly or not.” Anyone who “is not young earth has sold out willingly or not.” We must be clear here, according to Basham, the majority of Reformed professors at Reformed seminaries, (who believe in a type of climate change, or who differ in aspects from YEC) are sold out, probably in her eyes unintentionally, but still sold out. This has led to a huge fight on Twitter where pastors (including orthodox Reformed in NAPARC!) are marked as needed to avoid from those who have promoted Megan Basham’s book, because they differ from Basham/mainstream conservatism in some ways. This leads to my second main point.

    Basham’s fundamental premise is not that pastors sell out to political parties. Rather, it is that they sell out to the wrong political party. I would have no issue with Basham if it was simply her detailing pastors and policies that have infiltrated the church from the left, and my understanding was that this was her original intent as well before she was swept away. This is certainly easy to document, and would be entirely fair to right, for there are many books from other scholars detailing these trends on the left. But this is not the position Basham holds. Basham clearly promotes rightwing politics, again, not just general conservative values, but mainstream conservatism. “If you are not with us, you are sold out,” could be accurately summed up as the implicit theme of the book, as well as her public posting. As a public figure and believer, Basham has free reign to speak on politics wherever she wishes. Yet her Twitter blends theology and politics, using her book as a litmus test for the faith. An example would be her promoting Pete Hesgeth as secretary of defense because “He shared ‘Shepherds for Sale’ often on Fox News.” Hesgeth, it must be noted, has had multiple affairs, and as a professing Christian has never repented. I think that’s the hard issue for Basham, since she is entrenched in right-wing politics, (DailyWire, etc..) she cannot see that she herself has in some sense “sold-out,” but on the opposite side of the spectrum. And this is a major concern for me purposefully with this book, “movement,” and what Basham promotes on her public feed. She openly says (like her Christian followers) that we have more in common with Ben Shapiro (A Jew) and Matt Walsh (A Catholic) then we do with say a PCA pastor who gave a talk on race. Character assasination is used against Christian leaders who made a statement about race, the climate, or trump that does not sit well those inside this movement. Basham publicly promotes (and to be clear, I am ignoring Doug Wilson when I say this) pastors and individuals who promote kinism, who have abandoned historic views on justification, who have sinned publicly with sexual sin and never repented, those who have slandered opponents, and the list can go on. Yet, in this movement that Basham is a part of, these few are regaled as heroes, (many of whom are nonbelievers!) and our co-laborers in the Lord are marked as to avoid. It is a pitiful sight to see, and again, one that I do believe was intentional in Basham’s book and platform. The Us Vs. Them narrative is always compelling, and so it is used here effectively. If it was uniting around the cross, biblical principles, or even natural law, it would be far more compelling.

    As a believer therefore I cannot in good conscience promote this book. I do not doubt Basham started her work with good intentions, but she fell into the very pitfall she accused others of: creating false litmus tests and otherizing whole swaths of Christianity. We must call out true shepherds for sale, who have abandoned the orthodox truths of the word, yet while we do so we must be sure to treat those who differ from us with grace, respect, and the desire to seek the truth about what they believe. (I apologize for the length of this comment, again, appreciate your work Zoe!)

    • It is just so clearly true — what you point out — in the current blurring of certain stripes of ‘conservative’ Christianity with far-right political causes, there seems to be an acceptance, if not a condoning, if not an applause of many forms of very bad behavior on the part of the ‘heroes’ of the moment. All manner of cruelty, vengefulness, etc. — any number of a grab-bag of traits described in 2 Tim 3:2-5. These things are now coin of the realm and lauded with no hesitation by folks (who they themselves present as serious-minded believers) as they see their favorite superheroes in the media, occasionally dropping little ‘Christian-ese’ elements into their ungracious far-right political rhetoric.

      • Indeed. I was just disappointed again when a friend showed me a post today from Basham, that I can only see as a defense of Matt Gaetz. It is sometimes hard to comprehend, and I pray Megan would rethink her approach/positions

        • Good comment, Ben, thanks.
          I really don’t understand the ends-justifies-the-means vibe of Basham, where the ends don’t seem to have much to do with the gospel, but enough smart people are all-in that I fear I must be missing something.

          • Perhaps, but I don’t think we’re missing something. There are plenty of educated/smart Christians who have not been washed into this movement. We always have to remember, terrible groups/movements in history, (the rise of facism/communism, jim crow laws etc) had plenty of educated and smart people amidst them. Many were also self-proclaimed christians.

        • I wonder if she will still call ones faith into question for not supporting Matt Gaetz, after the last few day sordid revelations and his tragic announcement just an hour ago?

          • I just saw a post this morning from Basham that made me decide to wash my hands of all this. Pence is calling to push trump to support more pro life appointees and for us not to confirm the pro choice candidates he has nominated, such as RFK JR.

            Basham just called him a Pharisee in a post for his principles. I can see no clearer image of her standing by politics/trump then principles. It is very regrettable to see.

  2. >”Many of the errors in this book damage its message, but ultimately my takeaway is still overall positive. Other reviewers and critics have pointed out factual errors in Megan Basham’s book, Shepherds for Sale, that (while understandable for this type of data-heavy book) have presented unnecessary distractions from Basham’s main thesis.1 The reality is this book would have been subject to high scrupulosity no matter what (and has been subjected to no small amount of citation parsing). A book chronicling such progressive capture requires the utmost precision, however, both in anticipation of scrutiny and so as to be a trustworthy and helpful guide for Christians trying to parse these issues.”

    This paragraphseems to suggest that it’s okay to elevate sloppy scholarship with “factual errors” as long as the message is laudable. I cannot agree.

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