The Gospel Coalition and how (not) to engage culture
In the world of Christian ministry, The Gospel Coalition (TGC) is a towering, thundering goliath. Co-founded by popular New York City pastor Tim Keller, it hosts a slate of blogs by conservative Christians and has produced more than 50 live events. The TGC website generates an estimated 65 million annual page views and includes thousands of posts on a range of topics. The TGC church network boasts nearly 8,000 congregations nationwide. TGC’s brand of Christianity is both conservative and Calvinist, but according to its tagline, they feel called to promote “cultural transformation.” Numerous articles address how and why Christians should engage culture. The “About” page on its website says they desire to help Christians “truly speak and live for [Christ] in a way that clearly communicates to our age.”
Given all this, one might assume that TGC is an authoritative resource on cultural engagement. But pop the hood, and you’ll find that its modus operandi combines harsh critiques of those outside it tribe with a bunker mentality that silences any who dare to question their thinking. While it presents itself as a resource for believers seeking to live their faith in a post-modern context, TGC is more like a case study in how not to engage culture.