OpenTheo

Evangelicalism, Elites, and Excellence with Aaron Renn

Life and Books and Everything — Clearly Reformed

Evangelicalism, Elites, and Excellence with Aaron Renn

October 12, 2022
Life and Books and Everything
Life and Books and EverythingClearly Reformed

Coming out of a consulting background, Aaron Renn is now a regular contributor to many important conversations among Christians and conservatives. In this interview, Kevin asks Aaron about the three worlds of evangelicalism and how we should think about elites. They also discuss where evangelicalism has faltered and where it has been too hard on itself.

Intro & Sponsor [0:00-1:37]

Guest: Aaron Renn [1:38-7:47]

Rose-Colored Rural Areas [7:48-10:29]

What Does Western Society Think of the Church? [10:30-23:50]

Evangelical Self-Flaggellation [23:51-26:50]

Do Evangelicals Lack Cultural Influence? [26:51-34:48]

The Evangelical "Middle-Class Mindset" [34:49-40:24]

A Call to Lay Intellectual Engagement [40:25-50:44]

Sponsor 2 [50:45-51:30]

Evangelicals and Elites [51:31-59:22]

Constantine and "Christian Nationalism" [59:23-1:08:31]

Final Plugs [1:08:32-1:10:39]

The Masculinist

Aaron Renn Substack

The Right: The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism - Matthew Continetti

The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America Since 1945 - George Nash

"The Tinkerings of Robert Noyce" - Tom Wolfe

To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World - James Davison Hunter

The Mortification of Sin - edited by Aaron M. Renn

Share

FacebookTwitterRedditCopy Link

Transcript

More From Life and Books and Everything

The Case for Kids
The Case for Kids
Life and Books and Everything
October 20, 2022
Too often Christian leaders lay impossible burdens on their people, insisting that they solve a host of social ills and become experts in a thousand d
Life and Ministry with Sinclair Ferguson
Life and Ministry with Sinclair Ferguson
Life and Books and Everything
October 25, 2022
Have you ever wanted to sit down with an older godly pastor and just ask him about life for an hour? Well, that’s what Kevin tries to do with Sinclair
Does Christianity Transcend All Our Political Disagreements?
Does Christianity Transcend All Our Political Disagreements?
Life and Books and Everything
October 28, 2022
Christians don’t just disagree on political principles or on a number of political conclusions. Christians disagree on how Christianity and politics r
A Lifetime of Books and Ministry with D.A. Carson
A Lifetime of Books and Ministry with D.A. Carson
Life and Books and Everything
September 28, 2022
With more than 50 books and hundreds of articles, not to mention scores of edited works, Don Carson has written a lot. In this retrospective on life a
From Silence, to Complexification, to Capitulation
From Silence, to Complexification, to Capitulation
Life and Books and Everything
September 26, 2022
Evangelicals who set down the path toward LGBTQ acceptance rarely turn around and head back in the other direction. In this episode of Life and Books
Apologetics and Critical Race Theory with Neil Shenvi
Apologetics and Critical Race Theory with Neil Shenvi
Life and Books and Everything
September 12, 2022
Although Neil has a PhD in theoretical chemistry, he’s made a name for himself as an expert on Critical Race Theory (and Critical Theory more generall
More From "Life and Books and Everything"

More on OpenTheo

Is It Possible There’s a Being That’s Greater Than God?
Is It Possible There’s a Being That’s Greater Than God?
#STRask
February 5, 2026
Questions about whether it’s possible there’s a being that’s greater than God and that’s outside of God’s comprehension and omniscience, and how to ex
Kingdom Priorities: Following the Teachings of Jesus
Kingdom Priorities: Following the Teachings of Jesus
Knight & Rose Show
February 14, 2026
Wintery Knight and Desert Rose discuss Jesus' teachings from the Gospels, emphasizing truth, evidence, self-denial, and forgiveness. They explore pass
Does God Hear the Prayers of Non-Believers?
Does God Hear the Prayers of Non-Believers?
#STRask
February 26, 2026
Questions about whether or not God hears and answers the prayers of non-believers, and thoughts about a church sign that reads (as if from God), “Just
How Should I Respond to an LGBTQ Person Who Says He Feels Good About Who He Is?
How Should I Respond to an LGBTQ Person Who Says He Feels Good About Who He Is?
#STRask
March 2, 2026
Questions about responding to an LGBTQ person who says he feels good about who he is, and whether—since we all have sin in our life we don’t consider
Can Two Logical People Come to Conflicting Conclusions Without Committing a Fallacy?
Can Two Logical People Come to Conflicting Conclusions Without Committing a Fallacy?
#STRask
January 8, 2026
Questions about whether two logical people can come to conflicting conclusions on a topic without committing a fallacy, how Greg, as a public figure,
What Tools of Reasoning Help You Know What’s True, Right, and Good?
What Tools of Reasoning Help You Know What’s True, Right, and Good?
#STRask
December 4, 2025
Question about what tools of reasoning help us determine whether something is true or false, right or wrong, good or bad before bringing Scripture int
Life and Ministry in Charlotte and in the SBC with Clint Pressley
Life and Ministry in Charlotte and in the SBC with Clint Pressley
Life and Books and Everything
December 15, 2025
In a rare cultural anomaly that may never be repeated in our lifetimes, the current SBC President and current PCA Moderator live in the same neighborh
Why Is It Necessary to Believe Jesus Is God?
Why Is It Necessary to Believe Jesus Is God?
#STRask
February 19, 2026
Questions about why it’s necessary to believe Jesus is God, whether belief in the Trinity is required for salvation, and why one has to believe in the
Can You Recommend Good Books with More In-Depth Information and Ideas?
Can You Recommend Good Books with More In-Depth Information and Ideas?
#STRask
January 22, 2026
Questions about good books on Christian apologetics, philosophy, and theology with more in-depth information and ideas, and resources to help an intel
What About Those Who Never Heard the Name of Jesus?
What About Those Who Never Heard the Name of Jesus?
#STRask
December 22, 2025
Questions about what will happen to those who never heard of Jesus or were brought up in a different faith, whether there’s biblical warrant to think
Who Wrote the Gospels? Michael Licona vs. Bart Ehrman - Part 1
Who Wrote the Gospels? Michael Licona vs. Bart Ehrman - Part 1
Risen Jesus
March 11, 2026
Did Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John write the gospels that bear their names? The texts themselves do not name them as the authors and were published and
Why Should We Pray If God Already Knows What’s Going to Happen?
Why Should We Pray If God Already Knows What’s Going to Happen?
#STRask
January 29, 2026
Questions about why we should pray if God already knows what’s going to happen, how the effectiveness of prayer is measured, and whether or not things
Christmas Cranks and Christmas Blessings with Justin Taylor and Collin Hansen
Christmas Cranks and Christmas Blessings with Justin Taylor and Collin Hansen
Life and Books and Everything
December 17, 2025
If you are looking for a podcast where three friends talk about whatever they want to talk about and ramble on about sports, books, and grievances, th
What Is the Role of the Holy Spirit in Our Lives if He Doesn’t Give Us Instructions?
What Is the Role of the Holy Spirit in Our Lives if He Doesn’t Give Us Instructions?
#STRask
February 23, 2026
Questions about the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives, advice for someone who believes in God intellectually but struggles to understand how to hav
How Do I Determine Which Topics at Work Are Worth Commenting On?
How Do I Determine Which Topics at Work Are Worth Commenting On?
#STRask
January 5, 2026
Questions about how to determine which topics at work are worth commenting on, and a good way to respond when you’re in a group Bible study and hear e