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

Shouldn’t I Be Praying for My Soul Rather Than for Material Things?
Shouldn’t I Be Praying for My Soul Rather Than for Material Things?
#STRask
February 2, 2026
Questions about whether we should be praying for our souls rather than for material things, why we need to pray about decisions, whether the devil can
How Can I Explain Modesty to My Daughter?
How Can I Explain Modesty to My Daughter?
#STRask
November 27, 2025
Questions about how to explain modesty to a nine-year-old in a way that won’t cause shame about her body, and when and how to tell a child about a pre
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
Protestants and Catholics: What’s the Difference? With Chad Van Dixhoorn, Blair Smith, and Mark McDowell
Protestants and Catholics: What’s the Difference? With Chad Van Dixhoorn, Blair Smith, and Mark McDowell
Life and Books and Everything
November 26, 2025
How should Protestants think about the Catholic Mass? About the Eucharist? About the history and development of the papacy? In this panel discussion,
How Do We Advocate for Christian Policy Without Making the Government Interfere in Every Area of Life?
How Do We Advocate for Christian Policy Without Making the Government Interfere in Every Area of Life?
#STRask
November 20, 2025
Questions about how to advocate for Christian policy without making the government interfere in every area of life, and the differences between the mo
Brian Miller: Fine-Tuning and the Multiverse Theory
Brian Miller: Fine-Tuning and the Multiverse Theory
Knight & Rose Show
March 7, 2026
Wintery Knight and guest host Terrell Clemmons welcome Dr. Brian Miller to discuss the the evidence for fine-tuning in physics and cosmology and the m
How Could One Person Trust Another Person on the Topic of God?
How Could One Person Trust Another Person on the Topic of God?
#STRask
March 5, 2026
Questions about how one person could trust another person on the topic of God, how STR obtained information about God that others haven’t obtained, an
Does God Really Need a “Pound of Flesh” to Forgive Sins?
Does God Really Need a “Pound of Flesh” to Forgive Sins?
#STRask
January 12, 2026
Questions about how to answer the challenge that God doesn’t need a “pound of flesh” to forgive sins but can simply forgive, and whether the claim in
An Invitation to the 2026 Coram Deo Pastors Conference
An Invitation to the 2026 Coram Deo Pastors Conference
Life and Books and Everything
February 18, 2026
"I love being a pastor, and I love pastors, which is why I hope you will consider joining us at the Coram Deo Pastors Conference in 2026." —Kevin DeYo
How Would You Convince Someone That Evil Exists?
How Would You Convince Someone That Evil Exists?
#STRask
November 17, 2025
Questions about how to convince someone that evil exists, whether Charlie Kirk’s murder was part of God’s plan, whether that would mean the murderer d
Is This an Argument for Relativism?
Is This an Argument for Relativism?
#STRask
March 16, 2026
Questions about whether the fact that the truth about one’s age changes over time is an argument for relativism, and how to ground virtues like courag
When I Can’t Stop Thinking About Something, Is That God Speaking?
When I Can’t Stop Thinking About Something, Is That God Speaking?
#STRask
December 1, 2025
Questions about whether having a recurring thought is an indication God is speaking to you, what to say to someone who says they sinned because “God t
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
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
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