Written by T.M. Suffield |
Wednesday, February 9, 2022
For the disciples, receiving the Spirit was like Jesus was with them again. Except as they travelled around and spread across the earth, as they’ve been told to, he was still with each one of them. He could now be everywhere, including inside each of their hearts and minds speaking tenderly to them and empowering them for the next test.

After his resurrection Jesus gathered his disciples to give them his parting instructions and pass on his mission. Each of the gospel writers summarise his words a little differently but they all include what Luke calls “the promise of the Father” (Luke 24).

Matthew records it as a promise that Jesus would be with them until the end of the age, Mark that their preaching would be accompanied by miracles. Luke speaks about them being “clothed with power” and John tells how Jesus acted out what would happen to them soon after by breathing on them and telling them to “receive the Spirit.” (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20).
Jesus was reminding them of what he’d already been at great pains to teach them. In order to complete the task he had given them, making disciples of all kinds of people, they needed the Holy Spirit.
He was clear with them that even after he had gone back to be with God, they shouldn’t launch straight on with the task he gave them, but should wait for the Holy Spirit, who he’d called their “helper”.
On the face of it this seems a bit strange. If my manager at work gave me an important task to do and there was a sense of urgency about it, my natural inclination would be to get straight on with it, or at least find out which of the rest of my work I can stop doing so I have time to do what she needs. I would be confused if after giving me the task, spelling out what needs to be done, and impressing the urgency of it on me, she then made it clear that under no circumstances was I to start. I was to sit tight and wait for someone to help me. I’m sure I’d appreciate help, but I’d feel faintly patronised. Surely I can start, at least, even if I need some other resources?
The disciples have been given a really important job to do, with a sense of supreme urgency about it. They have a whole world to tell about Jesus, why wouldn’t they just get on with it?
Jesus was emphatic. “Don’t go yet, you can’t start without everything you need, so wait until you’ve got it all.” He is like a drill sergeant, surveying his fresh—and slightly deluded—new recruits who are raring to race into a mock battle. The sergeant cautions them against rushing straight in, until he’s given them each some basic training and their weapon. We can be a lot like that, eager to surge ahead without picking up the basic equipment we need to be effective.
“Receiving the Spirit” was all that they were going to need. If we want to follow Jesus and fulfil his mission, presumably we need that too.
A couple of years before, Jesus and his disciples were at the Feast of Booths. This was when the Jewish people remembered God providing water for them when there were wandering in the desert, and it was when they looked forward to the Spirit being poured out like water in the future. On the last day of this festival, Jesus stood up in the Temple courts and shouted:
If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”John 7
Everyone was dismantling the structures they had built for the festival and getting ready to return home. Jesus was saying “the water you’ve been celebrating is available all the time, and the eventual gift of the Spirit you’re expecting has arrived. You can get it through me.” It’s an enormous claim.
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On January 20, 2022, Richardson was fined $3,000 (plus lawyers’ fees). In response to this court ruling, Richardson wrote on his Twitter account: “Thank you for your prayers.  I have been overwhelmed at the outpouring of support in prayer that I have received in the last few days.  Praise God for a wonderful outcome: That I was allowed to address the court in Jesus’ name, and that I came away with a very small fine.”

In 2021, Pastor Steve Richardson of Faith Presbyterian Church in Tillsonburg, Ontario, was initially charged with two counts of exceeding the 10-person limit for church services that were conducted in the church building. Other charges were brought against Richardson for holding services outside. Each charge had a maximum sentence of one year imprisonment and a fine of up to $100,000, bringing the potential total to six years imprisonment and $600,000 in fines.
Read more here: Pastor Faces Six Years in Prison and $600,000 in Fines for Refusing to Turn People Away From His Church
Here is an update on Pastor Richardson’s case: On January 20, 2022, Richardson was fined $3,000 (plus lawyers’ fees). In response to this court ruling, Richardson wrote on his Twitter account: “Thank you for your prayers.  I have been overwhelmed at the outpouring of support in prayer that I have received in the last few days.  Praise God for a wonderful outcome: That I was allowed to address the court in Jesus’ name, and that I came away with a very small fine.”
Richardson detailed more about his experiences on his blog:
I want to offer here a brief update regarding my court case.  I do so with a measure of trepidation.  I have heard some say that if I believe my cause is just I should just quietly accept the penalty.  Some might think my updates have been motivated by pride.  They may feel that what I have done – in keeping my church open – was wrong and that spreading the word about my charges is self-serving and arrogant.  I can say this with a fair degree of certainty. Such men do not know my heart.  If they did I expect they would find it worse even then they believe.  I am nowhere near the man I would like to be, and if there is anything praiseworthy in me it is by the grace of God.  The truth is I am probably far more proud than I know.  Though I want to eschew pride, and while I desire humility, pride seems strangely natural to sinful men.  But I also know what motivated me through 2020 and 2021; and I can say that at every step I acted in faith, with sincerity and with an eye to the glory of God.  I can only hope and pray that I have not gotten in the way of the honour and praise that belongs only to Him.
Many readers will know that I was charged 6 times for keeping the church open during lockdowns.  I had continued to worship through 2020, but it  was not until December of 2020 that the police began to really pay attention to us.  Each of the charges carried a maximum penalty of 1 year in prison and 100,000 dollars in fines.  Cumulatively I faced a maximum of 6 years and 600,000 dollars.
Initially I opted to contest the charges as being unconstitutional.  However, when my relationship with Faith Presbyterian Church was severed this became an impossibility.  After a great deal of discussion with my lawyers, with other pastors and with my wife I decided that it was best to plead guilty.  Though I had not broken God’s law, there was no question that I had broken provincial regulations.  And my lawyer told me my case was not winnable.  If I were to lose – which I was assured I would – it would set a bad precedent for other pastors who had a better chance at trial.  It was agreed that I would plead guilty on the condition that I be allowed to (briefly) address the court.  This was against the advice of my lawyers, as they understood that it would not likely help my case.  Still, I felt constrained by conscience and love for my Redeemer to speak for Him.   For me this was the most important thing.  Not that I be spared a severe penalty or even jail time, but that I should honour Christ.
Early this week my stomach was in knots.  The lawyers assured me that the fine would be small and that I would not face jail time.  Still I recognized there was a small possibility that my statement would anger the judge and that he (having the authority to decide on the sentence) could make things bad for me.  I am a family man and the thought of prison is not appealing to the flesh. Early on I had researched a local Ontario prison; so I had an idea of the kind of cell that would become home if I did have to do time.  And of course I could imagine the trial of prolonged separation from my wife and children. As unlikely as it was, the fact that James Coates and Tim Stephens had both spent time in jail, suggested to me (at least) that it wasn’t an impossibility.  I didn’t know what the judge might ask me, but I knew I could not agree to any kind of compromise.  If asked I would do it again.  The principles that governed my behaviour in 2020 and 2021 had not changed.
Then Wednesday came, and part way through the day it was as if I could sense the prayers of the saints.  I knew many were praying as I had heard from a number of them… but it seemed that the Lord was very near.  I felt a tremendous peace and even joy.  I was overcome with a sense of the worth of Jesus Christ.  He was worthy; and that is all that mattered.
This morning as I prepared for court I was filled with a desire to be allowed to suffer for Christ.  It was not a carnal martyr’s complex or anything like a fleshly desire for man’s praise.  I just felt an intense longing to be allowed to follow in His steps, to be counted worthy to suffer for Him and perhaps even to be given a prison ministry.  The thought filled me with joy.
I cannot tell you what a blessing it was to go to court (online) with my Bible open at 1 Peter 4:12-16, knowing that cause was just, and keenly aware of the prayers of the saints. Our God is faithful, and He is indeed a prayer hearing God!
When I appeared in court this morning the judge indicated that I would be allowed to give my statement after sentencing.  However, the crown had not seen what I had prepared to say and asked to see it.  When he and the judge looked at what I had prepared they decided that I should read it before sentencing.
Here is what I said:
Thank you sir.  I have always believed it is my duty as a Christian to honour civil authorities, to pray for them and to obey all their laws except where those laws come into conflict with God’s laws. I deeply desire to be on the right side of the law. But my allegiance belongs ultimately to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
If I were to comply with regulations that limit the number of those who can gather for worship, prayer and fellowship, or regulations that would limit what goes on when we do, I would be derelict in my duties as a Christian pastor. That is something for which I would one day have to answer to God. I do not want to disobey my civil authorities, but I cannot and will not dishonour and disobey my King. He died to save me from my sins, and I love Him for it. I owe Him everything and I count it a joy to live and die in His service. 
I was amazed when I was finished to hear the judge say “thank you very much.”  He then proceeded with his own statement and the sentencing. After a bit of a preamble the prosecutor was advised that my statement indicated I would do it again and that the crown might want to use it in the future if needed.  That, he said, was up to them.  He then explained that I would have to pay $3000.00 (plus costs & surcharges).
I see this as a tremendous answer to prayer.  Certainly the court was wrong.  They were lenient (for which I am thankful), but their decision to sentence me for gathering God’s people for worship was both a violation of the Charter and an egregious sin against God.  Still, I recognize that God has overruled this for good.  He has mercifully spared me and my family what might have been a very severe sentence.  For this we are deeply grateful.  He is good, and He is most worthy!
I have been praying for those in court today. For other defendants and lawyers, for the crown and for the judge. Let us pray that Christ may have His reward. But let us also pray for our authorities both civil and ecclesiastical. Let us remember that ours is a gospel of grace. We have glad tidings of great joy and the feet which carry such good news are counted beautiful. Remember that the Saviour who came, came for sinners. He did not come for the righteous but the unrighteous. In the last 2 years we have seen injustice on the part of civil rulers and compromise on the part of pastors (and elders). But God’s grace is greater than our sins, and these too may be forgiven. Let us be praying that God would come down and that repentance and revival would spread across the nation.

Written by John G. West |
Wednesday, August 14, 2024
Some critics seem intent on taking down Basham’s book at all costs. Whether the book is truly inaccurate seems a secondary matter for them. They just want to stop others from reading it…It is hard to ignore the feeling that much of the brouhaha raised against Basham’s book reflects insecurity and even fear.

If you want to better understand what’s going on inside American evangelicalism’s elite, Shepherds for Sale (2024) by Megan Basham is a great place to start. And if you are a member of the evangelical elite yourself, you should read her book to understand what is going on among rank-and-file evangelicals.
A journalist with The Daily Wire, Basham has spent the past several years chronicling the growing chasm between many evangelical leaders and those they are supposed to shepherd. Her reporting has defied the standard narrative. Most journalists who cover evangelicals obsess over pastors and ministry leaders who they think have sold their souls to right-wing populism. That’s a legitimate concern and worth reporting on. However, this way of framing coverage of evangelicals provides—at best—only a partial picture of reality.
Most notably, it ignores the evangelical leaders who are being co-opted by various movements on the political and cultural left.
By turning the spotlight on evangelical elites she thinks have been comprised by progressivism, Basham has done the evangelical community a significant service. Some have criticized her for not also covering unholy alliances among some evangelicals on the right. But given the pervasiveness of the standard narrative, I think that criticism falls flat. If you are a well-read evangelical, you can’t avoid hearing (non-stop) about the corruption (or supposed corruption) on the right.
What Basham is doing is investigating the side of the story you don’t typically hear from the establishment media.
As a result, she has provoked the ire of many in the evangelical leadership class and its “old boy network.” The full-court press to silence her book even before it came out provides evidence of the anger—and perhaps the insecurities—of her detractors.
I’d like to make a plea to those in the evangelical leadership class: I know you might be tempted to denounce or dismiss or ignore Basham’s book without reading it or without fairly considering its main points. Please don’t. Basham vocalizes the concerns of a large and growing number of American evangelicals. Perhaps you think these evangelicals are stupid and self-destructive. But you aren’t going to have any hope of reaching or finding common ground with them if you ignore or demonize them. Try to read Basham’s book carefully and non-defensively. It may help you understand the views of people outside your own echo chamber.
Giving Voice to the Marginalized
Some of the most powerful parts of Basham’s book, which I didn’t expect, were her profiles of ordinary Christians and their experiences. She writes about a wife recruited by fellow church members to join a “Women’s March” for abortion, climate change, and LGTBQ rights. She tells of a husband who joined a racial reconciliation group at his church only to be “told that new white members weren’t allowed to speak for the first six months.” She recounts the experiences of a grieving mother whose son was killed by an illegal alien. She interviews a friend who was taken aback when her church’s advent devotional focused on the climate crisis rather than Jesus. She tells about the nurse who has devoted her life to helping women avoid abortion who is disheartened by the seeming disparagement of pro-life efforts by some leading evangelicals. Finally, Basham reveals her own painful journey of transformation. She tells how she was delivered from a life of substance abuse by hearing the sort of hard truths of traditional Christianity that so many leading evangelicals seem afraid to talk about.
These personal narratives counter the stereotypes of conservative evangelicals that even some evangelical leaders help perpetuate. They make Shepherds for Sale worth reading for anyone who wants to understand the views and challenges of ordinary evangelicals. For evangelical leaders disconnected from those they serve, the stories will be a helpful guide to the concerns of parishioners they may have marginalized.
Of course, the book offers much else as well. But before getting to some of those other takeaways, let me address a couple of flashpoints involving the book.
Is the Book Really about Trump?
Warren Cole Smith has published a lengthy critique of Basham’s book that bears the subtitle: “A new book about evangelicalism is really about Trump.” Smith claims: “Shepherds For Sale has many villains, but it has only one true hero: Donald J. Trump. He is mentioned more than 30 times in the book, all positively or defensively.”
Smith published his critique in the pervasively anti-Trump publication The Dispatch, which I suppose has an interest in trying to make everything about Trump. Except in this case the charge isn’t true. Basham’s book is not focused on Trump, and it spends very few of its 320 pages discussing him. The book’s chapters focus on abortion, LGTBQ issues, immigration, climate change, the me-too movement, critical race theory, and COVID-19 policies. To reduce Basham’s book to a pro-Trump polemic is both unfair and inaccurate. Having said that, Basham’s reporting does raise an important issue connected to Trump: Are certain evangelical leaders so blinded by their opposition to him that they are abandoning or at least downplaying some of their previous commitments? That’s a serious question worth exploring. Of course, I also think it’s a serious question to ask whether some evangelical leaders have compromised their beliefs in support of Trump. But that latter question gets asked a lot. Basham’s book broaches a question that you typically won’t find covered, say, in either The Dispatch or Christianity Today.
Are Evangelical Leaders Really for Sale?
Another flashpoint over the book has been its title. The title seems to suggest that there are a lot of evangelical leaders who have apostatized because they’ve received money from left-wing funders. Let me be clear: I don’t think that’s true. There are exceptions, but in my experience pastors, professors, and ministry leaders don’t change their views primarily because of funding. Instead, they take the funding because they’ve already changed their views. They are what I’ve called “Stockholm Syndrome Christians.” Held hostage by the secular elites, they end up identifying more with the cultural oppressors of Christianity than with their fellow Christians. (Full disclosure: I have a book coming out on this topic early next year.)
Despite my disclaimer about the title, the preoccupation of some critics with the title strikes me as unjust. In the book itself Basham makes abundantly clear she is not arguing that every evangelical leader is for sale. She explicitly acknowledges that “motives may be complex and sometimes unclear,” and there are “different degrees of error.” She admits that Christians can have sincere differences of opinion on many issues. So just because someone is named in her book doesn’t mean she thinks they are a “shepherd for sale.”
Even so, it is true that one of the book’s most damning indictments involves money.
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