the Empathy List #146: On the Downfall of an Influencer Friend 😔

About The New Evangelicals controversy, cancellations, and para-social betrayal.

Hello friend, Liz here.

I am worried for my friend Tim. You may have already heard the news: my influencer friend, Tim Whitaker of the New Evangelicals, has recently been accused of misconduct (or abuse? what’s the difference?), related to his individual behavior and organizational leadership.

I have dragged my feet responding to this news, mainly because I do not think my voice is generally helpful or necessary when it comes to controversies like these. But this story has weighed on me like few others have.

Partly, this is because Tim’s voice is loud in the post-/ex-evangelical political space which I inhabit (and probably you do, too), and it matters when one of our own goes under.

I have also collaborated with Tim in the past, and so as weeks have passed, I have felt greater concern about Tim’s public reaction to the report, both for his own sake and for the sake of those who publicly alleged his poor behavior. And I feel that I should take the findings from the past month seriously.