- Alex Harris - Shannon Harris - Matthew Harrison - Brian Hastings - Stanley Hauerwas - Kevin Hay - Michael AG Haykin - Timothy Head - Travis Hearne - Peter Heather - Lorie Hedgepeth - Matt Herman - Jim Herod - Carter Heyward - Jack Hibbs - Flavio Rogerio Hickel Jr - Steve Hickey -
==alex harris=================
June 7, 2023: Baptist News Global: How to connect the dots while watching Shiny Happy People
The Gospel Coalition wasted no time hiring Alex Harris, the conservative evangelical brother of former Sovereign Grace pastor Josh Harris who was interviewed for the Amazon series, to write a review of Shiny Happy People on the day it was released.
“It can be messy and confusing when outsiders poke around and try to tell a story about the church,” he wrote. “There will inevitably be examples of where these storytellers paint with too broad a brush or give a free platform to people eager to throw stones at a faith they’ve left behind.”
Harris admitted some embarrassing abuse has occurred. But he doesn’t think the docuseries “fairly represents us or our faith.” And despite being raised as part of “The Joshua Generation,” which he and Shiny Happy People define as his generation rising up and attaining “positions of power and influence in government, law and beyond,” Harris says he had “a wonderful homeschool experience, for which I’ll always be grateful.”
“I know people who had positive experiences with IBLP,” Harris wrote. “These were homeschool families with parents who genuinely sought to honor God and do what was best for their children.”
Then, criticizing the series itself, Harris wrote: “On the few occasions the filmmakers try to connect Gothard’s teachings to broader themes in Christianity, the attempts are invariably heavy handed, often equating Gothard’s genuine extremism with beliefs held by the vast majority of evangelicals.” But the outsiders Harris characterizes as throwing stones are women and children who were abused within the hierarchical tower conservative evangelical ministries have built. Harris and The Gospel Coalition cannot pretend to value listening to survivors of abuse when they merely give lip service to their suffering, as evidenced by the way they question their “agenda” and characterize them as outside stone throwers.
The Gospel Coalition wasted no time hiring Alex Harris, the conservative evangelical brother of former Sovereign Grace pastor Josh Harris who was interviewed for the Amazon series, to write a review of Shiny Happy People on the day it was released.
“It can be messy and confusing when outsiders poke around and try to tell a story about the church,” he wrote. “There will inevitably be examples of where these storytellers paint with too broad a brush or give a free platform to people eager to throw stones at a faith they’ve left behind.”
Harris admitted some embarrassing abuse has occurred. But he doesn’t think the docuseries “fairly represents us or our faith.” And despite being raised as part of “The Joshua Generation,” which he and Shiny Happy People define as his generation rising up and attaining “positions of power and influence in government, law and beyond,” Harris says he had “a wonderful homeschool experience, for which I’ll always be grateful.”
“I know people who had positive experiences with IBLP,” Harris wrote. “These were homeschool families with parents who genuinely sought to honor God and do what was best for their children.”
Then, criticizing the series itself, Harris wrote: “On the few occasions the filmmakers try to connect Gothard’s teachings to broader themes in Christianity, the attempts are invariably heavy handed, often equating Gothard’s genuine extremism with beliefs held by the vast majority of evangelicals.” But the outsiders Harris characterizes as throwing stones are women and children who were abused within the hierarchical tower conservative evangelical ministries have built. Harris and The Gospel Coalition cannot pretend to value listening to survivors of abuse when they merely give lip service to their suffering, as evidenced by the way they question their “agenda” and characterize them as outside stone throwers.
==shannon harris===============
The Top 10 Religion Stories of 2023
1. A Memoir's Sharp Look at Christian Marriage PW spoke with author Shannon Harris about purity culture, evangelical Christianity, and her book, The Woman They Wanted: Shattering the Illusion of the Good Christian Wife. “I wanted to contribute my story to the discussion about churches misusing power and authority,” she said. “I believe women need to share our stories so we can bolster each other's courage. It takes a lot of guts to be the woman you are rather than the woman people want you to be.”
(Emma Winner/Publishers Weekly 12/13/23)
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1. A Memoir's Sharp Look at Christian Marriage PW spoke with author Shannon Harris about purity culture, evangelical Christianity, and her book, The Woman They Wanted: Shattering the Illusion of the Good Christian Wife. “I wanted to contribute my story to the discussion about churches misusing power and authority,” she said. “I believe women need to share our stories so we can bolster each other's courage. It takes a lot of guts to be the woman you are rather than the woman people want you to be.”
(Emma Winner/Publishers Weekly 12/13/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
==matthew harrison=============
Feb 22, 2023: Religion News: Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod president calls for excommunicating white nationalists
In a letter dated Feb. 21, LCMS President Matthew Harrison said he was “shocked to learn recently that a few members of LCMS congregations have been propagating radical and unchristian ‘alt-right’ views via Twitter and other social media.” He noted far-right members were causing “local disruption” for congregations and alleged that LCMS leadership and deaconesses had fallen victim to online threats, some of which he described as “serious.”
In a letter dated Feb. 21, LCMS President Matthew Harrison said he was “shocked to learn recently that a few members of LCMS congregations have been propagating radical and unchristian ‘alt-right’ views via Twitter and other social media.” He noted far-right members were causing “local disruption” for congregations and alleged that LCMS leadership and deaconesses had fallen victim to online threats, some of which he described as “serious.”
==brian hastings=============
June 28, 2023: WGLT: Bloomington-Normal churches join a campaign to erase medical debt
When a North Carolina church's debt jubilee service went viral back in April, Bloomington-based pastor Brian Hastings saw the headlines online and was intrigued — but he didn't immediately watch the video or read the corresponding articles and posts about it.
When a North Carolina church's debt jubilee service went viral back in April, Bloomington-based pastor Brian Hastings saw the headlines online and was intrigued — but he didn't immediately watch the video or read the corresponding articles and posts about it.
==stanley hauerwas================
Stanley Martin Hauerwas (born July 24, 1940) is an American theologian, ethicist, and public intellectual. Hauerwas originally taught at the University of Notre Dame before moving to Duke University. Hauerwas was a longtime professor at Duke, serving as the Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke Divinity School with a joint appointment at the Duke University School of Law. In the fall of 2014, he also assumed a chair in theological ethics at the University of Aberdeen. Hauerwas is considered by many to be one of the world's most influential living theologians and was named "America's Best Theologian" by Time magazine in 2001. He was also the first American theologian to deliver the prestigious Gifford Lectures at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland in over forty years. His work is frequently read and debated by scholars in fields outside of religion or ethics, such as political philosophy, sociology, history, and literary theory. Hauerwas has achieved notability outside of academia as a public intellectual, even appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
How Stanley Hauerwas Inspired Us to Have More KidsIf there’s a theologian known for upsetting categories—and unsettling listeners—it’s Stanley Hauerwas. He has been a top voice in virtue ethics, a critic of Reformed theology (to which I hold), and the only theologian I’ve known to cuss in class. He can lob a fiery critique at Christian nationalism, only to tell off the theological left for where they’re not even Christian. Time named him “America’s best theologian” in 2001, eliciting his dry response that “best” isn’t a theological term he recognizes. (The Gospel Coalition 1/11/24)
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I started with the question, “What reason would you give for you or someone else wanting to have a child?” And I would get answers like, “Children are fun,” or “Children are a hedge against loneliness.” Then I recommended getting a dog. They would come up with that one big answer that sounds good. “We want to have children in order to make the world a better place.” And by that, they think that they ought to have a perfect child. And you get into the notion that you can have a child only if you have everything set—finances in good shape, the house, and so on. . . .
The crucial question for us as Christians is what kind of people we need to be to be capable of welcoming children into this world, some of whom may be born disabled and even die. . . . In a world of such terrible misery . . . having children is an extraordinary act of faith and hope. --Stanley Haeurwas; The Hauerwas Reader; (c) 2001
The crucial question for us as Christians is what kind of people we need to be to be capable of welcoming children into this world, some of whom may be born disabled and even die. . . . In a world of such terrible misery . . . having children is an extraordinary act of faith and hope. --Stanley Haeurwas; The Hauerwas Reader; (c) 2001
July 17, 2023: Anxious Bench: Church-Hopping in Texas
We did this, even though my partner and I have had our fair share of awkward July 4th celebrations. During our undergrad days at Southwestern Assemblies of God, in Waxahachie, Texas, we were proselytized into a peace witness by a young ethics professor who had read a lot of John Howard Yoder and Stanley Hauerwas. During the early aughts, (the years we were active in Pentecostals for Peace and Justice,) we refused to do nationalistic things in church–most especially for July 4th. We sat when others stood. We stood but didn’t sing, and so forth. We’ve never figured out how to negotiate July 4th church services. We just always feel awkward.
We did this, even though my partner and I have had our fair share of awkward July 4th celebrations. During our undergrad days at Southwestern Assemblies of God, in Waxahachie, Texas, we were proselytized into a peace witness by a young ethics professor who had read a lot of John Howard Yoder and Stanley Hauerwas. During the early aughts, (the years we were active in Pentecostals for Peace and Justice,) we refused to do nationalistic things in church–most especially for July 4th. We sat when others stood. We stood but didn’t sing, and so forth. We’ve never figured out how to negotiate July 4th church services. We just always feel awkward.
May 21, 2023: Current: Stanley Hauerwas on the Christian church: “My sense is that God is making us leaner.”
Longtime readers of this blog will know that I am a big fan of John Inazu’s work, especially his book Confident Pluralism: Surviving and Thriving Through Deep Difference. Until I read this interview at Inazu’s Substack, I did not realize the Washington University law professor includes Duke University theologian Stanley Hauerwas among his mentors. Here is a taste of the interview, which focuses heavily on the work of moral philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre.
Longtime readers of this blog will know that I am a big fan of John Inazu’s work, especially his book Confident Pluralism: Surviving and Thriving Through Deep Difference. Until I read this interview at Inazu’s Substack, I did not realize the Washington University law professor includes Duke University theologian Stanley Hauerwas among his mentors. Here is a taste of the interview, which focuses heavily on the work of moral philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre.
==kevin hay=====================
Kevin Hay serves as the Lead Pastor of First Baptist Church in Kenova, West Virginia. He is a DMin student in Expository Preaching at The Master’s Seminary and is the editor of the book, Assurance: Our Confidence in Christ by Thomas Goodwin.
This portion of our text gets to the heart of why God has designed the church to be led by supernaturally empowered, biblically qualified, shepherds. Specifically, it’s because the church is comprised of people whom God compares to sheep. As one author rightly noted, “It is no accident that God has chosen to call us sheep…The behavior of sheep and human beings is similar in many ways…sheep do not ‘just take care of themselves’ as some might suppose. They require, more than any other class of livestock, endless attention and meticulous care. --Kevin Hay; First Baptist Church in Kenova, West Virginia.
==MICHAEL AG HAYKIN===============
Sept 2, 2022: Michael AG Haykin: Desiring God: A Meal for the Journey
June 30, 2020: Southern Equip: Michael AG Haykin: How church history will help you defend the faith
Jan 7, 2015: Vimeo: #ChooseAFaculty: A Conversation with Dr. Michael Haykin
Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin is the Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality and Director of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is also the editor of Eusebeia: The Bulletin of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies. His present areas of research include 18th-century British Baptist life and thought, as well as Patristic Trinitarianism and Baptist piety. Haykin is a prolific writer having authored numerous books, over 250 articles and over 150 book reviews. He is also an accomplished editor with numerous editorial credits.
Jan 7, 2015: Vimeo: #ChooseAFaculty: A Conversation with Dr. Michael Haykin
Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin is the Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality and Director of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is also the editor of Eusebeia: The Bulletin of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies. His present areas of research include 18th-century British Baptist life and thought, as well as Patristic Trinitarianism and Baptist piety. Haykin is a prolific writer having authored numerous books, over 250 articles and over 150 book reviews. He is also an accomplished editor with numerous editorial credits.
==timothy head=============
Timothy Head is the executive director of the Faith and Freedom Coalition. Prior to joining Faith and Freedom, he was the district director for a member of the Texas congressional delegation. He also has served as chief of staff and as policy adviser to members of the Texas legislature and worked on the Texas Republican Party's 2010 Victory Texas effort. Before working in public policy, Head did missionary work in Asia, the Middle East and Europe and worked on staff at Antioch Community Church in Waco, Texas. He holds a bachelor's degree in psychology, a master's degree in social work and a law degree, all from Baylor University.
==travis hearne==================
“Everybody understands God’s righteousness and his punishment for sins in their conscience and by nature,” Horton said. “It’s the gospel that is surprising. It’s the ‘but God’ that interrupts karma. As the Law mediated the Old Covenant, Christ as the new Adam mediates the New Covenant and provides his righteousness for those who believe.”
Horton believes contemporary challenges to the biblical doctrine of justification undermine the sufficient work of Christ by falling into legalism and antinomianism. A particular error Horton corrected was the teaching of the so-called new perspective on Paul, which is commonly associated with James Dunn, E.P Sanders, and N.T. Wright. Contrary to proponents of the new perspective on Paul, the Reformers understood Paul’s teaching on justification correctly as a great exchange where Christ’s righteousness is imputed to the faithful.
“Justification is not about the ethnic problem of inclusion or how to get in and stay in the covenant,” Horton said. “It’s the opposite. The question of the true nature of Israel is provoked by the coming wrath of God, not whether Jews must circumcise Gentiles. The questions they were asking were, 'How must we be saved? Am I among that Israel?”
Therefore, according to Horton, Paul’s concern with legalism was a secondary concern to his main concern—that Christ alone is our salvation. The Reformation doctrines of the solas, which include Scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, and to the glory of God alone, all require the central teaching that man is dependent on Christ alone for faith, grace, and true understanding of Scripture.
“Paul totally rejected self-dependence. He saw man as completely depraved and dependent on God. God, through Christ, provided Paul with a salvation that the law could not provide. The prerequisite for that salvation was the quality Abraham had—faith.” --Travis Hearne; Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Michael Horton Delivers Norton Lectures at Southern Seminary 9/15/23
Horton believes contemporary challenges to the biblical doctrine of justification undermine the sufficient work of Christ by falling into legalism and antinomianism. A particular error Horton corrected was the teaching of the so-called new perspective on Paul, which is commonly associated with James Dunn, E.P Sanders, and N.T. Wright. Contrary to proponents of the new perspective on Paul, the Reformers understood Paul’s teaching on justification correctly as a great exchange where Christ’s righteousness is imputed to the faithful.
“Justification is not about the ethnic problem of inclusion or how to get in and stay in the covenant,” Horton said. “It’s the opposite. The question of the true nature of Israel is provoked by the coming wrath of God, not whether Jews must circumcise Gentiles. The questions they were asking were, 'How must we be saved? Am I among that Israel?”
Therefore, according to Horton, Paul’s concern with legalism was a secondary concern to his main concern—that Christ alone is our salvation. The Reformation doctrines of the solas, which include Scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, and to the glory of God alone, all require the central teaching that man is dependent on Christ alone for faith, grace, and true understanding of Scripture.
“Paul totally rejected self-dependence. He saw man as completely depraved and dependent on God. God, through Christ, provided Paul with a salvation that the law could not provide. The prerequisite for that salvation was the quality Abraham had—faith.” --Travis Hearne; Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Michael Horton Delivers Norton Lectures at Southern Seminary 9/15/23
==peter heather=============
Unholy alliance
Christian nationalism is as old as Constantine and as new as MAGA. From the Roman emperor to the Trump slogan, the merging of religious and national identities has taken many forms. Constantine’s conversion did not spiritualize the empire, says historian Peter Heather in his new book, Christendom. Just the opposite: It produced the Romanization of Christianity — religion as servant of the state. American Christians, too, forfeit the soul of their faith when they try to link it with secular power. But the discrediting of faith is only half the damage. Christian nationalism distorts both faith and democracy.
(Paul Schrag/Anabaptist World 8/21/23)
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Christian nationalism is as old as Constantine and as new as MAGA. From the Roman emperor to the Trump slogan, the merging of religious and national identities has taken many forms. Constantine’s conversion did not spiritualize the empire, says historian Peter Heather in his new book, Christendom. Just the opposite: It produced the Romanization of Christianity — religion as servant of the state. American Christians, too, forfeit the soul of their faith when they try to link it with secular power. But the discrediting of faith is only half the damage. Christian nationalism distorts both faith and democracy.
(Paul Schrag/Anabaptist World 8/21/23)
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==lorie hedgepeth============
This passage of scripture affords us more than the basis for the traditional Christmas story. Consider with me three timeless truths from this passage of scripture that are relevant to our life regardless of season or circumstance:
- We, like Mary have the favor of God on our life (v. 28). Psalms 5:12 says, “For you Lord will bless the righteous; with favor you will surround him as with a shield”. I’d rather have the favor of God than the fortune of this world. His Favor never runs out! Psalms 30:5 teaches us that God’s favor lasts a lifetime. Through every season of our life the people of God have the favor of God. God loves all people…but He has placed His favor on His people. Thank God for favor!! Stop, look, and see all the ways that God has canopied your life with His amazing favor.
- The Lord is with us (v.28). The Lord said He would NEVER leave us or forsake us. I can get through what I am going through when I know He is with me! We can walk through difficult places, dismal places, and dry places when we know He is with us. Isaiah 41:10 says, “FEAR THOU NOT…..for I AM WITH THEE! Christmas will come and go…but HE remains. Family comes and goes…but HE remains! This Christmas may be painfully different from last Christmas…but HE is with us! We can get through what we are going through because Jesus…the Son of the living God is with us.
- Like Mary, Jesus, the Son of God lives in us (v.29-32). We don’t visit God at Church—He lives in us. Paul said in Galatians 2:20, “..Christ liveth in me”. The promise of Revelation 3:20 is that when we open our heart’s door to Christ, He comes IN! Paul said in Colossians 1:27 that Christ in you is the hope of Glory! Christ in us is what makes Christmas more than just a religious observance. He, the Christ of Christmas resides in us! I don’t know what you are facing…what you are dealing with this Christmas but know this: this same Jesus whose birth we celebrate can heal broken hearts, heal sick bodies and make a way even in the most desperate of situations. --Lorie Hedgepeth ; Mississippi Assemblies of God; First Words 12-19-22 12.19.22
==matt herman================
Jan 5, 2023: Assemblies of God: PIONEERING CAMPUS MINISTRY
Even though his father, Harvey, worked at the Chi Alpha Campus Ministries national office in Springfield, Missouri, for 30 years, Matt Herman’s destiny to follow him hardly seemed assured as he entered adulthood.
Matt enrolled at Missouri State University (MSU) with plans of becoming an accountant. But during his first semester he got involved in the Chi Alpha group there and by his junior year sensed a call to campus ministry. He graduated in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in religious studies, then earned a master’s in theology at Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. Afterward he served a year as a Chi Alpha intern at Georgetown University.
Even though his father, Harvey, worked at the Chi Alpha Campus Ministries national office in Springfield, Missouri, for 30 years, Matt Herman’s destiny to follow him hardly seemed assured as he entered adulthood.
Matt enrolled at Missouri State University (MSU) with plans of becoming an accountant. But during his first semester he got involved in the Chi Alpha group there and by his junior year sensed a call to campus ministry. He graduated in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in religious studies, then earned a master’s in theology at Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. Afterward he served a year as a Chi Alpha intern at Georgetown University.
==jim herod==============
May 29, 1998: Baptist Press: Utah churches face challenges as part of religious minority
“You are always aware of where the power is,” said Jim Herod, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Hyram, Utah. “But they try to be very careful and not abuse that power, especially in an overt or obvious way. And they are sensitive to others who are not Mormons.”
Over the past 20 years or so, in fact — as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been increasingly portrayed as a part of mainstream Christianity — there has been even more interest in working cooperatively and respectfully with non-Mormons, Herod said.
“You are always aware of where the power is,” said Jim Herod, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Hyram, Utah. “But they try to be very careful and not abuse that power, especially in an overt or obvious way. And they are sensitive to others who are not Mormons.”
Over the past 20 years or so, in fact — as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been increasingly portrayed as a part of mainstream Christianity — there has been even more interest in working cooperatively and respectfully with non-Mormons, Herod said.
==carter heyward==============
In a time of national crisis, when human rights and democratic ideals are under threat, it’s everyone’s responsibility to take a stand—but those of us who benefit from the harmful systems fueling the emergency have an even greater moral obligation to act. For the Rev. Dr. Carter Heyward, a groundbreaking feminist theologian, that means Christians need to play a much bigger role in the fight against fascism.
Today’s Republican Party seems intent on transforming the United States into a grimly theocratic nation, inspired by a deeply capitalistic form of Christianity. Though Trumpism offers a novel twist on old bigotries, its roots run deep in our country’s history. “Nothing we are witnessing in the 21st century is new,” Heyward writes in the introduction to her book, The Seven Deadly Sins of White Christian Nationalism: A Call to Action, released in September. “In the past several years, however, our problems have come to a boil.” |
==jack hibbs==============
May 29, 2022: Denver Post: Christian nationalism on the rise in some GOP campaigns
Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Chino Hills, California, has also sought to influence local elections. While he does not let candidates campaign at the church, he frequently offers endorsements as a way of signaling to his flock those who are “pro-family, pro-life and pro-freedom.”
But “the hair on my neck goes up” when he hears the term “Christian nationalism,” he said. And he was embarrassed to see Christian imagery during the Jan. 6 riot: “That was a sad day, to see those sacred symbols and words pimped like that.”
Yet while he believes the founders created a secular nation, Hibbs said every Christian should have an equal say.
Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Chino Hills, California, has also sought to influence local elections. While he does not let candidates campaign at the church, he frequently offers endorsements as a way of signaling to his flock those who are “pro-family, pro-life and pro-freedom.”
But “the hair on my neck goes up” when he hears the term “Christian nationalism,” he said. And he was embarrassed to see Christian imagery during the Jan. 6 riot: “That was a sad day, to see those sacred symbols and words pimped like that.”
Yet while he believes the founders created a secular nation, Hibbs said every Christian should have an equal say.
==Flavio Rogerio Hickel Jr=======
While born-again Christians favored Carter over Republican Gerald Ford, 58 to 33 percent, in the 1976 Presidential Election, their allegiance switched to Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, due in part to the work of independent (and eventual Southern) Baptist Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority. Falwell formed his political organization in advance of the 1980 election to counter what he and his allies perceived to be a moral decline in America in the 1960s and 1970s. Falwell’s Moral Majority sought a return to promoting the (White) Christian traditional heterosexual nuclear family on the heels of recent movements aimed at greater racial, gender and sexual equality. The group helped deliver important electoral gains, especially in the South, for Reagan, who similarly campaigned as a “family values” conservative. The Moral Majority supported Reagan’s successor, George H.W. Bush, in 1988, which demonstrated the power and GOP leanings of the White evangelical vote. --Flavio Rogerio Hickel Jr; Washington Post; Born-again Christians are less Southern Baptist than they used to be 7.7.23
==Steve Hickey===========
July 7, 2023: Washington Post: Born-again Christians are less Southern Baptist than they used to be
“Mike Bickle is not distractible,” said Steve Hickey, a seminary professor at Alaska Christian College and a former pastor. “He’s very focused. He’s got a very biblical and responsible approach.”
“Mike Bickle is not distractible,” said Steve Hickey, a seminary professor at Alaska Christian College and a former pastor. “He’s very focused. He’s got a very biblical and responsible approach.”