Hugh Hewitt really didn’t like my book
I don’t mean to imply that Hugh doesn’t like me. But for anyone who might have it out for me, I refer them to this interview for your enjoyment.
Here’s a sample of some of the questions Hugh asked me:
“I have never heard of CJ Mahaney or Lou Engle until I read your book, never heard. And I’ve been covering religion since 1992. So the first question, do you think your perspective in testimony might be jaded by that particular Covenant Life Church experience and these particular pastors?”
“You went to Montgomery College, you went to University of Maryland. I’m not sure your high school was particularly challenging. Was it?”
“Did you maybe grow up in a culture that just wasn’t intellectually curious enough?”
“I think there’s a very well reported book on your own history, but I’m curious if you think it is damaged at all by perhaps lack of a grasp on Christian experience, culture, and identity outside of that slice of evangelicalism that you grew up in?”
“I don’t want people not to go to youth group ’cause yours was kind of weird. I mean, your church was kind of weird, wasn’t it?”
“I took away from Testimony that you projected your own lack of experience with the black church under the Christian faith generally. Whereas people like me who’ve been dealing with black pastors for 30 years and who know my history and who teach Jim Crow and have been teaching about the 14th Amendment for 30 years, we’re not surprised by any… I mean, we’re very well aware of the black church and the need for racial reconciliation. It’s just not news to us. But it’s news to you because again, you grew up in a silo … I think the silo has really maybe dented your ability to understand the Christian faith.”
“If they’re a secular person and they come to testimony, I don’t want them thinking that your experience is general. It’s not. I think it’s rather rare actually.”
“I’m not sure I trust you as a journalist. And the reason is you hate Donald Trump and Donald Trump represents so much between the coasts.“
My answer to that last question is here:
“Well, I don’t hate Donald Trump. I love truth. And Donald Trump took a two by four to truth, and it’s my job as a journalist to stand up and represent what is true when he does that. And that’s what I’ve done.“
You can listen to the whole thing here!
