Morgan and Paul Olliges of the “That’s Not In the Bible Show” always manage to bring me out of my self-imposed blogging exile somehow. That said, for once I have a reason for temporarily abandoning my blog and it’s not just that I’m playing Jedi Fallen Order (10/10 game), but I’m writing articles for a local newspaper, which takes up a lot of time because, unlike my blog posts, those have to be coherent, grammatically correct, and well-written.
Morgan Olliges posted on Instagram asking why people who have pre-marital sex still go to church. I don’t know, maybe because Jesus said, “[t]hose who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Furthermore, Morgan herself had pre-marital sex and readily accepted the grace God offered her. But doesn’t want to extend that same grace to others, which is typical of conservative, evangelical Christians. Jesus forgives but you heathen liberals are going to hell for doing the exact same thing I’m doing, amiright?
She continues (along with her husband) to use their platform to spew drivel. Specifically that living in sexual sin causes mental health issues and insinuating that Christians having extra-marital sex aren’t really Christians.
There’s only one caveat to being saved and that’s outlined in John 3:16, “if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” That isn’t to discredit works entirely – part of becoming a Christian is accepting Jesus as your Savior and Lord. However, salvation isn’t negated by having sex, or even living in deliberate sin. Of course, evidence that you have a walk with God is choosing to no longer live in sin but that’s not what she’s saying here.
Second, I’m gonna guess she’s probably not talking about pornography in regards to “sexual sin” which is adultery. Nor is she talking about lust of which her husband, Paul, is always going on about women in the gym wearing leggings and how he’s lusting after them. By her logic, why is Paul going to church when he’s still ogling other women and living in sexual sin? Again Biblically speaking, merely looking at a woman with lust is committing adultery, so she really ought to talk to her husband about his salvation first and maybe read the Bible. Specifically the part where Jesus said take the speck out of your own eye before throwing shade, ya hypocrite.
Third, can you imagine Jesus saying to all the people who came to Him for salvation and healing, “I don’t wanna hear from you?” Like it’s actually incredibly sad that she thinks this is acceptable behavior for Christians. What a missed opportunity here to spread the gospel and love on those who are hurting, yet instead she choose to be judgmental.
And she’s wrong. Jesus straight up tells us we will suffer in this world; struggling with mental health as a Christian doesn’t mean you’ve done something wrong, or are living in sin. It’s the product of living in a fallen world in which we’re all more or less promised some level of suffering (which… sounds depressing…). Not that there aren’t consequences for sin, but telling people the reason they struggle with mental health issues is because they’re having sex outside of marriage and you don’t wanna hear from them is cruel and stupid.
As a Christian, I’m obviously not gonna encourage anyone to commit adultery lol even thought it’s low on the list of things I care about, personally. In fact, Morgan might’ve been on to something because 1 Corinthians does say, “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.” That said, Morgan is the pot calling the kettle black here given she was screwing around prior to meeting Paul. Instead of extending grace to those reaching out to her, she questions why they’re going to the one place that will help them live out their Christian faith.
The Bible says, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” My issue with Morgan and Paul, other than the fact that the Bible is always an afterthought to whatever political brownie point they’re trying to score that day, is they’re always speaking from a place of pride, judgment, and condemnation, rather than love. It’s partially why they’re the target of so much criticism online.
From suggesting God (who is neither male nor female, by the way) should strike Ariana Grande down for a music video, to supporting a war, to straight up lying, to admitting to being selfish whilst simultaneously criticizing women who don’t want children as selfish, to joking about consensual sex, to encouraging their fans to bully a company rather than turning the other cheek, and complaining about interracial couples in Rings of Power it’s clear Morgan and Paul are only interested in engaging in culture wars, owning the left, and generally being awful under the guise of “speaking hard truths.” They cherry-pick scripture in an attempt to fit their conservative, far-right ideology into the Bible, which naturally results in a lot of false doctrine and wonky teachings. They’re (sadly) not unique in this but merely a reflection of the American church, which has mistaken the triumph of a political party as a win for the kingdom of God and thus spend most of their time idolizing political leaders, instead of Jesus Christ.
It’s ironic Morgan specifically questions why people having extramarital sex are still going to church, when hot take: going to church doesn’t make one a Christian. Rather, evidence that one is a Christian can be found in fostering the fruits of the spirit. Love, kindness, and gentleness are ways the world knows we’re Christians without us saying so. Looking through their history, I saw no examples of them regularly doing anything generous for their fans who support them (giveaways, gift cards, even randomly gifting someone $5 for coffee which many of the Christian influencers I follow do), nor do they regularly donate to, or encourage their fans to donate to organizations and charities that help the poor, orphans, or pregnant women. But they do brag about getting $1400 strollers from their fans and beg for gifts online.
Take away their YouTube channel, Instagram posts, and all the things they say about being a Christian, and their actions reveal greedy, prideful, and selfish individuals who aren’t very much like Christ at all. Needless to say, if anyone ought to question the sincerity of their faith and salvation, it’s probably Paul and Morgan.
ARayOfDawn 