During a recent podcast episode, Reformed Theological Seminary Chancellor and The Gospel Coalition Board Member Ligon Duncan displayed brutal ignorance and breathtaking faithlessness as he attacked the Abolitionist Movement.

The podcast was primarily aimed at criticizing theonomy and culture war Christians more broadly. Duncan and host Sean Demars praised the cultural engagement style of Tim Keller (which was total appeasement) while mocking and condemning the "Moscow Mood" as being a bunch of people who "larp faithfulness and courage on social media" while actually being "guys acting like they're tough, but put them in a room and you'd have them in the fetal position in three seconds."

At the 49-minute mark, Duncan turns his attention to abolitionists, accusing us of opportunistically coming on the scene after Roe was overturned without demonstrating long-term faithfulness:

"Roe v. Wade gets overturned and suddenly there's an Abortion Abolition Movement. Like, where were you, like, for the last 50 years?"

Simply stated, this is a lie. Abolitionists have been fighting this battle since 2011 when the movement began. He may have only encountered abolitionists in the last two years, but if so, that's on him for speaking in ignorance.

Even then, it's hard to believe he only just heard of us. We've had abolition bills introduced in various states since 2016. The first abolition bill to make major national headlines was in 2019. We've had tables at reformed conferences which Duncan frequents since 2013. It's very difficult to believe he thinks we've only existed since June 2022. Regardless, the claim is slanderous. If Duncan has integrity, he'll retract it.

Given his lie here and bravado about putting culture war Christians in the fetal position, it is quite hilarious that an entire segment of the podcast entitled "Mocking and Slander" was dedicated to criticizing the supposed dishonesty and belligerence of those Duncan wants to criticize. The irony, apparently, has yet to hit Duncan and Demars.

Later in the episode, in reference to both abolitionism and theonomy (which Abolitionists Rising does not take an official position on), Duncan says, "You can be really brave and have these really strong opinions and think you're really pure and think you're the one true believer in everyone's midst, and there's no possibility of this being implemented in any possible world."

A lot could be said here, but the bottom line is that Ligon Duncan is simply a coward. Having long embraced the cultural appeasement methodology of The Gospel Coalition (including writing the foreword to Woke Church), Duncan refused to meaningfully fight the cultural of death before things were as bad as they are now, yet now he chastises others for fighting because of how lost the cause now is. No matter the cultural situation, men like Duncan always have their excuse for living at peace with the culture of death and maximizing their own comfort atop their ivory tower.

However, let it not be said that Duncan doesn't fight! He will bow up and fight you, Christian, if you take up the Sword of the Spirit and fight the culture of death with it. What a backstabber. In taking such actions, Duncan is not calling for a culture war detente, but rather one-sided, Christian surrender.

Further, his faithlessness is on full display when he says he doesn't think it's possible that God could move in America, or even in any particular state or "any possible world," such that abortion would be abolished. Suffice it to say, we believe in a much more powerful gospel than he does.

The days of culturally moderate (that is, lukewarm) evangelicals prognosticating about the evils of culture war engagement from their cash flush institutions atop ivory towers are coming to an end. The troubles we now face are largely the result of this ivory tower, neutral world Christianity that has held evangelical leadership for decades. God is stirring up a generation that is not content to appease or negotiate with child sacrifice, the transing of kids, and whatever other fresh depravity leftists brought up out of hell yesterday.

We're here for abolition. We're here for justice. We're here to rescue the perishing and we receive Ligon Duncan's pleas for Christians to surrender to the culture of death as nothing more than the pathetic howling of a cowardly traitor