Secret and Shameful Ways

No.258: May 16, 2025

Welcome to The Square Inch, a Friday newsletter on Christianity, culture, and all of the many-varied “square inches” of God’s domain. This is a paid subscription feature with a preview before the paywall, so please consider subscribing to enjoy this weekly missive along with a frequent Pipe & Dram feature of little monologues/conversations in my study, and Wednesday’s “The Quarter Inch,” a quick(er) commentary on current events.

Dear Friends,

Segments of the online Christian world are in an uproar due to this press release. At the outset, I should make this clear so that you can take my comments with the appropriate number of grains of salt: “G3 Ministries” is not something with which I am terribly familiar. It is a Reformed Baptist organization and conference and thus not really in my orbit. Because of some occasional overlap with the ecosystem I do inhabit, I am familiar with the names and online personae of many of its leaders and fellow-travelers. They show up on my social media feeds all the time.

Long story short: G3’s President, Josh Buice, was discovered to have operated a handful of anonymous “X” (or “Twitter”) accounts; he used these accounts to stir up dissension and slander various well-regarded Christian leaders, including, apparently, his own elders of the church he pastors. He apparently even used these anonymous accounts to argue with himself on social media (presumably to make himself look good?). Apparently, Buice had been asked about these “weird” anonymous accounts over the years and he declaimed any knowledge of them. Now, there is proof that he is the man behind the curtain, and when confronted by G3’s board, maintained his innocence until they produced irrefutable evidence and denial became no longer possible. Now, he’s “repentant” and seeking forgiveness and restoration and healing and blah blah blah blah blah—perhaps it is unkind of me to be sarcastic and dismissive, but I am sarcastic and dismissive. A person who “repents” only when all plausible deniability disappears does not garner a lot of sympathy from me.

The board dismissed him and, later, took down all of his published materials on their website. They also canceled their annual conference, which typically gathers six thousand people. That’s pretty serious business. They also said in their statement that they do not believe Buice’s sins are “permanently disqualifying” for ministry. I beg to differ. Years of anonymous subterfuge and sowing of dissension is permanently disqualifying for a Christian minister. Such a man can be forgiven, of course. Restored to the Christian community, sure. Be a member in good standing, by all means. But leader? No way. An overseer must be “above reproach,” “self-controlled,” “respectable,” “not quarrelsome,” and must “have a good reputation with outsiders,” for starters (1 Tim. 3).

I have to admit this is all new to me. Usually, you hear of a pastor’s super-secret online porn habit, not his super-secret online quarreling problem. There is more than one way to get a dopamine hit, I suppose, and “owning people” on X appears to be one of them—even when the person you’re “owning” is yourself over on your fake account.

I have thoughts.