The problem is that many of us today hear “sinner” and think only in religious categories. The sinner is the one who “breaks the Law,” but the “Law” becomes understood not in terms of “Love your neighbor as yourself” or “Leave the corners of your field for the poor,” but in terms of earning one’s way into heaven, legalism, or works-righteousness.

The Jericho March represented a different kind of Christian scandal—fanatical Christian nationalism. Vischer and Jethani argued that the American church needed to hear less from popular celebrities and more from courageous prophetic voices, from people who boldly seek justice and call us to turn, individually and institutionally, from sin.

And don’t think for a moment that these failings are isolated to Zacharias alone or to people like Liberty University’s Jerry Falwell Jr. or Hillsong’s Carl Lentz. These powerful men were coddled and enabled by other powerful men and then automatically and reflexively defended by thousands upon thousands of angry and loyal Christian followers until

But as we’ve seen in the last few years, and any social networking site will reveal, this has not led us to a utopian space free of conflict. Rather, conflict is rife because there are no outside social norms of decorum, humility, and mercy. Those are norms and virtues that are just too slow for a curated self in the world of social acceleration.