By: Ellie Simmers | Editor-in-Chief
Poster from Brian Recker’s lecture. Credit: University of Lynchburg
On Monday, March 16, 2026, the University of Lynchburg’s 84th annual Jennie Cutler Shumate Lecture was held in Snidow Chapel, with Brian Recker, an ex-evangelical pastor and progressive Christian influencer and author, as the keynote speaker.
Recker, an alumnus of Bob Jones University, a former Marine officer, and the son of a Baptist minister, has amassed over 420,000 Instagram followers through sharing his journey of “deconstruction,” or the examination and analysis of his fundamental Christian beliefs and how he is embracing an exclusive, progressive faith today.
The day before, at First Christian Church in Lynchburg, Recker spoke in depth about his deconstruction and bestselling book, “Hell Bent: How the Fear of Hell Holds Christians Back from a Spirituality of Love.”
During his lecture in Snidow Chapel, Recker focused on the idea of “driving out” demons and how different that looks in a deconstructed faith rather than a fundamentalist religion.
Recker’s message challenged the audience to rethink spiritual warfare beyond traditional notions of individual evil or supernatural forces. Instead, he framed it as a struggle against deeply embedded systemic “demons,” like war, homophobia, ableism and the patriarchy.
Using a mix of Bible verses and quotes from renowned theologians such as Martin Luther King Jr. and James Cone, alongside words from secular scholars such as bell hooks and Christena Cleveland, Recker illuminated how these oppressive systems function as the real “demonic” forces.
“The normalcy of civilization is barbarism. And that’s the water that we swim in. Think about it. Does a shark even see the water? You don’t even notice. We swim in death,” said Recker.
Recker did not shy away from calling out the Trump administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the war in Iran, specifically the death of at least 150 schoolgirls, as proof of this evil that transcends differences in voting and budget issues.
During the second-half of his lecture, Recker shifted focus to one of the evils he had mentioned previously: the patriarchy. He described this system as pervasive, which not only oppresses women but also often silences marginalized voices and perpetuates harmful hierarchies within religious communities and society.
Using both fundamentalist and secular examples of proponents of the patriarchy, such as Bill Gothard and Andrew Tate, Recker invited the men in the audience to reject the power that is offered to them by the patriarchy, in order to break away from the rigid masculinity that Christianity has been used to enforce.
“My dudes, if you want to do something manly, it’s not growing your muscles or your IG following or getting an expensive car. It means standing where Jesus stood and using what power you do have,” said Recker.
Recker’s ultimate message at the end of his humorous, passionate, and evidence-packed lecture was to live like Jesus, not the one that fundamental Christianity has painted him to be, but the radical, loving man who surrounded himself with the least of these.
For more information about Brian Recker, visit https://www.brianrecker.com/
