5 controversies surrounding former NIH Director Francis Collins
5. Elite Evangelicals protect Collins, refuse to apologize: 'Poster boy'
Big names in evangelicalism — known derisively as "Big Eva" — such as Rick Warren, the late Tim Keller, Russell Moore, Ed Stetzer and David French, all have praised Collins as an exemplary Christian whose contributions to the world of science are to be applauded.
According to Josh Daws, host of the "Great Awokening" podcast and the author of a forthcoming book examining how some Evangelical Christians have made an idol out of evangelism, commented to The Christian Post in an email that Big Eva's silence about Collins is glaringly telling of the bankruptcy of their evangelistic philosophy.
"Collins was the poster boy for the 'faithful presence' model of cultural engagement. He was their shining example of a Christian at the top of his field, supposedly representing Christ well. But the reality is that his tenure has been marked by devastating failures. From funding horrific research to championing LGBT causes to misleading the public on COVID policies, his actions have betrayed the very principles he claimed to represent," Daws said.
"The 'faithful presence' model prioritizes winsomeness and influence over truth and courage. In Collins, we see how that approach results in compromise. Protecting his 'presence' in the cultural elite came at the expense of faithfulness — not just to the Gospel, but to basic morality and integrity."
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"His defenders in Big Eva refuse to reckon with these failures. Their loyalty to Collins is ultimately loyalty to a broken framework of engagement that sacrifices truth for credibility. Instead of confronting his legacy honestly, they double down, clinging to a strategy that has repeatedly shown itself to be both morally and theologically bankrupt," Daws added.
