Shane Vander Hart

Yesterday, I soft-launched a new website focused on Iowa political news. I just put it out there without much explanation for why I started it and what that means for Caffeinated Thoughts.

The new news site, The Iowa Torch, was an idea I first articulated over a year ago right here. Over the last year, my belief that Caffeinated Thoughts was not a great fit for Iowa political news strengthened. You may not be aware, but I never planned for Caffeinated Thoughts to be a news site. It was always meant to be a place for commentary and opinion, hence the name – Caffeinated Thoughts, not Caffeinated News.

Caffeinated Thoughts’ focus, starting in 2021, is conservative Christian commentary on culture, current events, faith, and politics. My goal is to get back to CT’s roots and to write more deeply about how the topics we write about intersect with a Christian worldview. 

I’ll also welcome more contributors. If you can write and this is something that interests you drop me a line there at shane@caffeinatedthoughts.com. 

Iowa political news, analysis, and commentary will exclusively be at The Iowa Torch. News and opinion pieces will be clearly distinguished from one another on the site. Commentary and editorials will be from a center-right perspective. The Iowa Torch will not shy away from controversial subjects, but, just like Caffeinated Thoughts, we are not gunning for click bait, unlike some other websites you see.

Like Caffeinated Thoughts, The Iowa Torch will also be independent, not beholden to any political party, elected official, or candidate. 

Here is some basic information:

Tagline: Shining a light on Iowa politics. 

Mission: The mission of ​The Iowa Torch​ is to inform Iowans about important policy and political news from the local, state, and federal levels and engage Iowans with thoughtful commentary and analysis from a center-right perspective.

What The Iowa Torch will cover:

• State Government: Executive Branch, Legislature, Courts
• Federal Government: Iowa’s Members of Congress, Federal policy that impacts Iowa
• Campaigns: Iowa Caucus, Iowa’s Congressional and U.S. Senate Races, statewide races, Iowa legislative races
• Iowa’s Political Parties
• Local Government
• Education and other issues of interest to our readers

Values:

1. Tell the truth:​ As far as the truth can be ascertained, reporters and columnists for ​The Iowa Torch​ will tell the whole truth and seek to provide all the facts related to a story.
2. News is news, commentary is commentary​: Readers of ​The Iowa Torch​ will know what articles are news providing information and which articles are opinion meant to persuade. Our writers will not interject their personal opinion into news articles.
3. Transparency:​ While every effort will be made to avoid conflicts of interest, if one is present, ​The Iowa Torch​ will disclose it. If a mistake is made in an article, we will note that an article was edited and changed.
4. Fairness and Accuracy:​ ​The Iowa Torch​ will not mislead our readers or misquote sources. We will strive to make sure the facts in a story are accurate and provide the context of any quote, video clip, or audio clip referenced. If we make a mistake, we will quickly and publicly correct it.
5. Family-friendly:​ ​The Iowa Torch​ will not publish crude, graphic, or profane language or images. If the subject matter is not suitable for young readers, we will provide a warning at the top of the article.

I hope that you continue to read Caffeinated Thoughts AND become a regular reader of The Iowa Torch. There will eventually be a paywall there, but most of the content there will be free for all. Subscribers to “The Iowa Torch Plus” will have access to premium articles and have the ability to comment on the site for a reasonable monthly subscription price (less than a cup of coffee). I’m not sure exactly when I will roll that feature out. I’ll also welcome advertisers. 

So please bookmark The Iowa Torch. Like it on Facebook, follow it on Twitter, subscribe to the YouTube Channel, and sign-up for daily emails. I also plan to have an Instagram account, MeWe page, and Parler account (I have a few hoops to figure out with Parler first).

If you haven’t already, I’d encourage you to like Caffeinated Thoughts on Facebook, follow CT on Twitter, like at MeWe, follow at Parler, follow on Instagram, subscribe to its YouTube channel, and sign-up for daily emails.

I just thought I should let you know that I’m taking a new social media platform a spin. Parler was launched in response to Twitter’s growing draconian approach to dealing with speech it doesn’t like. You can follow me on Parler here.

One of Parler’s core values is bipartisan free speech and free expression.

This is not replacing Twitter for me (though it has for some), I’ll continue to use it, but I like giving new social media platforms a spin so I can familiarize myself with it. I also want to be sure I have a platform if any of these new contenders become big.

How to describe Parler. It’s like Twitter in that posts have character limits, but one can post up to 1000 characters rather than 280. People can comment, echo posts (similar to a retweet with a comment), and vote up (similar to liking tweets). One can share links, pictures, videos, gifs, and the mobile app has memes.

I honestly can’t tell you how active I’ll be on it. My track record isn’t that great on new platforms… my Gab account is inactive (I may try it out again, but when I signed on they didn’t have a mobile app and it was becoming an alt-right cess pool) and I’ve not been on MeWe for ages. I thought I created a Minds account, but apparently I never did.

I know, I know, I’m not really doing a good job talking you into following me. If you are interested please do because I’ll stick with it if I sense I can build a decent platform.

I launched Caffeinated Thoughts intending to maintain it as a personal blog. The first two years shared a lot of personal and ministry news (I worked for an organization called Serve Our Youth Network at the time). It morphed into a multi-contributor (though I still do the bulk of the writing) place for news and commentary on politics, faith, culture, and current events.

Since I live in Iowa, I write a lot about Iowa politics. Because of the branding of that website (which I love by the way), it’s eclectic nature, how news is often mixed with opinion, and the limited amount of time I am able to put in it is not seen as the legitimate news site that it could be. (When I’m asked what news site I’m with I often get strange looks when I say “Caffeinated Thoughts” unless people know me.)

So I’m thinking out loud here – I’ve thought and prayed about a new news site. At first, I thought I would rebrand Caffeinated Thoughts, but I would hate to do that. It’s a known website. It fits a niche, and I don’t want to disrupt that. Instead of trying to generate news from that website it should focus on commentary. After all, it is in the name – “thoughts” – and generally everyone, besides me when I write straight news pieces, offers an opinion.

What I have in mind is a broader center-right website that would focus on Iowa political news and public policy.

• Federal news as it applies to Iowans.
• State political news from the executive branch, legislature, judicial branch, and political groups and parties, as well as, election news.
• Municipal news (with the addition of other contributors)
• Think pieces on public policy as it relates to Iowa
• Opinion – separate from the news

Creating a new, Iowa-focused news site is not an idea that I am ready to launch tomorrow, next week, or even next month (if at all). To do this well, it will take funding – something I lack. It will take sponsors and investors.

I would like to ask for prayer as I continue to explore this.

I would also appreciate feedback so please feel free to drop me a line – shane@shanevanderhart.com.

Sorry for the long hiatus, I’ve been convicted about not posting here semi-regularly. There are things I want to write about that are not a good fit other places I write, and this particular topic is one of those items.

Ligon Duncan, the CEO/Chancellor of Reformed Theological Seminary, shared his social media strategy on Twitter earlier this month. I wanted to share the 10 rules he shared:

1. Relentlessly encourage, edify & inform.
2. Ignore trolls, mockers & slanderers into oblivion.
3. Starve dissensionists, narcissists, & errorists of the attention they crave.
4. Point people to sound people & resources.
5. Exalt Christ. Bible. Grace. Truth. Gospel.
6. Stay out of food fights. Don’t lob hand grenades into serious discussions. Bring people together.
7. Be kind. Persuade (rather than rally).
8. Treat people on social media like I would treat them in person.
9. Don’t be different on social media from what I am in my life, family, church and ministry. Be the same person online and offline.
10. Don’t give inordinate attention to people whose only “platform” is social media & who elsewhere have little accountability, responsibility.

I think this is a pretty good list, a convicting list. Some days I do this better than others. However, I think that social media (Twitter especially) would be a much better place if more of us followed rules #8 and #9 in particular. 

The Chicago Tribune published a lengthy exposé about sexual misconduct allegations that have been made against Bill Hybels, the founder and Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church. I don’t want to repeat them here, but I encourage you to read the story and Willow Creek’s and Bill Hybels’ response.

I’m very familiar with this congregation. I had many friends and serve at the church in South Barrington, IL (a suburb northwest of Chicago) when I attended Trinity International University. I attended their youth ministry conference when I was a youth pastor. I’ve attended their services in the past.

I’m personally not a fan of the seeker-sensitive worship model and I don’t agree with all of Hybels’ or the church’s theology (doctrines of grace, women as elders and pastors, etc.). That said, I do appreciate their heart for the lost, I did come away with some great ideas through their training, and I have zero doubt that God has used that church in Chicago and beyond.

I am also concerned when any church encounters trouble like this. Churches with the impact and visibility that Willow Creek has is even more troubling because of the impact it can make throughout the global Church.

The news story also just makes me sad. It is disappointing if true, and I’m familiar with some of his accusers (Nancy Beach, John and Nancy Ortberg) so I can’t envision what motive they would have to lie. A number of the claims seem credible and at least one, not so much.

On the other hand, if this isn’t true, I would be equally disappointed in the accusers. I find it sad all around.

I think what is definitely clear in the article, whether or not anything inappropriate took place, was that he did not truly practice the “Billy Graham rule” like he encouraged others to do.

The “Billy Graham rule” comes from the late evangelist’s policy to not spend time alone with women he was not related or married to. It served him well.

If he had there would have been no side trip with Nancy Beach. There would not have been any one-on-one meetings with women that could have put him (and the women!) in potentially compromising situations. Following the “Billy Graham rule” would have guarded against false accusations and prevented potential sexual misconduct.

I wish that Hybels would admit to failing in this way or that Willow Creek would call him out on it.

While the church should not assume the allegations are true, they shouldn’t assume they are not as well.

The Bible says, “Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses,” (1 Timothy 5:19, ESV).

If the Chicago Tribune story is accurate (and I think they were fair in getting both sides of the story) we are well beyond that threshold.

It’s important that we don’t put leaders on a pedestal, so high that we think they can never fall. Because when they do fall it reverberates through the church.

The Apostle Paul added in his instruction to Timothy, “As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear,” (1 Timothy 5:20, ESV).

I do commend Willow Creek Community Church’s elders for investigating the allegations.

My prayer is that Willow Creek will reconsider whether the investigation they instigated was thorough enough. Three former board members of the Willow Creek Association, one of whom I know personally, resigned because they believed it was not.

I also pray that there will be transparency (they have not released the investigator’s report). Even if Hybels did not engage in sexual misconduct, it’s important to disclose whether or not he put himself in compromising situations. It’s also important for the church to know how thorough the investigation really was.

Also, let this be a lesson to all in leadership. Lead and live above reproach. The “Billy Graham rule” is a great policy to make your own.