Flipping Tables
If there’s one moment in the Gospels that cuts through the saccharine Sunday School version of Jesus, it’s the scene in the temple where he flips the tables. It’s raw. It’s righteous. It’s a furious response to the hypocrisy and exploitation he saw in the heart of the religious establishment. That moment isn’t just about rage - it’s about defending what matters. Truth. Justice. The vulnerable.
So what would Jesus think about the Soul Survivor scandal? Let’s not sugar-coat this. He’d be f*cking furious.
A Time to Turn Over the Tables
The Soul Survivor brand - because that’s what it is - built its reputation as the glowing beacon of British evangelical Christianity. They’ve drawn tens of thousands of young people over decades, offering faith, fun, and worship on a massive scale. But now, with substantiated allegations of abuse, manipulation, and unchecked power tearing through its foundations, the silence from its leaders has been deafening.
Let’s be clear: scandals like this don’t just happen in a vacuum. They thrive in systems that prioritise appearances over accountability, sermons over souls, and platforms over people.
The problem isn’t just the alleged actions of a few individuals. It’s the entire culture of evangelicalism that often preaches grace but practices gaslighting. A culture that sings about healing while sweeping wounds under the rug. A culture that declares “everyone’s welcome,” but only if they keep quiet about the cracks in the system.
Well, the cracks are gaping wide now. And this is a turning point. Or it certainly should be.
No More Preaching First, Caring Later
Jesus didn’t walk into the temple and say, “Let’s have a little chat about your feelings.” He flipped tables because sometimes that’s the only way to get people’s attention. Sometimes, the polite conversations have failed.
For too long, evangelical Christianity - Soul Survivor included - has basked in the limelight when times were good. But when times get tough? It retreats. It downplays. It gaslights. And it’s not good enough. If Jesus were here, he wouldn’t be clapping along to the worship set or nodding approvingly at the slick stage design. He’d be calling out the whole charade.
Let’s be honest: the idea of “business as usual” is a slap in the face to everyone who trusted the church and got burned. It’s insulting to survivors who had the courage to speak up. And it’s an affront to the Gospel itself.
Because what’s the point of preaching love if you can’t show it? What’s the point of declaring grace if you refuse to admit fault? What’s the point of building a ministry if its foundations are rotten?
Wounds, Scars, and Redemption
This isn’t about cancelling Soul Survivor or evangelicalism entirely. It’s about reckoning with the wounds and scars that so many carry because of these systems. It’s about saying, “We were wrong,” and meaning it. Because here’s the thing: Jesus cared about the wounded. He spent his time with the broken, the betrayed, the downtrodden. The people the system ignored. And if evangelical Christianity doesn’t take this moment to do the same - to confront its failures, to prioritise survivors, to actually live out the Gospel it preaches - then what’s the point?
This isn’t a call to polish the PR strategy or slap a Bible verse over the mess. It’s a call to flip the tables. To stop hiding behind “God’s plan” as an excuse for human failure. To tear down the systems that enabled abuse and build something better.
Jesus wouldn’t be remotely impressed with business as usual at Soul Survivor. So let’s not settle for it either. Let’s make this a turning point. Not just for Soul Survivor, but for the entire culture of evangelical Christianity. Because if we don’t? Then we’ve missed the point entirely.