The Empty Promises of Sentimentalism

March 25th, 2026 | 11 min read

In the ancient baptismal liturgy, the Christian is asked to renounce three things: Satan, his works, and his empty promises. The third of these has always been the most fascinating, because it addresses the mode by which evil most characteristically operates. Satan rarely tempts in his odious, gargoyled, form. His works are seldom advertised as such. But his empty promises, the offer of something luminous that conceals something ruinous, can ensnare the best among us.

true

Want to keep reading?

Subscribe for free to access this article and all of our resources.

Tim Rosenberger

Tim Rosenberger serves as Senior Counsel at the United States Department of Education. He was previously a fellow at the Manhattan Institute and Stanford University’s Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. He was also the founding COO of Verbum Labs and serves as a Chaplain with the Cleveland Division of Police. Before matriculating to law school, he was a legal policy fellow at the Cicero Institute, a parish pastor, and a management consultant with McKinsey & Company. He has contributed to a variety of academic, popular, and professional publications, including the Wall Street Journal, The Hill, The New York Post, and City Journal.

Topics:

Culture

The Empty Promises of Sentimentalism

Want to keep reading?

The Liberalism of George Smiley

From Libertarian to Authoritarian: The Devolution of Evangelical Politics

Marilynne Robinson's Simple Wisdom

The State of the Internet: 2026

A Conversation with Andrew Peterson About the Music of Rich Mullins

The Sacred and the Profane

A Gift Shared With My People, 597 A.D.

In Relation to God: A World Down Syndrome Day Reflection

We Are All Dwight Schrute Now: The Rise of the Facebook Deputy

What to Learn from the Decline of Young Earth Creationism

10 Reasons Evangelicals are Cringe

James Talarico's Gospel

Liturgies of the Wild and Non-Expressivist Religion

The Plight of the Protestant Scholar

White Hot Hate

A Christian Vision for Ordered Welcome

Elites and the Evangelical Class War

The Promise of a Christian Small Magazine

Who Is Rich and Who Is Poor?

In This House of Death: What Does Sanctity of Human Life Month Mean in 2026?

You can't clear cut political society.

A Framework for Faithful Ministry Leadership

The Christian Achievement of Martin Luther King Jr.

Why Populism is a Problem for the Intellectual Right