# Megan Basham
**Megan Basham** is an American journalist and author who works as a culture reporter for the conservative media company [The Daily Wire](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-daily-wire) and contributes to its news podcast Morning Wire. She is best known as the author of *Shepherds for Sale: How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda* (2024), a book that argues progressive funders and activists have sought to influence evangelical institutions, and which became a *New York Times* bestseller and a focal point of debate within American evangelicalism.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current role | Culture reporter at The Daily Wire; regular contributor to the news podcast Morning Wire[1](https://answersingenesis.org/bios/megan-basham/) • [2](https://www.dailywire.com/author/megan-basham) |
| Books | *Beside Every Successful Man* (Penguin Random House, 2008); *Shepherds for Sale: How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda* (HarperCollins, 2024)[1](https://answersingenesis.org/bios/megan-basham/) • [3](https://repository.sbts.edu/bitstream/handle/10392/7513/Archer_sbts_0207D_10881.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1) |
| Previous career | 13 years at World Magazine, rising from film critic to entertainment editor and co-host of *The World and Everything in It*[1](https://answersingenesis.org/bios/megan-basham/) |
| Fellowships | Novak Journalism Fellowship; Lincoln Fellow at the Claremont Institute for the Study of Statesmanship and Political Philosophy[1](https://answersingenesis.org/bios/megan-basham/) • [4](https://archive.americanreformer.org/author/mbasham/) |
| Education | Degree in English literature from Arizona State University, where she began as a film critic for the campus paper[5](https://townhall.com/author/meganbasham) |
| Other outlets | The Wall Street Journal, The Telegraph, First Things, National Review, The Federalist, Washington Examiner, Townhall[1](https://answersingenesis.org/bios/megan-basham/) • [4](https://archive.americanreformer.org/author/mbasham/) • [6](https://journalistdb.com/journalists/megan-basham/) |
| Personal life | Lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband Brian and their two daughters; announced a diagnosis of advanced colorectal cancer in February 2025[1](https://answersingenesis.org/bios/megan-basham/) • [7](https://christianresearchnetwork.org/person/basham-megan/) |
## Early career
Basham began her career as a film critic reviewing movies for her campus paper at [Arizona State University](https://www.edgepedia.org/arizona-state-university). After graduating with a degree in [English literature](https://www.edgepedia.org/english-literature), she worked as an adult curriculum editor at the [University of Phoenix](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-phoenix) before moving into freelance writing for outlets including Focus on the Family, Catholic Exchange, and Range Magazine. Reviewing films for a Phoenix church newsletter led to a staff position at Christian Spotlight on Entertainment, where she conducted interviews with actors such as Morgan Freeman, Holly Hunter, Liv Tyler, and Orlando Bloom[5](https://townhall.com/author/meganbasham).
In 2004 she received a Phillips Foundation Journalism Fellowship for a project titled "The Parable Principle: How Liberal Ideologues Use Film to Control Political Discourse." During this period she reviewed films for Townhall and contributed to National Review Online, The Weekly Standard, The American Spectator, and [The Washington Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-washington-times)[5](https://townhall.com/author/meganbasham).
Her first book, *Beside Every Successful Man: A Woman's Guide to Having It All*, was published in 2008[8](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1893286.Megan_Basham). The book argues that wives can advance their husbands' professional careers while sustaining the marriage, an argument she said was inspired in part by the partnership of John and [Abigail Adams](https://www.edgepedia.org/abigail-adams)[9](https://app.thestorygraph.com/book_reviews/c5484b37-cfc3-4b26-95a8-da84c40280dc?sort=most_liked).
## World Magazine
For 13 years Basham wrote for World Magazine, a Christian news publication, where she rose from film critic to entertainment editor. She also co-hosted the magazine's flagship news podcast, *The World and Everything in It*, which she describes as a top-50 news podcast[1](https://answersingenesis.org/bios/megan-basham/). In interviews she has said she left Christian media because she wanted to report on controversies inside evangelical institutions that she felt a Christian outlet could not cover independently[10](https://crossexamined.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/12.19-Podcast-Have-you-Joined-the-Rebellion-w-Megan-Basham.pdf).
## The Daily Wire
Basham joined The Daily Wire as a culture reporter after pitching the outlet on coverage of the evangelical world. In her account of the move, the turning point was a 2023 story about [Francis Collins](https://www.edgepedia.org/francis-collins), the former director of the National Institutes of Health, appearing on Christian platforms; she said the response to that reporting showed demand for critical coverage of evangelical leadership[11](https://podscan.fm/podcasts/the-city-of-god-1/episodes/how-progressive-politics-entered-the-church-megan-basham-ep-171). She contributes regularly to Morning Wire, the outlet's daily news podcast, and appears as a commentator on television, with credits including [Fox News](https://www.edgepedia.org/fox-news), MSNBC, BBC, CBN, The Today Show, Newsmax, and [NewsNation](https://www.edgepedia.org/newsnation)[1](https://answersingenesis.org/bios/megan-basham/). Muck Rack also lists her as co-host of the podcast *That's So Criminal*[12](https://muckrack.com/megan-basham).
Her recent reporting and commentary have covered culture-war subjects including gender policy in schools, church controversies, entertainment industry news, and, in 2026, funding she says flowed to journalists and Christian organizations for artificial intelligence-related content[2](https://www.dailywire.com/author/megan-basham) • [13](https://www.podscan.fm/podcasts/the-eric-metaxas-show-2/episodes/206-megan-basham).
## Shepherds for Sale
*Shepherds for Sale: How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda* was published in 2024 by Broadside Books, an imprint of [HarperCollins](https://www.edgepedia.org/harpercollins)[1](https://answersingenesis.org/bios/megan-basham/) • [3](https://repository.sbts.edu/bitstream/handle/10392/7513/Archer_sbts_0207D_10881.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1). The book argues that progressive activists, grant-making foundations, and government actors have funneled money and pressure into evangelical organizations to move them leftward on issues including climate policy, immigration, COVID-19 measures, and sexuality. It documents grants and funding connections involving organizations such as the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, the Evangelical Immigration Table, and [Christianity Today](https://www.edgepedia.org/christianity-today)[14](https://shenviapologetics.com/battle-lines-a-long-review-of-bashams-shepherds-for-sale/).
The book became a bestseller and generated substantial reaction within evangelical circles. Reactions divided along familiar lines. The Christian Research Network reported that what it called "Big Eva" feared the book, and published a series of favorable and critical reviews[7](https://christianresearchnetwork.org/person/basham-megan/). The apologist Neil Shenvi, reviewing the book at length, argued that neither of the two dominant assessments was entirely correct: he conceded that Basham's documentation of external funding pressure on evangelical organizations raised legitimate concerns, while criticizing the book's argumentative methods[14](https://shenviapologetics.com/battle-lines-a-long-review-of-bashams-shepherds-for-sale/). The historian Jemar Tisby wrote that the book contained factual errors and mischaracterizations, objecting in particular to how it treated the historic Black Christian tradition of racial-justice activism[15](https://goodfaithmedia.org/megan-basham-needs-to-learn-more-black-church-history/). The outlet MinistryWatch criticized Basham's coverage of Christianity Today as selective, noting that her own publisher, HarperCollins, also published books she would likely consider objectionable[16](https://ministrywatch.com/amp/editors-notebook-3/).
## Recognition and personal life
Basham is described by several organizations as a *New York Times* bestselling author[1](https://answersingenesis.org/bios/megan-basham/) • [12](https://muckrack.com/megan-basham). She has served as a Claremont Lincoln Fellow, and her writing has focused on marriage and family, religious life, and the entertainment industry[4](https://archive.americanreformer.org/author/mbasham/). She lives in [Charlotte, North Carolina](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlotte-north-carolina), with her husband, Brian, and their two daughters[1](https://answersingenesis.org/bios/megan-basham/).
In February 2025 it was reported that Basham had been diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer[7](https://christianresearchnetwork.org/person/basham-megan/). In a May 2026 essay in The Washington Post, she wrote that the illness, which she described as early-onset advanced colorectal cancer, had strengthened her faith[17](https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2026/05/22/cancer_has_deepened_my_faith_700493.html).
## References
1. [Megan Basham, Author, Speaker, Answers in Genesis](https://answersingenesis.org/bios/megan-basham/)
2. [Megan Basham, author page, The Daily Wire](https://www.dailywire.com/author/megan-basham)
3. [Dissertation bibliography entry: Basham, Megan. Shepherds for Sale. Northampton, MA: Broadside Books, 2024, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary repository](https://repository.sbts.edu/bitstream/handle/10392/7513/Archer_sbts_0207D_10881.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1)
4. [Megan Basham, Author, American Reformer](https://archive.americanreformer.org/author/mbasham/)
5. [Articles by Megan Basham, Townhall](https://townhall.com/author/meganbasham)
6. [Megan Basham, JournalistDB](https://journalistdb.com/journalists/megan-basham/)
7. [Basham Megan, People, Christian Research Network](https://christianresearchnetwork.org/person/basham-megan/)
8. [Megan Basham, Goodreads author page](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1893286.Megan_Basham)
9. [Reviews of Beside Every Successful Man, The StoryGraph](https://app.thestorygraph.com/book_reviews/c5484b37-cfc3-4b26-95a8-da84c40280dc?sort=most_liked)
10. [12.19 Podcast, Have you Joined the Rebellion? with Megan Basham, CrossExamined.org](https://crossexamined.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/12.19-Podcast-Have-you-Joined-the-Rebellion-w-Megan-Basham.pdf)
11. [How Progressive Politics Entered the Church, Megan Basham, Ep. 171, The City of God, Podscan](https://podscan.fm/podcasts/the-city-of-god-1/episodes/how-progressive-politics-entered-the-church-megan-basham-ep-171)
12. [Megan Basham, Muck Rack profile](https://muckrack.com/megan-basham)
13. [#206, Megan Basham, The Eric Metaxas Show, Podscan](https://www.podscan.fm/podcasts/the-eric-metaxas-show-2/episodes/206-megan-basham)
14. [Battle Lines: A Long Review of Basham's Shepherds For Sale, Neil Shenvi, Apologetics](https://shenviapologetics.com/battle-lines-a-long-review-of-bashams-shepherds-for-sale/)
15. [Megan Basham Needs to Learn More Black Church History, Jemar Tisby, Good Faith Media](https://goodfaithmedia.org/megan-basham-needs-to-learn-more-black-church-history/)
16. [Editor's Notebook: Canon Press Offer for Christianity Today Nothing More Than Publicity Stunt, MinistryWatch](https://ministrywatch.com/amp/editors-notebook-3/)
17. [Cancer Has Deepened My Faith, Megan Basham, Washington Post via RealClearPolitics](https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2026/05/22/cancer_has_deepened_my_faith_700493.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Broadcasting and journalism › Journalism and press › Journalists and their taxonomy › Surnames A to Ma*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license