So many idealistic political movements for a better world have ended in mass-murdering dictatorships. Giving leaders enough power to create ‘social justice’ is giving them enough power to destroy all justice, all freedom, and all human dignity.
—Thomas Sowell—
Key point: Evangelical elites who rely on CRT and promote it are misrepresenting (and therefore lying about) the gospel, acting pridefully, and sowing discord.
In Proverbs 6:16-19, King Solomon of Israel, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, offers us a window through which we can get a glimpse of the mind, heart, and character of God. Solomon writes,
6:16 These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.
These verses teach us, not only about God, but also about sin — the actions and attitudes that displease and anger God, and that separate us from Him. Thus, these verses establish criteria by which we can evaluate modern ideologies and movements to see whether or not they are honoring to God, or to determine if they are neutral, depending on how they are applied and used.
Although there have been attempts within evangelical circles to claim that critical race theory (CRT) can be used by Christians in legitimate ways (here is one of them), it is abundantly clear to the discerning observer that CRT is not neutral. In fact, it is offensive to God, and He hates it. In this article, against the backdrop of Proverbs 6:16-19, I want to zero in on three characteristics of CRT and its evangelical proponents that prove affirm the validity of my claim.
CRT is offensive to God. In fact, He hates it.
Lying About Sin
First, CRT promotes lies. Remember, “the LORD hates…a lying tongue.” In part, the lies of CRT take the form of redefining words. One excellent example is CRT’s and the social justice movement’s redefinition of the term sin. Keep in mind that one has to understand
- what sin is and
- how a person is guilty of it (how he or she is a sinner)
to genuinely understand the gospel and be saved.
On a Right Response Ministries podcast hosted by Joel Webbon, Conversations That Matter podcaster Jon Harris was asked to name the two of the proponents of CRT within evangelical circles about whom he was most concerned. Here’s how the question was posed to him, and the first few moments of his response.
While Mr. Harris was speaking specifically of David Platt, we must keep in mind that Platt is only upholding what CRT teaches, and that redefining the term sin is a widespread problem among evangelical elites who promote this ideology. Also keep in mind that it isn’t just the ideology that is problematic, but also the personalities promoting it, including Platt and others. Apparently, they really believe this stuff! In Social Justice Pharisees: Woke Church Tactics and How to Engage Them, podcaster A. D. Robles writes,
If you are reading this book, it is highly likely you already know how regularly the accusation of racism gets thrown around. I am going to assume that I do not need to prove to anyone how often the woke church accuses other of being racist since it is probably the primary reason the woke church movement even exists. They love calling people racist.
The accusation of racism has two basic meanings: the traditional meaning and the modern nonsense meaning.…The modern nonsense meaning has to do with disparities. It is racism if a disparity exists between ethnic groups. Do white families earn more than black families? Racism. Are there more white head coaches in the NFL than black? Racism. Does your favorite ministry have more white members on the leadership team than black? Definitely racism!
The woke church makes accusations of this sort all the time.1
Dr. Owen Strachan, Provost and Research Professor of Theology at Grace Bible Theological Seminary in Conway, Arkansas, agrees. Warning about the dangers of social justice movement in his book Christianity and Wokeness, Strachan writes,
Woke thinkers and activists frequently cite societal disparities as proof of racism. They will point to differing levels of health, literacy, or access to services among diverse races, and where people of color have less help in statistical terms, they will conclude that racism is to blame. This argument is frequently not traced to any actual policy and legal measure that is provably “racist.” Instead, the claim goes, where we find disparities between “races,” we are seeing evidence that America is shot through with “systemic injustice” and “systemic oppression” propelled by “white supremacy” as practiced (intentionally or not) by “white” people. So it is that “white supremacy is employed to explain every discrepancy, every difference, and our broader societal problems.2
Thus, not only does CRT itself lie about what sin is and and set the stage for its proponents to push the same lie, CRT and its advocates also falsely accuse whites of sins of which they are not guilty. Of course, in instances where genuine racism occurs — whether in the form of attitudes or actions — it is wrong and must be confessed and renounced, or repented of. In cases where it is manifested publicly, it should be condemned. Certainly whites can be guilty of racism — of judging someone based on inherent qualities (like skin color) that have nothing to do with one’s character. However, David Platt and other evangelical elites who have bought into CRT are not accusing whites of racism in the traditional sense. They are assuming their guilt and condemning them for being part of a system they say is inherently oppressive to blacks — simply by breathing and going about their own business. As Jon Harris affirmed, this does not fit the biblical definition of sin.
A major problem with CRT is that it redefines the term sin, and therefore lies about what it means. This is serious, because redefining sin means tampering with and altering the gospel.
A Proud Look
Pastor Andy Stanley pushes the very same message in the following video. He accuses his white brothers and sisters of racism, but not active racism. Stanley essentially says the same thing Jon Harris has indicated Platt is saying — and he doesn’t mind adding that “offending” whites is necessary to get their attention, so they’ll realize they are guilty!
After he’s offended his white brothers and sisters, has Andy Stanley really finally “gotten their attention”? Has he won the right to be heard? It actually appears he believes he is morally superior to those he must “offend” to inform them of their racism. This is prideful, but it is the natural result of believing that critical race theory is true and taking it upon oneself to spread the “social justice gospel.” Social justice advocates have a message for whites that they need to “get,” and the one conveying the message, naturally, has the special knowledge whites need to understand — and the moral authority to tell them. How else could they learn they are racists — not because they’ve participated in actual prejudicial and racist actions, but merely because they are white? Slow down, Rev. Stanley! Solomon warned, “the LORD hates…a proud look.”
I believe Andy Stanley is misreading the responses of those he is accusing of racism.
- Because the claims of CRT are as simplistic as they are,
- because CRT and its proponents (like Stanley, Platt, and others) offer no hard evidence, and
- because people are presumed guilty based on the color of their skin alone, without any consideration of specific actions they have performed or words they have spoken,
they are offended for being falsely accused, and for being targets of racism in the traditional sense. CRT and its advocates say whites are oppressors merely because of the color of their skin!
Sowing Discord Among Brethren
As we’ve noted, in Proverbs 6:16-19, the wise king condemns lying as something God hates. We have said CRT and its proponents lie about sin by redefining the term, and shortly we will consider yet another lie arising from another redefined word, one just as important as the word sin. We’ve also talked about pride and the moral superiority that CRT fosters in its proponents.
Solomon also says God hates “one who sows discord among brethren.” This is a grievous sin of which woke evangelical leaders obviously stand guilty! Do you doubt me? Just replay the above video featuring Andy Stanley. According to CRT and its advocates, whites are guilty because they are white. They must be guilty because they’re a part of a system that benefits them and holds blacks down. This is rhetoric touting CRT’s assumptions and conclusions, not facts; but it is poison rhetoric. The truth is that in America, race relations have improved greatly in recent decades, but now the social justice movement is ruining the progress and sending society back to its racist past. The rhetoric of CRT and its proponents is, without question, fertile ground for conflict between the races. These are seeds used to sow “discord among brethren“! And for what? Again, not for overt prejudice based on race, and not for mistreating people of color — but simply for breathing.
A Christian Alternative
But wait! someone might say. Don’t white people need to become more sensitive to the overt acts of racism people of color have experienced in this country? It is clear that even with the improvement that has occurred in race relations over the last 50 years, we as Americans have not yet arrived where we need to be. The solution, however, whether one is white or black, is not to buy into the narrative of the social justice movement and CRT, but to oppose CRT and to work at building cross-cultural friendships, one-on-one.
In their new book Life-Changing Cross-Cultural Friendships, authors and long-time friends Gary Chapman and Clarence Shuler encourage every Christian to cultivate and build at least one cross-cultural friendship. The challenge they issue isn’t just to whites, either; but to blacks and other minorities as well. Even though their book is endorsed by some celebrities with whom I disagree strongly about CRT, I know both authors personally and believe they are right about how friendships can change the culture. Dr. Chapman says if every believer would be open and willing to build a bridge of friendship, one-on-one, to a person of a different race or culture, it would change for the better, or certainly would have the potential to more than significantly improve, the cultural climate in America.
This interview by Rev. Jeff Wright of Urban Ministries, Inc. (UMI) is excellent. It’s the source for the statement I just cited from Dr. Chapman about cross-cultural friendships. While I would want to explore further and even challenge Rev. Wright’s statements at the end of the interview about friendships between committed Christians where the parties disagree about abortion, same-sex marriage, and CRT, I nevertheless commend him and Drs. Chapman and Shuler for an excellent discussion. The authors have indeed issued an appropriate challenge to all Christians.
What, exactly, might the effort to initiate a friendship across cultural and racial lines look like? Hear Dr. Chapman describe the initial step, and then the steps one white lady took to form such a friendship. Then hear Dr. Shuler emphasize that Jesus Himself demonstrated how to bridge the gap to connect with people of different cultures. The following clips are from the interview to which I just referred. The first voice you hear will be that of Rev. Jeff Wright of UMI.
Do you understand what I am saying? What Chapman and Shuler recommend in their book is a far cry from falsely heaping guilt on whites for wrongs they have not committed and continually telling blacks they are victims. To be clear, when we claim blacks aren’t victims we are not saying they haven’t experienced racial prejudice in various forms. Yet, claiming they are victims implies they are victims of an unjust system and therefore incapable of overcoming challenging circumstances without government help. That, dear reader, is exactly what the social justice narrative says. Blacks and other minorities, however, are competent and capable!
Mark it down! Government “help,” or socialism, is what the social justice movement insists on as a solution to the “injustice” it claims has prevailed throughout American history. As we will soon see, the term justice also has been redefined in the social justice narrative. To reiterate, CRT and its advocates not only lie to both blacks and whites, they also insult blacks with the assumption they are incapable of achieving, accomplishing, producing, and rising above their challenges without government help in free-market America. Socialism, or “[t]he welfare state [that flirts with socialism]” said black economist Walter E. Williams, “has done to black Americans what slavery couldn’t do….And that is to destroy the black family.” The further down the Marxist road America travels, the worse things will get for everyone — except the elites! Here’s a brief, reproducible article explaining why.
Lying About Justice
Tim Keller is the second evangelical social justice crusader about whom Jon Harris has grave concerns. Keller has redefined the term justice, and in doing so, has lied about what it is and what it does when it is upheld.
I would reinforce what Jon said with these words:
People obviously need to eat — but here’s what the apostle Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 about the person who refuses to work:
For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.
A significant number of the Thessalonian Christians had become hyper-focused on Christ’s second coming and had quit their jobs in anticipation of His return. It didn’t take long for these individuals to become burdens on the church and on society. Apparently some still were refusing to work when Paul wrote his letter. Significantly, Paul did not say those who can’t work should be denied food, but those who won’t work.
Contrary to Tim Keller’s convictions, the need these people had to eat didn’t prevent Paul from recommending that they be denied charity and assistance, since they were refusing to work. You see — Jon Harris is absolutely correct — justice isn’t the meeting of needs. Rather, “promoting justice means ‘rendering (1) impartially and (2) proportionally (3) to everyone his due (4) in accord with the righteous standard of God’s moral law.’”
A Review
At the outset we said God hates CRT. Citing Proverbs 6:16-19 and the statements of evangelical social justice advocates, we gave three reasons why.
- CRT and its advocates, including numerous well-known and popular evangelical leaders, are spreading lies about sin and justice because CRT has redefined these terms, and social justice crusaders have bought into the lies. One cannot redefine sin without distorting the gospel of Christ. Also critical to one’s understanding of God and His character is the biblical meaning of the term justice. In Proverbs 6:16-19, Solomon declared, “the LORD hates…a lying tongue.
- CRT fosters pride among its proponents, men and women who, believing they are morally superior, take it upon themselves to condemn whites for being guilty of oppression because (so says CRT) they are part of an inherently oppressive system. In Proverbs 6:16-19, we see that “the LORD hates…a proud look.”
- CRT and its proponents sow “discord among brethren” with a message that is fertile ground for bitterness, envy, greed, hostility, and resentment on the one hand and perpetual guilt and condemnation on the other. Proverbs 6:16-19 informs us that “the LORD hates…one who sows discord among brethren.”
Since CRT multiplies problems both real and imagined, what can Christians do genuinely improve the cultural climate with regard to race in America? Every Christian, whether white or black or some other minority, should be open to cultivating and building at least one cross-cultural friendship across racial and cultural lines.
Doing so
- upholds the truth that all people are made in God’s image and worthy of being treated with dignity and respect,
- requires humility and dependence upon God, and
- fosters unity between people of different races and cultures.
You can take it to the bank: These three things God loves!
Copyright © 2023 by B. Nathaniel Sullivan. All rights reserved. This article is published in connection with Exposing enemies within the church, LLC, creators and producers of the film Enemies Within the Church.
top image credit: Luca Giordano: The Dream of Solomon: God promises Solomon wisdom
1 A. D. Robles, Social Justice Pharisees: Woke Church Tactics and How to Engage Them (Nashville: Morgan James Publishing, 2022), 106-107.
2 Owen Strachan, Christianity and Wokeness (Washington, DC: Salem Books, 2021), 113.
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