Don’t worry, this is not our Christmas Season post. It’s a reminder that as Christians—as Christian churches—we are called upon to recognize and discern between error and truth. As a ministry, we have devoted a lot of attention to understanding and explaining why Critical Race Theory is another gospel.
Critical Theory is also another form of racism. By being racist it hopes to cure racism. That’s like saying by engaging in murder we hope to cure murder. So much for worldly wisdom.
Critical Theory is a cancer that is spreading in and through the Christian church. Even the Southern Baptist flirted with it before condemning it. You can read about that here. Thankfully, as Christians study thoughtfully study their Bibles they tend to come to their senses. In fact, our own denominational university and seminary TIU has flirted with Critical Theory, inviting activists to speak. You can watch examples of that here and here. Hopefully, they’ll find the wisdom to snap out of this sooner than later. You can read about that need here.
Now a major evangelical leader has embraced this unfortunate ideology and theology, Rick Warren. In the name of “equality” Rick Warren and Saddleback Church have established segregated online worship services for Blacks only. You can read about it here.
Separate but equal sounds more like Jim Crowe. Why do this? Rick Warren has done it to provide “a safe space” for Black people to watch his online service. What space could be safer than watching church in your own home or computer screen or smartphone? This is another example of the church and well-intended people trying to find relevance before a fallen world by becoming more like the culture by blending in and fitting in than standing out. No doubt Rick Warren’s heart is in the right place and his intentions are good. But such ham-handed attempts to be relevant render the Church irrelevant.
We live in a fallen world. It’s the Gospel, not gimmicks, that change lives, behaviors, and eternities. God’s word says we are not to make such distinctions (Galatians 3: 27-28). There is one race, the human race. It is wonderfully diverse. But there is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism and we do not have the liberty to make artificial distinctions. As long as people sin there will be sinning. Sin includes murder, rape, racism, lying, selfishness, sexual immorality, etc. That’s why we tell people about the Savior and His story of reality.