In a tweet, Skye Jethani–host of the “Holy Post” podcast–recently said this of generational guilt: When we willingly accept responsibility for sins we did not commit we look like Jesus on the cross. When we refuse to own the sins of others to maintain our self-righteousness we look like the people who put him there. Jethani’s tweet got a strong response. Many people liked and retweeted it. As one of the core convictions of woke ideology–very popular today–this does not... Read more
I confess I have a hard time these days knowing where David French is on the intellectual and theological spectrum. He constantly claims he is conservative, and I’m guessing he may still be on different issues. But formerly, French seemed like an unimpeachable conservative. He did not appear to care what people thought of him. He cut it straight, and he made the case for conservatism with force and verve. First Flag on the Field: Advocacy of Game of Thrones But... Read more
In a short video shared by Woke Preacher Clips this week from a 2018 panel, professor Jarvis Williams argued, per Critical Race Theory, that assigning numerous texts in a class by “white” authors ends up fostering “white supremacy.” Per the video transcript, here is the context of Williams’s remarks: [H]ow this shows up, in part, is it shows up in curriculum. Right? I’m a seminary professor, and in theological education, you’re hard-pressed to find many evangelical institutions that have a... Read more
In just a few days, my brand-new book Christianity and Wokeness releases. Salem Books is publishing it on July 20, 2021. Because you put so much into a book, it is always surreal when it is actually time for it to drop. I am feeling that now. I am also aware that there are going to be numerous objections to my presentation. I have heard them all before. Below, I list five, and respond to each. It is my hope... Read more
In recent years, various evangelical leaders have embraced or voiced support for elements of the ideology I call “wokeness.” One of the most important–and surprising–instigators for this shift is the widespread embrace of a small, 172-page sociology book. Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America was written by Michael O. Emerson and Christian Smith and published in 2000 by Oxford University Press. Sociology textbooks like Divided by Faith (henceforth DBF) have historically had little place on... Read more
After nearly six years at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, I am taking a position at Grace Bible Theological Seminary in Conway, Arkansas. I will be the Provost and Research Professor of Theology at GBTS, serving this seminary led by President Jeff Johnson. Jeff’s robust theological ministry, personal humility and godly character, and love for Christ’s church is what initially drew me to the school. I am overjoyed about working with him and several brothers to build a sound seminary in... Read more
Give honor to whom honor is due… –Romans 13:7 You know men—but what makes them who they are? Here’s an important part of the answer: they are the same man in private that they are in public. Integrity is not part of us; integrity (or lack thereof) is us. We are not private men part of the time, and public men part of the time. In terms of Christian manhood, and Christian leadership, we are just one man. The private... Read more
All the conversations over wokeness, Critical Race Theory, and intersectionality really boil down to this: is America “systemically unjust”? In this article, I’ll address this very difficult question, one that is causing great confusion in American society but especially in the Christian church. Many are asking good and needed questions about this term and the thinking behind it; some wholeheartedly affirm it, some hesitantly affirm it, some sense inherent tensions within it (rightly), some reject it wholesale. In what follows,... Read more
In yesterday’s post, I tackled two good questions I’ve gotten in response to my “Christianity & Wokeness” lectures (and this video excerpt from the first lecture). I addressed 1) what wokeness is and 2) who should be disciplined for teaching wokeness. Today, I want to address a third good question that many are asking: how do I determine what wokeness is not? I front-loaded this question in my talks, addressing it in the first part of the first lecture. I... Read more
Recently, I gave a series of lectures about “wokeness.” These lectures occasioned many responses on social media. Some responses showed a lack of familiarity with the actual content I delivered, which is always surprising. After all, my talks were not driven by ad hominem name-calling, but rather a real intellectual respect for the proponents of wokeness. Though I am no perfect speaker (I do entirely too many hand-motions, for starters), I did not burn their system down with a hashtag;... Read more
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