“A racial ideology that beats people down to skin color does not possess the power to uplift people.” Eli Steele: Interracial Couple Fights Critical Race Theory in One of America’s Most Integrated Towns.”
I want to take a time out from the series that I have been sharing about Pentecost. I have become sidetracked, somewhat, by certain buzz words that I am reading in the media: critical race theory, radical reconciliation, systemic racism, etc. The problem is that it has opened up a whole new vocabulary of words and terminology.
I want to begin by looking back to 1970 when I started in Christian Education as a teacher. The atmosphere I stepped into was completely unknown to me. It was a step of faith. I was being introduced to a ministry that culminated in 2020, 50 years later.
A major foundation stone of this ministry was presented to me (us) by the following visualization. Picture me, holding two books. One book is a school textbook; the other is the Bible. I am now going to hold up the textbook and place on top of it, the Bible. The concept is that the subject matter of the textbook is filtered through the lens of the Bible. That does not mean that the Bible teaches everything one needs to know about the subject of the textbook; but it does mean that the content of the textbook is guided and kept within the boundaries of truth as found in the Bible. For example, the answer to a math problem, such as 2 + 2 = 4, is absolute. The truth of God’s Word is absolute. Therefore, the subject matter of a math textbook is to be understood, enlightened, and enhanced by the absolute truth of the Bible. In a math class, a question at the beginning of a class might be asking the students to name things that are absolute truth? Students need to know that the study of mathematics is an absolute science. In general this was the paradigm in which education was originally taught in our nation.
Continuing the presentation, I will now take the two books, the textbook and the Bible, and hold them up side by side. What is the purpose of making this change? It represents the growth, or from the point of view of Christian Education, the decline of education in our nation. What had begun with a Christian world view has become secularized. The subject matter is no longer being analyzed through the lens of the Bible. The Bible was set aside to be studied on its own; and the textbooks were now studied on their own without the aid of Biblical input for the most part. The Bible was used, occasionally, to supplement the textbook’s thoughts; it was used, as more of, an alternative opinion, than absolute truth. ln essence, ‘let’s consider this point of view’. Probably the classic example would be the topic of the origin of species-evolution or creation? Which brings us to a more up to date approach.
I now take the textbook and place it over the Bible. The textbook guides and directs the content of the Bible. The textbook contradicts the Bible’s stories and claims. The textbook repudiates the proposed truth of the Bible. and now, taking it one step further, the Bible is completely set aside as irrelevant, discarded, and not considered at all in the educational process. God is, thereby, removed from our educational system. Has this happen in our nation? Yes.
The process of education has disintegrated from a Biblical world view to a non-Biblical world view. But, the decline in the educational process has plummeted to even a lower level. The focus of our educational system is not upon the basics of ‘reading, writing, and arithmetic’; but about sexuality, and about correcting racism. What will be the outcome of such a radical change in our educational system?
Let me restate the issue.
Unfortunately, the trajectory of our educational history has been the removal of the lens of the Bible through which subjects have been taught. The study of the Bible is separated from the educational subject matter and viewed as irrelevant. This has occurred in our founding colleges and universities. It has has happened in our public school system; and it can even happen in Christian schools, K-12, where there isn’t a conscious effort to incorporate Biblical concepts and truths that enhance the school’s curriculum. How do I know this? I was negligent of this many times as a Christian school teacher. I didn’t always consciously enhance the subjects I was teaching with Biblical truth in my own classroom. That does not mean I taught non-Biblical truth. It means I did not fully take a positive advantage of incorporating the truths of God’s Word. How many colleges and universities that began as bastions of Biblical religious study and sound Biblical doctrine have fallen by the wayside and completely set aside the importance of the Biblical perspective and the presentation of a Biblical world view. They have substituted the philosophies and wisdom of the world for Biblical truth.
These private institutions, and our public school educational system, no longer seek to incorporate the Biblical truths that present the necessary moral and ethical standards for living as individuals or in relationship to one another. Our educational system has reversed the lens of interpretation advancing man’s wisdom and reasoning. A look at the history of mankind, when compared with the historical growth the church, will easily reveal that this ‘battle for the mind’ has always been at the forefront of civilization. Why? One only has to remind one self of the dialogue that took place in the Garden of Eden between Eve and the Serpent. In Genesis 3:1, the Serpent said to Eve, “Has God indeed said…” (NKJV). A question was asked, a dialogue took place, a response was made, an action followed, and the consequences of that interaction has been an ongoing struggle between God and His creation. Mankind is still wrestling with God over the meaning of life, seeking to resolve the issues created because of original sin. A totally depraved mind will reason from its standpoint to put into motion what it believes to be the truth that must guide a nation, a culture, and its people. The Biblical narrative is a recorded history of the dialogue between God, His people, and the nations of this world, in which God is lovingly reaching out to mankind for the purpose of reconciliation to Himself. That is the emphasis of the Gospel.
Our nation, culture, and people stand at a crossroads. This moment has not crept up on us suddenly. It has been in the ‘works’ for many years throughout our short history as a nation. Our soul, as a nation, is at risk. What type of nation will we become? What will be the guiding principles that will dictate our existence? Will this nation lose its foundation of liberty? There are many, in this nation, that believe they have the upper hand; they are in control; and that it is just a matter of time before this nation will be become a completely different nation governed by a political and philosophical ideology that is a reversal of everything we have known as a republic and that this nation will be ‘flip-flopped’ into a progressive-Marxist nation. Strong words, yes; far from the truth, no. How do I know? Matthew 12:33 (NJKV), Jesus said, “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.”
We know that God is Sovereign and He is in control of all nations. He is in control of our nation; and our nation is moving toward its destiny in the plan and purpose of God. God is the Husbandman of the garden. Does that mean that we give up in view of what we are witnessing in our nation? No, we do not know what gardening the Lord wants to do with this nation; but we do know that as believers in Christ we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. And He has promised that He would never leave us nor forsake us. So we press into God.
Question: What is the fruit of our tree(nation)? Is our fruit good or bad?
Our nation has been, and is being indoctrinated to believe that we are ‘bad fruit’ as a nation, a culture, and a people. I am not saying that we as a nation have not failed in many ways; however, I refuse to be told that I have been lied too throughout my life by the educational system I grew up in; that because I am ‘white’, I am guilty of being a racist; that I need to live with a guilt complex; and that I must be re-educated by the philosophy and teachings of Critical Race Theory, Critical Social Justice, Intersectionality, and Radical Reformation to turn the tide of systemic racism. Is there something that God’s people need to do? Yes. What is it? Be the Church. How do we begin? with repentance; not a repentance governed by the doctrine of radical reformation; but with repentance that reconciles us to God through the blood of the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.
As a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, living through this maze of words and actions that are besetting us as a nation, a culture, and a people, I have come to a personal conclusion that I am not going to allow myself to be offended by another human being’s color; and that I am not going to be offended by another’s biological sex, male or female. Sex and color identify a human being as an individual person who has been created in the image and likeness of God. They may or may not be Christian; however, in Christ, I am told “to love my neighbor as myself”. This may sound simplistic but if I can do that, in Christ, I am not a racist. I am responsible not to be offended by a person’s sex or color.
However, that does not mean, that I cannot be offended by what they say or do. Do they have a ‘right’ to say and do what they want? Yes, but it’s a qualified ‘up to a point’. I think the boundaries of ‘freedom of speech’ and ‘freedom of actions’ have been taken advantage of and loosened too far. There is a difference between speaking and living civilly, and speaking and living without civility. There is a difference between speaking and living rationally, and speaking and living irrationally. Some people do not want to listen; they only want to rant and rave, shout and demonstrate. They have taken what they believe to be ‘freedom of speech and freedom of action’ to the point of lawlessness. In my estimation this is unacceptable. I guess then, I would be labeled as intolerant. And in some circles of thought, I would labeled as a racist. This brings to mind a placard that I saw a student carrying after the election of Mr. Trump as President of the United States. It read, ‘Be Ungovernable’. That was in 2016 or early 2017.. That placard amazed me at the time; but it has certainly set the tone of what we have witnessed and listened too for the past 5 years. It has also escalated, both in its speech and actions throughout our nation at all levels.
I can also be offended by what people write. I am reading words and phrases that are new to me but are not new to the culture, or our educational institutions. I need to be tolerant of their point of view; but I do not need to agree with them. Nevertheless, sometimes what individuals write can be offensive depending on their personal point of view. It will not surprise me that there will be someone or even many who may read this blog and be offended by my point of view. That’s ok, thanks for giving me your time and space to express what I believe. However, even though I may disagree with radical reconciliation, as presented; I need to investigate and read about CRT, CSJ, I, and RR, and systemic racism. Guess what? There is plenty out there to read. I have just finished a book written by Dr. Voodie Baucham Jr, called, ‘fault lines, The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe’. This is an excellent read for understanding the beginnings of the social justice movement; to be given up to date information about what is and has been going on in our nation; and to come to grips with his concern about the influence of social justice in the church and its ramifications. My wife, Christine, has just completed a book entitled, ‘The Secular Creed, Engaging Five Contemporary Claims’, written by Rebecca McLaughlin. This is my next read. My quest to understand more continues. Where all of this is headed personally, I do not know?
At this time, I recognize this. I am seeing the fruit of what I have previously written about in past blog series. And it is not good fruit.
We need to heed the words of Ephesians 6:10-18. Please read and reflect. We are in a spiritual war.
We need to walk according to Ephesians 4:14-21. Please read and reflect. The Church needs to learn how to walk in this hour.
What is Dr. Baucham’s concern? The philosophy and teaching’s of this world is creeping into the church, i.e. being embraced by the church and its leadership. But that is not new news. The Bible, itself, warns us about false teachers coming into the first century churches. The Pauline letters especially deal with false doctrine and heresy in the church. Dr. Baucham is seeing the infiltration of the false narratives that are dominating our educational system beginning to infiltrate the church’s thinking with its false teaching and historical heresies. What has taken place in our public school system, our colleges, and universities is moving into the church. This is not a denominational issue. This is about being faithful to the Word of God.
So, what has all this have to do with Racial Reconciliation? Actually, as Dr. Baugham preached (see You Tube: Radical Reconciliation), according to Ephesians 2:11-18, God has already reconciled us to Himself through Christ at the Cross. Therefore, I am not to proceed in guilt toward other human beings; but I am to go forward living out my reconciliation in Christ with Christ’s love toward one another. The world’s way of reconciliation is to press me down being guilty of racism, teach me how to live as a non-racist, and be willing to do what ever the culture tells me to do to live in harmony with one another. I categorically refuse that option. That is not Biblical. I have already chosen God’s Way, through Christ at the Cross. Christ, the Word, the Cross, the Spirit, and the Church will enable me to walk freely toward other human beings regardless of their color or sex. Amen. Amen. and Amen.
We are living in desperate times. The push for Radical Reconciliation is demanding and inclusive.
We have a choice to make? Be absorbed or Be against! acquiesce or stand!
Paul writes in Colossians 2:6-10 (NKJV), “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat (plunder you or take you captive) you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwell all the fulness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him who is the head of all (rule and authority) principality and power. [parentheses from center margin of my Study Bible].
As I said before, we are at a crossroads! Here is our choice, stated another way:
Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV), “Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life and there are few who find it.” Jesus continues in the next verse (15,16a), Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.”
Time to be a fruit inspector; Fruit inspection is not judgmental, it’s evaluation and observation, listening and watching.
A fellow sojourner, deo
Living Words of Encouragement 