So You Never Heard of Critical Race Theory? Neither Have Most of its Critics

 Southern Baptist Attacks on Critical Race Theory

In 2019, during their annual convention in Birmingham, the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution declaring Critical Race Theory/Intersectionality incompatible with the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, which is the statement that defines the doctrinal requirements of the seminaries and mission boards which are operated cooperatively by Southern Baptists.  The resolution was quite clear in pointing out that CRT/I, because its philosophical foundation was not Biblical in nature, would not lead to successful resolution of the human problems associated with racism and racial reconciliation.  

The resolution noted that while CRT/I has limited usefulness in providing analysis of specific racial issues, only the transforming power of the gospel of Christ can truly resolve racism and bring about genuine racial reconciliation.  

The convention's messengers passed the resolution in as affirmative a manner as most resolutions get passed.  In the community of American Evangelicalism, the SBC's resolution would be one of the more restrictive and conservative statements on CRT/I.  Though it was not enthusiastically embraced by most of the SBC's African American churches and pastors, most of them realized the give-and-take of the debate.  Dr. Walter Strickland, an African-American who is a professor and dean at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina and who is, at least in this writer's opinion, Southern Baptists' leading expert on the whole scope of issues involved in racism and racial reconciliation within the American Christian church, was a member of the resolution committee that drafted what is known as Resolution #9. 

But ignorance abounds in the SBC, especially when it comes to issues related to race, and so does the ignorant, populist brand of politics now defined as "Trumpism."  In a denomination that has a long history of a controlled press, decisions made on deliberately misleading information, a leadership oligarchy that ignores the rules and does what it wants, influenced by Christian Fundamentalism, it did not take long for the critics to drag out accusations of "liberalism," attack those they perceived as supporters or collaborators of Resolution #9 including SBC President J. D. Greear, Russell Moore of the SBC's ERLC and Dr. Strickland.  They claimed that the messengers who voted to pass Resolution #9 were "confused, deceived and didn't know what they were doing."  And they launched a campaign aimed at getting control of the SBC in order to save it from "creeping liberalism" and from becoming "woke."  

Not that either of those things are happening, or ever would happen, but discerning truth is not a Southern Baptist strength these days.  At least, not among its Fundamentalist Trumpies.

There are elements within the Southern Baptist Convention that exhibit cult-like tendencies, or who, in fact, are a cult by definition and that includes those who have blended both the old version of Tea Party extremist right wing politics and now Trumpism with selected principles of extremist Fundamentalist religion to determine their principles and actions.  They are less interested in the cooperative ministries of theological education, church planting and international missions and are more interested in using the influence, power and resources of the denomination to make political deals with an immoral adulterer, thief, and pathological liar whose only interest in anything they have to offer is their votes, not their faith or their values. In so doing, they are trading the gospel of Jesus Christ for a bowl of soup, to use an Old Testament illustration.  

The sudden interest in bashing CRT/I and attempting to turn it into a Marxist plan to take over the United States is just one more ignorant and uninformed prompting of the extremist right wing media to try and create some political traction for Trumpie Republicans going into a 2022 election that increasingly appears to be shaping up to produce a "blue tsunami" for Democrats.  The ignorance of it is appalling.  They've got it wrong.  They blame the "liberal media" for mischaracterizing conservative Christians, but then, following what was a resolution that reasonably characterized their position on CRT/I as a conservative denomination, the ignorance and raging stupidity poured forth and formed the basis for yet another group attempting to "take over" control of the denomination to use it as a means of promoting their uninformed ignorance. 

They failed.  

There are also elements within the Southern Baptist Convention that are reasonably informed, that exhibit characteristics of genuine, God-breathed spirituality, that see Fundamentalism as lacking in some essential core Biblical values and, while many of them may still be politically conservative, are able to recognize the harmful and destructive effects on the gospel message that occur when extremist right wing politics are mixed in with and equated with Christian practice and used to determine the definition of "conservative" and "liberal" or "progressive a.k.a. liberal."  And while they may hold a conservative perspective when it comes to interpreting the Bible, they recognize that racism is a sin and that as a denomination, they still have a long way to go when it comes to reconciling with their African American brethren.  

Instead of "rescinding" Resolution 9 at its annual meeting in Nashville earlier this month, the SBC didn't take any further steps to address CRT/I.  The one resolution passed which might have been a reference to it does not mention it by name.  The Fundamentalist-Trumpie element did indeed show up, in fairly large numbers.  But all of their attempts to turn the SBC toward their agenda failed.  The presidential candidate they nominated lost and the president they elected, Alabama pastor Ed Litton, represents the group that desires to see the SBC become more unified and more friendly to ethnic and racial minorities who currently make up the only segments of the denomination showing numerical membership growth.  

Resolution 9 puts the SBC on the record as declaring CRT/I to be both incompatible with its doctrinal statement, the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, and incapable as a means of resolving the human problem of racism apart from the gospel of Jesus because it doesn't acknowledge sin as the source of racism.  The fact that such a resolution was even considered by the SBC is evidence of the intrusion of Trumpie politics and some blurring of the lines when it comes to defining what is theologically "conservative" and using political perspective as a means of accusing those who disagree of being "liberal" when that has absolutely nothing to do with theological liberalism.  Misleading and deceptive characterizations such as this, which define the core values of Trumpism, appear to be infiltrating and eroding the Christian values once held in high regard by Southern Baptists.  

 A large number of predominantly African-American churches and pastors left as a result of the statement issued by the seminary presidents condemning CRT/I, which appeared to be made for political, or personal job preservation purposes, anticipating a Fundamentalist-Trumpie win at the convention.  Not only did the Fundamentalist-Trumpies not win, but attempts to keep some of their group members in controlling officer positions on the executive committee were voted down overwhelmingly by the convention. Their failure to gain a power-wielding foothold in Nashville was a smack-down and it may lead to more boldness and less fear among SBC leaders over the next year. It may have also prevented, at least temporarily, the further exodus of African-Americans who, along with Latinos and Asian ethnic minorities, represent virtually the only constituencies in the SBC whose churches are growing in attendance and membership.

If Christians really believe in the transformative power of the gospel of Christ, as they claim, then that is the power on which they must rely to resolve racism and the issues in their churches that arise from it.  The SBC is a long way behind those in the denominations and Christian churches who were not just principally opposed to slavery in America, but who actively worked to see that it was abolished, did not tolerate its existence and made sure that the Union had the popular support it needed to defeat it instead of compromising with it by a negotiated peace with the Confederacy. Making an effort to understand CRT/I doesn't require rejecting the Bible as authoritative.  It is, after all, the gospel that actually possesses the kind of transformational power that is necessary to resolve the problems of humanity, including prejudice, bigotry and racism.  Being for that, instead of against everything, would be a start.