For the last two years, the ideology of Critical Race Theory has dominated the debate in Evangelical circles. But that wasn’t the beginning of the movement. The movement, under the guise of “racial reconciliation,” began gaining steam when Democrat, Russell Moore took over one of the top offices in the Southern Baptist Convention in 2014 and immediately began causing division.

Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a heretical worldview that is incompatible with biblical Christianity. It emerged as an offshoot of Critical Theory, a neo-Marxist philosophy that has its roots in the Frankfurt School, and its methods are drawn from Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud. CRT teaches that institutional racism exists within every structure of society and that these structures are intrinsically designed in such a manner as to protect and preserve “white supremacy” in our culture. Further, CRT does not rely on factual statistics or objective evidence to support the theory, rather it relies on anecdotal evidence and personal experience.

While Reformation Charlotte and other discernment outlets have been covering the movement since it began, only in the last two years has it actually become a hotly contested topic as conservatives began becoming aware of the unbiblical and anti-Christian implications of the movement.

Critical Race Theory opposes the theological doctrines of Scripture — notably, it muddies the doctrine of sin and places irreconcilable guilt upon groups of people by the very virtue of their physical attributes. In short, it implicates white people in the sin of racism simply because of the color of their skin while, on the other hand, victimizing non-whites for the very same reason.

Thankfully, many Southern Baptist leaders have begun to speak out against this as we’ve done for years. Yet, others, on the other hand — who are given over to their sociological impulses — instead complain that people who oppose their movement are the ones “ravaging churches” and causing division.

The Scriptures are clear; it is the Marxists who cause division as their ideological movement is in opposition to the sound, biblical theology.

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. –Romans 16:17

There is no argument that Critical Race Theory is an obstacle contrary to the doctrine the Scriptures teach. It is an obstacle to true repentance and faith; it teaches that the “oppressor” — white people — can never truly be relieved of their guilt and, instead, must engage in perpetual acts of penance, i.e. slave reparations and “restorative justice.”

Thabiti Anyabwile, a Southern Baptist pastor of Anacostia River Church in Washington D.C. and member of Mark Dever’s 9Marks ministry, complains that “anti-CRT” people “ravage churches” and “slander” pastors causing “re-segregation.”

If a faithful Christian is honest, one could only be encouraged by this mass exodus. If pastors are influenced by Critical Race Theory — and refuse to be held accountable when it is brought to light — then these members should leave. Thankfully, they are.

This is simply not true. There is no “conspiracy theory,” it’s a broad and undeniable, well-documented fact. Just because one doesn’t know that the movement they are following and promoting is rooted in Marxist thought doesn’t make it not true. I would argue that the vast majority of pastors who have jumped on the bandwagon of this movement have given relatively little thought to its roots, nor do they care. They follow it blindly because of their own poor theological discernment.

Anyabwile uses the term, “slander” often, yet, he’s never actually shown any of this slander. Reformation Charlotte, for example, has documented and sourced every assertion made against these compromised pastors, and yet, we’ve also been relentlessly accused of slander. “Slander” has become synonymous with “something I don’t like to hear.”

But his last thought is pretty interesting; he wonders why people don’t just follow their pastors blindly.

Perhaps, if Anyabwile were a good shepherd of his own flock, he would encourage them to be noble like the Bereans who search the Scriptures daily to see if what he preaches to them is true. As with all leftists, the only way to propagate their movement is to suppress knowledge. One cannot actually objectively look at the facts surrounding the Critical Race Theory movement and come away with the conclusion that it is compatible with Scripture.

So, here’s the requested article on the effect of anti-CRT people on congregations. It’s good, we should be encouraged by the effect. God’s truth is the sword of division.

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” –Matthew 10:34