Welcome to Part II of our ongoing series dissecting JD Greear’s response to Megan Basham’s book, Shepherds for Sale. In Part I, we tackled Greear’s contention regarding his infamous statement that the Bible “whispers” about sexual sin. We exposed how Greear, rather than being misunderstood as he claims, was clearly attempting to downplay the severity of homosexuality to align with secular cultural trends.

We demonstrated how his rhetoric, far from being a mere slip of the tongue, was a deliberate attempt to soften the gospel’s stance on sin to appease the culture.

Now, in Part II, we turn our attention to Greear’s involvement with “racism” issues, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Greear’s responses to Basham’s critiques on these topics are riddled with the same evasive tactics and rhetorical gymnastics we saw in Part I. He hides behind semantics, deflects responsibility, and continues to align himself with movements that are fundamentally at odds with biblical truth.

Let’s dive in and unravel the truth behind Greear’s latest attempts at revisionism.

First, Greear claims, “Contrary to Basham’s claim, I didn’t make a heavy push to change the SBC’s name.” This is the classic bait and switch. While it may be technically true that he wasn’t pushing for an official name change, the sentiment behind his push to use “Great Commission Baptists” instead of “Southern Baptists” was on full display. Greear wasn’t just embracing an alternative descriptor, he was signaling a shift in identity, one that distances the denomination from its history and aligns it with the current cultural zeitgeist.

“Our leadership affirms the decision made by messengers in 2012,” Greear said, according to Kentucky Today. “We believe now is a good time to use it due to the fact that the primary reason we are part of the convention is for the Great Commission.”

And why now, JD? Because the “racial reckoning” underway in the United States makes it convenient to jump on the bandwagon? Let’s not pretend this wasn’t a purposeful move with the intended interpretation of it as it was. It’s no coincidence that Greear chose this moment to push the “Great Commission Baptists” label—a name that conveniently distances the denomination from its Southern roots and the perceived baggage that comes with it.

And then, as if to further ingratiate himself with the cultural elites, in Greear makes the asinine statement according to a Washington Post article that praises him up and down that “Our Lord Jesus was not a White Southerner but a brown-skinned Middle Eastern refugee.” A statement so ludicrous, so irrelevant, that it could only be aimed at appeasing the very cultural Marxists he claims to oppose.

Then, Greear laments, “I’ve tried my best, and I’ve even had a couple members of my team look into this too, and I can’t find any record of PBS, Washington Post, or any other credible outlet calling me an ‘antiracist reformer.'”

Strawman alert! Basham never claimed those outlets used that exact phrase. But anyone with a modicum of reading comprehension could grasp the sentiment she was conveying. The fawning coverage from these outlets, their praise for your “racial reckoning” efforts, all but anoints you with the title of “antiracist reformer.” You don’t need the words spelled out when the message is clear as day.

And then there’s this whopper. Greear says “And I didn’t participate in any of the social activism surrounding statue removal or the renaming of schools.” Right. Except for that little detail where you tweeted out a promo for your church’s participation in a BLM riot in Raleigh.

Your exact words: “Join @MikeGeorgesJr and other @summitrdu members and leaders lamenting, praying, and calling for righteousness, justice, reconciliation, compassion, and an end to unnecessary violence in our community. Open to all.” But don’t worry, JD, we’re sure that the destruction of property, the foul language, and the hatred toward police that inevitably ensued had nothing to do with you. After all, you were just “lamenting.”

Of course, Greear tries to cover his tracks by saying, “…contrary to what Basham claims, I explicitly distanced myself from the BLM movement even as I said Christians could affirm the three words.” Distanced yourself? Really? Because when your church marches alongside BLM, when your co-pastor Mike Georges—who coordinated the event—leads the charge, it sure doesn’t look like you’re distancing yourself. It looks like you’re aligning yourself.

And let’s be honest, JD, you were urging others to do the same. He can deny that he supports BLM’s ideology, but the facts paint a different picture. In an unfortunately now-removed video (I’ll see if I can’t dig it up somewhere) he continued to repeat their “Black Lives Matter” mantra and gave them credence by urging Christians not to say “all lives matter,” but, instead, ignore actual facts and statistics claiming that they are not helpful. Instead, he urges us to elevate personal experience above all else—a Marxist tactic known as “Standpoint Epistemology” that creates an artificial divide between classes or groups of people and pits them against each other.

Greear’s takes issue with Basham pointing out his full-on embrace of Critical Race Theory (CRT). Following the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, Greear didn’t just dip his toe into the waters of racial grievance—he dove in headfirst. He published a statement that painted the nation as a haven of white supremacy, a place where blacks are systematically oppressed.

This is clear Marxist sentiment if ever there was any. But why not publish it? Obviously, it’s trendy, it’s “woke,” and it sure beats the hard work of actually preaching the gospel. Does it really matter if he was standing behind the pulpit when he said it or if he published it on his website? It has the same effect either way.

In the end, JD Greear’s response to Basham’s book is nothing more than a desperate attempt to save face. But the more he protests, the more his true intentions are revealed.

He is a man more concerned with cultural approval than with standing firm on biblical truth. He is a pastor who has, according to Basham, and I agree with, traded the gospel for the fleeting accolades of the world. And in doing so, he has shown us all exactly who he is.