In the ever-growing push for social justice in the Church, liberal progressive denominations are leaps and bounds ahead in the movement to embrace intersectionality and victimhood while vilifying whites — particularly, straight, white males. However, the more conservative denominations are not too far behind. In short, what the liberal mainline denominations do today, the Southern Baptist Convention and the Presbyterian Church (PCA) will do tomorrow.

Earlier this year, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary headed by Al Mohler released a report detailing the Southern Baptist Convention’s as well as the seminary’s history as it pertains to American slavery. Acknowledging its historical ties to American slavery, the seminary president, Al Mohler, stopped short of agreeing to financial reparations for slaves, though many Southern Baptist and Evangelical leaders continue to push for it.

Notable reparationists include Southern Baptist pastor and leader, Thabiti Anyabwile, who sided with the atheist, Christopher Hitchens, that reparations are necessary and said that to oppose reparations is “of the devil.” Others include Jemar Tisby, an outspoken Presbyterian leader in favor of reparations and Ekemini Uwan, who was recently walked out on by a group of women after she stood on stage and told them they were “wicked” for being “white.” These leaders equate reparations with atonement.

However, as already noted, the liberal denominations have them beat by years. One Episcopal seminary in Virginia released a plan to pay 1.7 million dollars in reparations to descendants of black slaves. The plan, designed to assuage the consciences of the majority white denomination, states “that we must start to repair the material consequences of our sin in the past.” Again, equating reparations with atonement, Virginia Theological Seminary, which says it already has the 1.7 million funded drawn from tuition fees and other sources, will be used for the following purposes,

• the needs emerging from local congregations linked with VTS;
• the particular needs of any descendants of enslaved persons that worked at the Seminary;
• the work of African American alumni/ae, especially in historic Black congregations;
• the raising up of African American clergy in The Episcopal Church;
• other activities and programs that promote justice and inclusion.

The Director of the Office of Multicultural Ministries, Rev. Joseph Thompson, said in a comment,

This initiative has the potential to be transformative. Though no amount of money could ever truly compensate for slavery, the commitment of these financial resources means that the institution’s attitude of repentance is being supported by actions of repentance that can have a significant impact both on the recipients of the funds, as well as on those at VTS. It opens up a moment for us to reflect long and hard on what it will take for our society and institutions to redress slavery and its consequences with integrity and credibility.

Despite the anti-gospel, anti-Christian theme of the social justice movement, there appears to be no end in sight to the lunacy. As the racial divide continues to grow in the steamers of cultural Marxism, those who stand on true biblical principles, gospel-centered reconciliation, and uphold the true mission of the Church will continue to be vilified and persecuted by those institutions that call themselves “Christian.”