Saturday, April 10, 2021

fault lines: A review

 Voddie Baucham's new book Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism's Looming Catastrophe should be on every Christian's reading list. If you embrace the social justice movement, it should make you think, research, and soul search. If you embrace Trump's America, it should make you stop, think, and soul search. It isn't perfect, but it draws a line in the sand - do you stand on the side of the Gospel or on the side of the world? 

Fault Lines



For full disclosure, I have done no real reading on the social justice movement. Not because of a lack of desire, but because family needs have demanded all my time, energy, and focus.  I needed someone else to break it down for me, but because I don't have the time to read widely, I wanted someone who I knew I could trust to remain faithful to those things on which I refuse to compromise - the authority of Scripture, the pre-eminence of Christ, God before country. But given so much of Black Lives Matter verbiage revolves around the "black story", it also needed to be someone who has lived that story. 

That is why I chose Voddie Baucham. I have watched him over the last 15 plus years stand up to both liberal and conservative forces. I have seen him stand up to powerful church and political leadership. I have heard him unwaveringly voice unpopular guidance in encouragement to put Scripture ahead of tradition, culture, and popular wisdom. He has been an advocate for justice within the American church long before it became fashionable. He also is a black man, the decedent of slaves, who was raised in inner-city poverty during desegregation by a single-mother.  Theologically reformed, well educated as a theologian and cultural anthropologist, and currently living in Africa, he holds a very unique set of credentials and perspective for a complex and challenging time.   I do realize that choosing an author who holds to similar fundamental beliefs as I do could lead to a certain amount of confirmation-bias.  I also felt if anyone could challenge where I could be wrong, while holding tight to those things which cannot be compromised, Dr Baucham could. 

"Growing ethnic tension is a problem - but it is not the main problem. While troubling, it is no match for the truth of the Gospel and the unity it creates among those who embrace it." (p.3)


Dr Baucham opens his book with defining terms and tracing the philosophical roots of Critical Social Justice, extensively quoting and footnoting from primary sources,  from Marx's Conflict Theory to Critical Race Theory. He then gives an autobiography, describing his own story of being black in America, how he got to where he is now, and his journey to Christ and ministry and the following identity crisis. What does it mean to be black and a Christian? Which comes first? 


He then jumps into the crux of the book - How does Critical Social Justice (CSJ) line up to Biblical Justice? He breaks down the statistics and talking point used to support CSJ with contrasting statistical analysis and examples, demonstrates examples of media bias, and finally jumps into analyzing the philosophy and definitions used. He shows CSJ to be not an analytics tool, but a worldview and religion with its own theology, liturgy, temples, and priests. His conclusion is that CSJ is antithetical to Biblical Justice, uses definitions which prohibit any type of dissent, and is in fact more harmful to People of Color than helpful. 

The last third of the book looks at how CSJ has worked its way into Evangelical Christianity, subverting Biblical Justice and the Gospel. Using examples from the Southern Baptist Convention and statements by well-known and respected Evangelical leaders, he demonstrates how Marxist ideas have quietly entered Evangelical verbiage and discussion.  He offers this summation:

I believe we are being duped by an ideology bent on our demise. This ideology has used our guilt and shame over American's past, our love for the brethren, and our good and godly desire for reconciliation and justice as a means through which to introduce destructive heresies. We cannot embrace, modify, baptize, or Christianize these ideologies. We must identify, resist, and repudiate them. We cannot be held hostage through emotional blackmail and name-calling. Instead, we must "see to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ (Colossians 2:8)  (p. 204)


Finally, he offers a way forward for Christians, but not a political strategy. In fact he specifically says we cannot fight this war with politics. Beginning with 2 Corinthians 10:3, he says the root of the problem is spiritual, it is a spiritual war we are fighting, therefore it must be fought at the spiritual level - prayer, boldly speaking the truth in love, taking every thought captive to Christ, and maintaining the unity of the Church.  Finally, he gives an appeal to boldly preaching and living Biblical Justice - that God has broken all barriers, that Sin is the root of all injustice, that Christ satisfied the demand for justice on the cross, and true healing can only come from repentance and forgiveness. He ends with his own powerful forgiveness story. 


He maintains a spirit and tone of compassion and understand toward those who have willingly and unwillingly embraced CSJ. He urges active and compassionate listening to the stories, the fears, and the hopelessness. He readily acknowledges that racism is a growing problem and many people of color have legitimate reasons for fear.  He advocates for seeking equality, justice, healing, and unity. He simply comes to the conclusion that Biblically, the only place it can be found is in Christ. 


I found the writing to be choppy at times, but to be fair that could have more to do with the constant interruptions I had! I would have liked to see more specific examples of actions which could be taken within both black and white churches, but given his conclusion, and that the book is already 250 pages, I can see why it is not there. I did question his final conclusions about "white guilt" - not because I don't believe Christ's death and resurrection has satisfied the need for justice and forgiveness, but because the sins of the father's are carried several generations, and a covenantal view would say we do bear some of the repercussions of that guilt. 

In the end, he confirmed and helped put into words much that I was already thinking. He raised concerns I had but couldn't completely put my finger on. He also challenged me to evaluate how I have allowed books to influence my theology instead of informing my reading of Scripture. I think for those who are already against CSJ, there is a need to look at his reasoning, and question where the same thing is being done in other areas - especially in evangelical politics. Where has human reasoning and desire supplanted the Gospel? Where do we fight political battles that are really spiritual battles? Where are we using law to replace the Gospel? While he is focused on neo-Marxism as it applies to CSJ, while reading I saw much of the same lines of thought and reasoning being used to justify nationalism, conspiracy theories, and conservatism. He draws a firm line with CSJ. I question whether or not many of those opposed to CSJ still stand on the same side, but over different issues. Can it be that neo-Marxist thought has crept its way into even the most conservative Christian political circles?