The Good News includes some bad news, even many warnings.
Warnings are part of Jesus’ message:
• “Beware of false prophets, who
come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”(Matthew
7:15)
• And he cautioned them, saying,
“Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod (Mark
8:15)
Jesus had warned about any teaching that would corrupt the
faith. The faithful Christian servant must do likewise.
Now for another warning. In every Marxist nation,
Christianity has been oppressed to the point of extermination. VODDIE T.
BAUCHAM JR., pastor, church planter, and dean of the School of Divinity at
African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia, warns that, according to the
Marxist Critical Theory (CT):
• Christianity is part of the
oppressive hegemony! And according to some, it is the most pernicious aspect of
it; it has and maintains “privilege,” and contributes to oppression. One of the
foundational CSJ textbooks, Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice, is a
mainstay in schools of education. In it, the term “Christian privilege” refers
to “the social advantages held by Christians in the U.S. who experience social
and cultural advantages relative to non-Christians” derived from hegemony.
Hence, it is rooted in “the assumptions underlying institutional rules and the
collective consequences of following those rules,” and therefore, “is generally
unacknowledged by those who hold it, because it is maintained through the
pervasive but largely invisible culture of normative religious practices.” This
is the classic Gramscian-Marxist view of hegemony. (Baucham, “Fault Lines,” 207)
According to CT, everything about the prevailing culture
must be mercilessly criticized until overthrown. Baucham cites another CT
neo-Marxist:
• “Religious freedom… is really
code for white Christians being able to do what they want to do,” (“The Color
of Compromise” author Jemar Tisby told Veggie Tales). (207-08)
For the CT and the Critical Race Theorist, there can be “No
Peace” as long as there is “No Justice.” For them, however, “justice” will not
be achieved until the entire system is overthrown.
The CT neo-Marxist invariably regards Christianity as the opposition.
Baucham cites “Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice”:
• The significance of Christianity
in U.S. life and the challenges it poses for minority religions is a social
justice issue that requires the kind of historical knowledge and
structural/cultural analysis we use to understand other forms of oppression that
stand in the way of social justice. (208)
For the Marxist CT, undermining Christianity is a matter of
justice, since it provides the foundation and support for oppression.
Therefore, it must be eliminated and replaced by a Marxist system.
Baucham argues that BLM (“Black Lives Matter”) is married to
Marxism and CT:
• The organization is Marxist,
revolutionary, feminist, misandrist, pro-LGBTQIA+, pro-abortion, and
anti-family, with roots in the occult. It is unacceptable for Christians to
partner with, celebrate, identify with, or promote this organization. And that
includes being bullied or pressured into using the phrase “black lives matter.”
(“Fault Lines,” 223)
BLM, a product of Marxist training, has no qualms about the
use of pressure and intimidation. Baucham believes that it is his duty as a
Christian to expose BLM, especially through its own writings:
• We are self-reflexive and do the
work required to dismantle cisgender privilege and uplift Black trans folk,
especially Black trans women who continue to be disproportionately impacted by
trans-antagonistic violence. We foster a queer-affirming network. When we
gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of
heteronormative thinking, or rather, the belief that all in the world are
heterosexual. (BLM’s website’s “What We Believe” page)
In Marxist fashion, BLM’s intention is to “dismantle” and
“disrupt.” Force and propaganda replaces peace and reason as their tools for
social change:
• We build a space that affirms Black
women and is free from sexism, misogyny, and environments in which men are
centered. We make our spaces family-friendly and enable parents to fully
participate with their children. We dismantle the patriarchal practice that
requires mothers to work “double shifts” so that they can mother in private
even as they participate in public justice work. We disrupt the
Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each
other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one
another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and
children are comfortable. (Black Lives Matter, “What We Believe,”
http://archive.is/oARH0)
These are not the teachings that have promoted the Christian
faith:
• Love is patient and kind; love
does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its
own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing,
but rejoices with the truth. (1 Corinthians 13:4-6)
Baucham exemplifies these biblical principles:
• I forgave the Africans who took
my ancestors’ freedom. I forgave the Americans who bought and exploited them. I
forgave the family that replaced my identity with their German name. I just
forgave! I did not harbor any ill will. I did not feel entitled to any
apologies or reparations. By God’s grace, I recognized that Providence had
blessed me beyond my ancestors’ wildest dreams—or my own. I couldn’t help but
remember Joseph’s words: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it
for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are
today” (Genesis 50:20). (228-29)
Join me in praying that the Lord will both warn and revive
His Church!
