Christian, Where is Their Here?

Alpha & Omega Ministries

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00:09

Welcome to the dividing line. My name is Rich Pierce sitting in for James one more time You might notice that as I get comfortable once again

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After doing a show for the first time in over two years on Tuesday I'm kind of adjusted a couple things around here

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One of them is putting the microphone up a little bit higher so that I'm not constantly hitting it

00:30

I'm one of those people I have to talk with my hands and Tends to drive me crazy not to mention other people so hopefully

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I won't be doing that any longer Have you ever been in church and the new pastor is walking through a text?

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He's walking through this text and suddenly he says something and you think Where did he get that?

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Where in the world did that come from? It seems well, you know where he got it from He got it out of thin air.

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He just But maybe he didn't maybe you're just missing the point and you keep looking and you look and after The service is over you go up to him and you ask him about it

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The problem is now you've done it Now you're that guy That's right.

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You're that guy and he has he's got you pinned pegged right from the beginning

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You're the troublemaker you're the church troublemaker and You don't understand your position here you see because he's the pastor and you're not and What you don't realize is that there is something new in the equation the old pastor doing things the old way well, that's not how we do things anymore and What you need to understand is that the real problem is where he is concerned

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He's concerned about what preaches good We've James has been down this road before and he's addressed the issue of what preaches good but the fact the matter is you you're gonna cramp his style and he knows it and you're gonna be the problem and You're you're still thinking to yourself.

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But wait a minute. Where'd you get that? And You need to realize that Like what

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I talked about on Tuesday like what I talked about over two years ago He was taught to do this.

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He was taught. This is cool. This is how you do it and The difference between what

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James and I encountered with that particular pastor back in the 1980s who was just simply looking for things that preach good and if I can take a passage of Scripture and Turn it on its head and make it say something that was never meant to say but it preaches good.

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That's really what's important today we're actually in a circumstance where we are seeing this new idea coming out the phrase thought leader is

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Becoming more and more popular and I actually have heard it recently put out there regarding Pastors ministers being referred to as thought leaders

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The the problem here is the pastor is not a thought leader You need to get that through your head the thought leader versus the

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Pastoral the thought leader is not the guy that's getting up front and doing his Tony Robbins impression

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He's not up there being the motivational speaker And if you see the pastor in that light you need to get your mind, right?

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And if the pastor sees himself in that light, he needs to get his mind, right?

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There's something broken and the fact the matter is this thinking has been to use another popular word these days

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Systemically embedded in the church and its institutions for decades

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Comes back and is rooted in the preaches good concept But now we're in that Newfangled really cool idea of the thought leader

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Now before we get into that particular perspective, I want to do a little bit of review on Tuesday pointing out the the chief question that I was asking on Tuesday was where is your here

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Christian? And and that has to do with what the here that is referenced in Colossians 311 here

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There is no and we went through all of that if you haven't had a chance to view that video

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I would encourage you to stop right now go back and review the dividing line from Tuesday.

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That would be August Tuesday August 21st

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And I would encourage you to read to go back and view that one First before you continue on with this one

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But the question is now turned around and the question is now for today Where is there here?

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So where is there here because if we look at critical theory intersectionality we look at the thought leader mentality we look at the the the pursuit of the interesting and the fascinating and the curious

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We need to ask the question Well, we know where we stand when we are the Bible believing

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Christian and the Bible preaching Christian in the Bible living Christian That's where we stand we want to stand where Paul is standing but the

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Converse of that is we need to ask ourselves the question. Where is there here? Where is it that they're standing now?

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Before I get into that. I want to make a quick correction Of an error

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I made on Tuesday as I was watching it back I you know one of those moments and I'm gonna be turning 59 here in a couple of months and as I And not that I didn't do this when

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I was younger, but it seems I'm getting worse about it as I grow older There is a thought in your mind, but that's not the words that come out of your mouth and I mentioned that the the pillar and foundation of the truth from first Timothy 315 and I want to I Want to correct something on how

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I said that because I didn't say it, right and How it's stated in first Timothy 315 has to do with the

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Church of the Living God Being the pillar and foundation of the truth now

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Clarifying that as we go forward and as we think of Colossians chapter 3 and we read it in the same way

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We read Romans chapter 9 And if you're one who wants to read Romans chapter 9 in a convoluted jump away from it run away from it hopscotch it

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Kind of method you're gonna probably want to do the same thing with Colossians chapter 3 and I'm gonna tell you right out

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That's an error. You need to go let the flow of thought that is presented and was written down Be what guides you through the text?

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but if the Church is The pillar and foundation of the truth the church as it says here the

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Church of the Living God Okay, then what is the truth? And think about it.

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What is a pillar and a foundation do a pillar and a foundation holds something else up?

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you think about the pillar and foundation of this building for instance the foundation is

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What holds up the pillars so the pillars are mounted on the foundation? So they're solid and they do not move you can't have a building that kind of shifts around and moves it's not going to be standing for very long, but what they hold up is the truth

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So as we look to the scriptures as we see the scriptures, this is the standard of truth these are that which

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Again we back go back to that sola scriptura concept that we are bound by them

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Well, if if we're bound by the scriptures and what the scriptures have to tell us regarding life and godliness

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They dictate to us how we are to live which is interesting because if you go back and look at all of the the context of first timothy 315 he talks about delaying the point is he's making a point to timothy that if he delays

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You may know how one ought to behave in the household of God Well, isn't that what

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Colossians 3 is telling us how to behave how we are to behave in the household of God putting to death all those things that are worldly of the old man and Putting on the mind of Christ and having our minds set on things above Isn't that really what that's about?

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Well, we don't do that without the truth so our job as a

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People of God is to recognize that as we come together it is

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Us being the church that we are to be the pillar and the foundation holding up the truth

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And that truth we we we hold up to the entire world So as we move into the study today the question is where is there here and Again without digging into a whole lot of the details under the underpin critical theory and intersectionality

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In the description from the Tuesday program. I provided a link to an

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Interview that my friend Michael Fallon did with doctors James Lindsay and Peter Boghossian regarding the the details of how critical theory really works and at the same time they discuss how that actually turns groups that it infiltrates inside out and destroys them from within and For us

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The scriptures really need to be in the conversation and oftentimes

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I Find that there is this And I want to take two two approaches to today

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I mean the first one has to do with what I'm seeing as a pastoral fascination with the externals a

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Pastoral fascination with the externals and I'm seeing this not only in the pastors But in the institutions that they've they've been trained by as Well as then they get into the churches that they're pastoring and this becomes a mindset that is quote -unquote

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Okay, and even encouraged and we're gonna dig into that but the fascination with the externals things that are outside the scriptures first of all

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We're seeking wisdom here we're seeking Knowledge we're thinking we're seeking information that goes beyond the walls of the normal Christian Church These are meant to be noble pursuits that inform us and they inform us in such a way as to Enhance our evangel

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Enhance our evangel the idea here is that if we learn these things how the world around us thinks and breathes and functions in cultures that we don't necessarily understand by Adopting those things we find a better way of reaching those people groups.

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That's what this is about It's it's presented in a way that it is To a method for evangelism and growing the ranks of the church

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The problem is as I presented on Tuesday If you pursue things that are not compatible with Christianity and you try to use those things as your evangel

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You're gonna wind up with a very Unrecognizable Frankenstein ish result that doesn't resemble biblical

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Christianity in any way shape or form and that's Look at liberalism look at what has happened to the

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United Methodist Church. Look at all these churches that are now bringing in speakers on homosexuality and promoting the gay

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Christian movements and on and on and on You cannot find though that kind of thinking in the pages of the

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New Testament You definitely can't find it in the Old Testament. But guess what? at some point in time the

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Fascination with the externals that go beyond when I say externals external from this

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So when it goes beyond the pages of Scripture, we keep pursuing those thoughts pursuing those thoughts pursuing those thoughts

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And then finally when you look in the rearview mirror The Bible is on the other side of the bridge and the bridge is out.

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It got burned behind you and there's no turning back Well, there is turning back.

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There's repentance and turning away from these things but again these facets the fascination with the externals is presented to us in the concept of pursuit of noble things and information that goes beyond our walls and The pursuit of these new ideas

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I call I want to offer what I call the speculation hypothesis the speculation

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Hypothesis, I I find a a common problem. I get the phone calls all the time well,

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I want to know what you think of this or I want to know what you think of that and what is being asked oftentimes most often that subject is eschatology and They want to know what

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I think who is who's the false prophet? Who's the beast? Who's the Antichrist who's an on and on and on and what is actually being asked of me is

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I want you to Speculate along with me so we can have a conversation. I'll be honest with you

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The conversations that I hear sometimes remind me of a couple of nerds sitting around arguing about who wins the battle

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Batman or Superman and Of course, everybody knows it's going to be Superman, right?

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Okay, that's just an aside. But the problem is is it starts off with a problem that is perceived there is a perception of a problem and the

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Solution to that problem it is surmised is not found in Scripture And I think that's where a lot of the the critical race folks are coming from they don't believe that the actual solution to the problem is found in the pages of Scripture, so we have the speculation that is called for and How it starts is very much like what we find

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Jesus talking about when he talks about leaven and bread leaven level leavening a little bit of leaven leavens the whole lump and if you think about the idea of how

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Bread is made and this the the fact that in in the

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Old Testament Bread was not to be made with yeast It was not to rise and so, you know

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If you've ever had matzah or anything like that matzah bread, it doesn't rise

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It's more along the lines of what we in America would refer to as crackers because it hasn't been leavened but as the baker takes the lump of dough and he puts

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Some leaven on it yeast he then works it in and a little bit of leaven leavens the whole lump well, how does it level leaven the whole lump so you you have the concern the

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The problem is perceived the speculation of how to solve the problem is pursued is is then discussed and Then the concern itself becomes greater than the mid mission so this is where the kneading of the leaven into the dough where Eventually, it becomes greater than the mission itself because it now permeates every bit of the dough or the mission.

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So the this the issue then becomes

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Embedded into the mission and a new mission is now born now If you're not necessarily tracking with me on that thought,

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I want to offer up a a scene for you from the movie the radicals the

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The The reformer the

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Anabaptist reformer I know some of the reform community may get mad at me for even mentioning

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Michael Sattler's name or Anabaptist, but this is an important scene that Should spell out the problem and again, it's the speculation

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Hypothesis and how it runs through the whole thing so the scene is set he is a weaver and he is presenting as part of his argument in the face of I'm trying to think he's

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I believe it was will will him Roy Blin who wants to get militant if you will and Sattler's not having it so there's a debate going on in this scene and He's talking about the bad thread in the in the bolt of cloth he explains how the bad thread continues through the whole boat they bolt and they

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Because they they teach it because they were taught it and those who taught them were taught it as well that's the point of my illustration here, so I'm going to play this for you and we're gonna get let me turn my volume up and Let me let me play this for you, and we'll be right back

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If we deceive ourselves now the price will be eternal

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And that ends that clip here, let me turn off the sound because this computer gets a little bit

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Noisy as we go along, but I think the point is made there that his statements got

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Colossians 3 all through it and the point is that we need to be a

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Bible II Bible centered people and as We start to tease with the novelties of our vain imagination

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We we find ourselves in the mode of what I call pontificating grand trues while staring at our navels and I Just find this approach becoming more and more common

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Here's the problem folks you need to take a look at as we're going to look at two different examples today of this kind of Thinking and I want you to focus on the thinking don't get caught up in the names that I mentioned

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I've got two names that I'm going to use two folks that I'm going to use as an example But I don't want you to focus on them.

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I want you to recognize That there are a lot more folks in Christendom who think like they do then think like us and think like me

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Who look to the scriptures as their sole infallible rule of faith and practice

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Those are my boundaries if I'm bound by scriptures Then I should have some boundaries in my thinking and in my theology and how

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I go about doing that If that isn't the message of pilgrims progress Think about that once for a second

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Pilgrims progress shows us that one stray step leads to another and to another and before you know it

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You're so far off the path That leads to righteousness

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The path of the truth you can't even see it anymore That's what

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Michael Sattler is talking about. You know, I'll give you an example for instance Have you ever had a car that just won't steer straight?

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The alignment's just out just enough to where you you kind of have to pull it back

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Maybe if you're on a tilted road, it'll go straight Ultimately if you're on a flat road It always wants to pull to one side or the other and so you have to compensate with a steering wheel to keep it going straight down the road

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Like that car the novelty of our imagination as we tease with the

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Externals that go on beyond that which we are beyond the boundaries of Christendom They will lead us astray we start going down that road and then we wonder why it gets so rough

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We wonder why it gets so bumpy and we wonder why we sometimes crash or We find ourselves in a town like Vanity Fair Wondering how we got here.

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You got to think about that stuff. You know, don't let it become the norm for you

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You need to look for That narrow road.

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I want to walk the narrow road. I don't want to be on the wide way Don't you?

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And as we're teasing with the interesting and the novel of thought

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Those are worldly things the world will Tantalize us with more than just things like pornography and all the other things that are just they hit you upside the head

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There's those subtle things that the world Infiltrates your thinking and changes your worldview in such a way that now you have shifted

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And you've taken that first step off of the narrow path You know you think about how this works how this starts out

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Most folks are familiar with the concept of a news tease in the news tease

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They are what TV news anchors use or say to convince viewers to watch the newscast or to continue watching the newscast coming up at 10 man bites dog and lives to tell about it or Coming up next and they want to string you along to keep you watching and keep your attention focused right with them and what they're actually doing is they're appealing to your curiosity with The concepts that are interesting with things that are

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Interesting and they want to gain your attention and they want to keep your attention because that's how they get paid

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Well in the same way is the church teases with the interesting the idea

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Where that goes is the promotion of new ideas and those new ideas are

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I mean, they're not just Like I use the example Batman and Superman that's absurd

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Okay these things are presented to the church in pursuit of that which is valuable in pursuit of new concepts and Things that you know what?

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You really should be thinking about this or shouldn't we be doing things like this? The problem is is that they are bringing to you novelties of thought appealing to your curiosity

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And I love this one I heard this last year and it just kind of about fell out of my chair

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I like to read so -and -so I Find him really interesting.

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Yeah, I know that he really doesn't follow the scriptures, but He's a deep thinker he thinks about things that most

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Christians don't think about and Yeah, I know he doesn't believe in inerrancy and he

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Reads the scriptures in a nuanced manner But I find him interesting and I think you could learn a lot and Your your horizons would broaden

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By reading him. I read him all the time and I just find him really fascinating What is what's just happened here and a vehicle has been introduced to you in the way of the fascination?

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with the liberal author So you've got a conservative reformed man

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Who's just posited the idea that conservative his conservative flock and when

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I use the term conservative, please Don't get me wrong. I'm not using that in a political way. There is liberal

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Thought when it comes to the scriptures John Dominic Crossan would be one example as he sees it

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It's all a parable dummy You can go back and listen to that debate and follow his train of thought and the way he approaches the scriptures you ever wonder

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Why everything that these guys say seems to be so upside down from how you read the scriptures?

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because they're liberal theologians a conservative theologian Looks to the scriptures and like we did on Tuesday wants to learn from them and extrapolate from the scriptures

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Information that the scriptures are actually presenting but the vehicle that can take you from that conservative way of thinking into liberal worldviews and thoughts and ideas is

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The interesting I find him interesting. I think you can benefit from reading him your world will grow

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Sounds really noble right but in point of fact, it's just a tease

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It's no different than the news tease now

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I have some Examples here. And as I said earlier One of those examples is an interaction that I had last month with a well -known professor at a

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Christian school Who posted a comment on Twitter? In fact, she had just simply been

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Reposting something that someone else again one of those interesting people Who were more widely read well -rounded in their worldview than I would be

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She puts the tease out and I don't want you to get hung up on the name.

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It is an interaction that I had with Karen swallow prior but again, you need to There are some things here

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I'm still after the conversation I'm still not sure where miss prior is at on that thinking but the thinking that was represented in the post

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Well, let's dig into it. And I think you'd be able to follow it So I want to go ahead and bring that up for you and Yeah, I did before I do that.

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Yeah, I did think about not mentioning miss prior, but had I blurred that out, you know

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We've had a circumstance of folks Doing things on video lately where they blurred things out and that really blew up in their face

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I don't want that to happen here. So please I'm not going after miss prior for this there was some misunderstanding on my part and there's still a lot of misunderstanding on my part, but I want to focus on what it was that she was retweeting and break that down, so Let's see here.

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I want to bring that up and we have that on the screen for you now and so we have the example of What I call teasing with the interesting and she will later on respond to me saying that she found the statement

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Interesting and so that's why I thought it was a well an interesting example

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But I use the term I think interesting in the different way that she did because I found it interestingly

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Wrongheaded very wrongheaded. Let's read it those who are most vocal about abortion and abortion laws

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Are my white brothers and sisters and yet many of them don't care about the plight of the poor the plight of the immigrant the plight of African Americans so as I read this and this was from a story that was posted in the

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New York Times 2019 June 6 2019 you can see that there and the three

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Individuals that are referenced here But I guess I'm not familiar with Luke Bobo But that is the handle the

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Twitter handle that is she linked there. So I presume that's where the quote came from My initial confusion with this was

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Missing the source at first. I thought she was the one saying this because I didn't I kind of You know as you're doing

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Twitter the first thing in the morning and you haven't quite had your full cup of coffee it hits you in a particular way and It hadn't quite clicked.

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So I confused her versus them I was missing the source, but I want to break this down I want to take a closer look at what is it that is being said here and why it's really wrong headed

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So because there's so many aspects to this. Okay, so let's Let's break this down.

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First of all The example of diversity as it is being practiced here

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In this tweet Notice the author Is number one segregating the brethren based on their skin color

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Whites Segregating out the poor that the whites

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Don't seem to care about it says it right there don't care about the plight of So the whites don't care about the plight of the poor the whites don't care about the plight of the immigrants and The whites don't care about the plight of African Americans.

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That's what's stated here directly My initial objection here is there is a presumption in The tweet that You know

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What any brothers and sisters care about when it comes to What they're supporting.

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I mean think about it Those who are most vocal about abortion and abortion laws are my white brothers and sisters and yet many of them don't care about the plight of well, how do

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I How do I? Express my care for the plight of someone well

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Primary way is that I'm going to support a particular mission. I'm going to support a particular activity

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My church might support that particular act activity and the problem here is how my initial question was

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How would you know? Based on Matthew 6 and not letting your left hand know what your right hand does

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So that your giving will be in secret There's a contrast here between the hypocrites and how we are to be so if If the white brothers and sisters

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Actually do care about the plight of the immigrant the plight of the poor and the plight of the

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African Americans And they're actually doing things about it. If they're submitting themselves to the scripture

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How in the world with these three people know that? Oh Well, maybe if if you're a liberal

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You don't take that text seriously then you're busy bragging about the causes that you support and The money that you give them and how much money you give them and all the different things that you do with that The other side of the coin here is there's also a an assumption here that In order for you to care

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You're supposed to do this you must do this there is a compulsion so I Might have an objection on another level when to begin be when did giving become?

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Something out of compulsion again a Bible -believing Christian Understand 2nd

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Corinthians 9 6 through 8 Understanding in verse 7 that each one is to give as he has decided in his heart not reluctantly or under compulsion so when you dump guilt on somebody and Say you need to be giving to X Y &

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Z in The process that's a violation of 2nd Corinthians 9 7

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Ultimately if we're going to do do Holy Spirit give lead giving then

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The gift according to this passage that is given out of compulsion is worthless

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Because supposed to come from the heart not a heart of guilt but the one who

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Wants to they've decided in their heart not reluctantly under compulsion, but cheerfully

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Cheerfully and God is able to make all grace. Let's see here. Come on computer Well, it's not good

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There it is and God is able to make all grace abound to you so that having all Sufficiency in all things at all times you may abound in every good work

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That's how you're supposed to be giving That's how this is supposed to work. So there is a grand

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Presumption here on two parts number one that the true believer no matter what their color is going to be proclaiming their giving and Can be motivated by compulsion and guilt

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Both of those premises go directly against how we're supposed to live the Christian life, but as I said on Tuesday The how we leave the

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Christian life seems to be missing from this logic and this thinking

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My reply to this as I have up on the screen here Was this comment puzzles me greatly if her white brothers and this is where my confusion happened if her white brothers and sisters are

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Giving to others in a manner taught by Jesus How would she even be able to tell Matthew 6 1 through 4 on the other hand?

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What are we to think about those who do brag about such things Well, if you're believing the scriptures, it's not a good thought it really isn't but in my initial confusion

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I admit I missed the source. I missed that her the her versus them and I wound up irritating miss prior

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And I deserved it, but let's look at Matthew 6 here Specifically going down to verse 3 do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing

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So that your giving may be in secret then Your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you

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Well, what's the contrast? Don't practice your right and righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.

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Don't do it like the hypocrites do with trumpets and In the synagogues and on the streets to be honored by others

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They've received their reward And I think if you understand this text you understand that that reward is very temporary and very

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Well, it's not a reward that God honors So but let's move on. So miss prior responded.

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Do you understand that? I tweeted the article? Yes, and now I'm kind of interpreting.

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This is a bit of a dodge. I still think it was a dodge As we're teasing with the interesting so I'm gonna pursue this a little bit more so the comment was not your own

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Okay. Okay. I'm looking again. I realize that so I'm asking the next follow -up question. I presume that you share its sentiment

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To which she replies no and no I tweeted here It is an interesting article with interesting perspectives that I think are worth consideration

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You think there were you thought they were worth consideration. Do you not see the quotation marks and the attribution?

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No, I didn't I missed that my bad. This is how Twitter works carry on. Mmm. Okay. I hit a nerve.

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Okay, I get it but Here's what I thought was interesting about her reply

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Liberals write interesting things liberals write things worth considering liberals write things we should sit up and take notice of and Liberals write things that expand your world

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That's what I took from that That response. I don't think they were worth consideration.

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I think they were wrongheaded. I really do so I Respond Trying to get clarification here so you don't share the sentiment

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Let's take the word here out of my reply. How is one drawing the conclusions? The quote does if one's if the ones being talked about obey

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Matthew 6 You can't we got a drill down on this thought. I think it through don't just take it at face value and go.

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Oh, how cool? It's not cool. I See that thinking and then

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I see the the accolade for it and I just want to go what's wrong with your head

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Fred something's something's not clicking here and why why not because if your

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Mindset is centered on the things of God as found in this book There's nothing noble in that statement at all, but okay

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Let's drill down on it a little bit more so I asked the question now perhaps a different angle on the matter

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Can one rightly draw this conclusion about people obeying Matthew 6 would one even know if said people were doing so how does the quote not draw a grand assumption that can likely be false and Then I follow up again.

39:42

So now with that on the table How interesting is this false narrative now?

39:51

well In this prior response I took it as a perception that I myself want to ask myself how

39:59

I might correct particularly as a white Evangelical whose first qualification is to get my vote

40:07

Whose first qualification to get my vote is to be against legal abortion

40:12

That does not change even as I ponder whether or not other things can or should

40:23

You identify yourself as a white evangelical? Have you read

40:29

Colossians 3 lately ms. Pryor? Honestly, I wanted to ask back to that same question, where is your here at?

40:39

Where is your here? Because while I laud your concern about standing against legal abortion in our land

40:46

You got to understand for me This isn't about how I vote.

40:52

This isn't about my political activity at all. This is all about how

40:58

I live the Christian life and submitting myself to the scriptures accordingly as my infallible rule of faith and practice and as I do that There is a moral compass that develops in one's heart

41:18

And as you look at the world around you you see things as a

41:23

Christian sees things. Oh You mean I have my mind set on things above and that Changes my heart and it changes my values and it changes the way

41:35

I look at my brethren and I don't see color I don't see class I don't see the walk of life that they came out of I'm in the church and we have one thing in common

41:47

That conquers everything else Conquers everything else and that is

41:54

Christ That all those other things to use a

42:01

Somewhat crude biblical term. It's all scuba. It's garbage rotting stinking garbage and When I dredge it back up and I wear a label that I'm a white

42:17

Evangelical I am a Bible -believing Christian and I want others to come to Christ the same way

42:27

I did by Submitting to the Word of God and repenting of every bit of that garbage of that scuba

42:36

It is a perception. I do not share with you ma 'am. I do not

42:42

I cannot because the scriptures command me to think Differently than that so The conversation comes to a dead end and I ask so your left hand and your right hand are being measured by color and That's where it died it didn't go any further than that and And that my point was was ignored

43:11

Voting was the issue race is the issue and As we look at this text and we ask how can any of this thinking be

43:25

And we ask where is there here I Submit to you that there here is not standing in the spot of Matthew chapter 6.

43:36

It's not You're not consistent with that Moving on Again, please don't get stuck on the players as I presented them to you.

43:50

Miss Pryor is not to be Berated or pursued over this

43:57

I want you to realize that there are what she had to say and what she expressed there is a value system a compass if you will that represents a

44:12

Great many people out there that wear the label Christian The problem is is that?

44:20

Wherever they are in here, and I don't know that answer can't know that answer wherever they are in here

44:27

There is this outward expression of religiosity That does not comport with biblical

44:34

Christianity and It is possible that we have pilgrim

44:41

Who has found himself in Vanity Fair and The Lord will lead him out of Vanity Fair but Don't get stuck on the players if you keep looking at that one tree you're gonna miss the fact that the forest fire is much bigger than just the one and Goes far beyond just the one

45:05

So we're we're pursuing subjects that are not rooted in Scripture and CRT and it and we're good.

45:12

I'm not trying to put I don't know where miss prior fits on the critical theory business that particular portion of this program was directed at the

45:25

Pursuit of the novel and the interesting things that go outside of Scripture But the

45:31

Scripture actually does address that tweet that that she shared that quote that she shared is head -on directly addressed in Scripture but the folks that I think the person that wrote it clearly doesn't know that if they do they don't care and That's a problem now

45:52

I'm gonna go into another section here where we get more into the issue of critical theory and its

45:58

Institutional foothold on the thinking of a great many people around us a great many people not only in our churches

46:05

But people that might actually be leading our churches and this is our to me the chief concern that we really need to Dig into I don't want you to get stuck in conspiracy theories or systemic distractions heresies worldliness these things all depart from the faith and We need to instead of looking at how we may perceive them in an individual

46:32

We need to focus on the thinking and in the writing and discussions and teachings of the folks folks

46:38

Who are thinking like this? Okay The first example here

46:45

I would like to provide you would be Dr.

46:52

Walter Strickland of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary again, it's not about the players.

47:02

There was an interview. James has already addressed the interview That was given to the

47:07

New York Times There was an explanation and I want to break that explanation down just a little bit more later on But what bothered me and this

47:16

I seem to feel like it was My concern was different than a lot of other people a lot of people were very concerned as to his confirmation that he uses

47:28

James Cone's work in the classroom without mentioning James Cone's name and For me

47:37

I'm going Okay. Why am I the only one that seems to be missing the office that he holds?

47:43

And we're going to get into that But this doesn't just end here and in the link in the description of this video

47:51

I am going to link to you a You know an audio recording

47:59

That was made at Reformed Theological Seminary, I believe that was the Atlantic campus and again, we come back to the office and we come back to the concept of the ministry that is performed here and it's my understanding that this was the inauguration speech for the

48:24

There's the brochure right there founded at g3 They had an

48:29

RTS had a table at g3 and they were giving these out. They were also giving out very fancy.

48:35

Well done Bookmarks and they again this the the recording that I'm going to link you to is

48:43

Carl Ellis's speech at the inauguration of the Center for the study of the

48:49

Bible and ethnicity Center for the study of the Bible and ethnicity

48:59

In this brochure This says in Description of the

49:05

Center for the study of the Bible and ethnicity that its goal is to equip leaders to minister effectively within multi -ethnic cross -cultural and mono -ethnic contexts by fostering an appreciation for the histories and cultures of people groups that are outside of the dominant culture

49:23

The Center promotes theological education and reflection on these topics and how they inform and impact local and global ministry in the 21st century and It goes on from there but Again, we come back to the concept this this is this is all critical theory in action right here folks

49:48

This is critical theory and it's happening in reformed Schools Not just our minion schools.

49:55

It's happening in reformed schools, and I submit to you that we It has come to a point where it is

50:04

More widely known because it is already been embedded into our educational institutions for a very long time

50:14

If you think about it and you go back the the big disturbing thing about the

50:19

MLK 50 Conference from last year was how boldly they came out with it.

50:25

It was a virtual punch -in -the -face With the level of boldness and when you start

50:33

Going back you find out they've been doing this under the radar for a very long time and so they've grown their ranks within our midst and MLK 50 was if you will them coming out of the closet and They're now

50:51

Showing us how many places they have a deep foothold a deep seat in the saddle and Reformed Theological Seminary is one of those places

51:04

So we're going to get into that but again with the thinking of That one bad thread takes over the whole bolt

51:16

Okay, just a little bit of leaven leavens the whole lump So, let's see here looking at my notes here,

51:28

I don't need to cover that I don't know why

51:36

I Have these duplicate slides Okay, so I'm gonna open up the window back on these this particular slide

51:45

The interview on November and this is actually a clip. I've got the source down at the bottom there

51:51

I'm not sure if I have it really fine print. So if you cannot read that here Let's go full screen and you can read what that says at the very bottom.

51:59

The source is real ideas at play Foundational convictions black theology and my journey with James Cone.

52:06

Dr. Walter Strickland And there's the URL from the intercept intersect project website

52:15

Dr. Walter Strickland is associate vice president for Kingdom of Diversity for Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and He published this particular explanation of the interview which

52:32

The response to the interview literally went viral online That he made this admission and this is his explanation of that Admission on November 15th 2018

52:45

I was interviewed by Molly Worthen for an op -ed that was published by the New York Times on April 20th 2019 the article included quotes from a nearly 75 minute conversation regarding my experience in the

52:58

Southern Baptist Convention against the backdrop of racial turmoil in our country in our conversation

53:05

She asked questions about my engagement with a theologian James Cone in light of my stated commitment to southeastern seminaries

53:12

Confessional and affirmed statements. I will say part of this hubbub has to do with so many seminary professors officers board members

53:25

It's etc. If I missed somebody in there who are Looking at the seminary confessions and statements and They're finding ways to sign on these things and affirm these things by Redefining them in their own minds so that somehow some way they

53:49

Can have or state that they have had integrity when they signed it I Happen to think there's a big problem here but the

54:03

Again I gave the the source there In this

54:10

Statement in this in this website. He says Cone was helpful is helpful for me in two primary ways he was the first theologian

54:20

I read to engage systemic sin and Two he impressed upon me the value of having theological dialogue partners from different cultural economic and geographic

54:32

Context nothing wrong with that, right? We all need to be able to talk to folks from a different life experience and different backgrounds

54:40

We need to be able to do that. We need to have rational conversations in order to share the gospel, right?

54:46

despite my substantive theological differences being introduced to systemic sin in his work was an important theological

54:54

Insight to understand the expansive impact of the fall on humanity and society

55:01

Now I want to I want to respond to that The concept of systemic sin or institutionalized sin

55:13

I Think there's some real merit to the concept. It's where you go with that that you need to understand something and if I'm going to understand any concept from James Cone and Import that into my

55:30

Christian thinking on any level on any subject. It's a problem It's a problem.

55:37

The only it would be like my looking at Joseph Smith jr.

55:42

And reading and learning from his getting marriage advice learning marriage information from him or Another example that I posted online in response to this it would be like using

56:01

Alphonse Liguori to learn about Mary in this book here

56:09

James wrote this book Mary another Redeemer. I'm gonna say what back in Actually, you need look

56:18

I think it was Yeah to 1998 actually goes a lot further back than I thought it did

56:26

I'm getting old I Assisted James in cross -checking a number of quotes from Alphonse Liguori Who was nothing short of a mary alliter?

56:40

This this man would have Mary Changed that he would change that you would change the

56:45

Trinity of the Quadernity. I'm sure of it Or however, you want to pronounce that but if I were to say to you being introduced to Mary in the work of Liguori was an important theological insight to understand the depth and impact of Mary on the life of Christ And and scripture if I were to say that to you

57:17

You Gotta look at how much is poured into that. I I have to tell you in helping

57:24

James do the cross references on the quotes on this book It was very difficult for me to listen to it.

57:30

It was so much blasphemy up one side and down the other It was all through there but I want to make that correlation and that is a

57:40

I think a fair comparison to using James Cone's work to learn anything about a biblical concept of any kind now he continues

57:52

Worthen asked me in her interview how my Dissertation informs my ministry today and I noted

57:58

Cone's influence in this area Specifically I referenced using Cone's ideas without mentioning him in order to walk around linguistic landmines

58:09

My Point was not that I hide unorthodox ideas in my teaching rather that I don't mention his name in order to eliminate

58:18

Stumbling blocks as I show how scripture answers certain observations about the world evangelicals sometimes overlook the per To which

58:31

I replied the purse purposeful omission of this information is no innocent device

58:37

He who he would like to to lay that out, but it's not It's not it is no different than if I would be standing in front of that same class teaching on Mary using

58:48

Alphonse Liguori as my source and simply Not mentioning his name and avoiding the more radical

58:58

Conclusions that he draws about drew about Mary now

59:04

If you think I'm being unfair here again, I come back to know not so much the fact that he uses

59:11

Cone's ideas and References is and quotes him clearly quotes him

59:18

Okay, I Come back to the job that the man holds and I'm gonna link you in this description of this program.

59:26

I'm going to link you to a The Full portion of this video where he describes in this video

59:35

What it is that he does what his job description is. This is his own words. I need to open up the

59:42

Volume here and I'd like you to listen in his own words What his job description is?

59:52

Walter Strickland, I serve at Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina As special advisor to the president for diversity which is basically chief diversity officer here on campus and then

01:00:02

I also serve as a professor of theology and so I teach anything from systematic theologies to liberation theologies to contextual global theologies

01:00:10

And I've been doing that for about this is my fourth academic year So four years he

01:00:19

I don't have the date on the particular video that he Made with with this lady but think about his job description

01:00:31

He is a special advisor to the president So he answers directly to the president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Denny Akin answers directly to him

01:00:46

For the purpose a subject of diversity that he is the Chief diversity officer of the school

01:00:55

He is a professor of theology teaching systematic theologies liberation theologies contextual and global theologies

01:01:05

And again, I'm going to link in the description to this video so you can see this whole for yourself in What he had to say here, so We're back to we're going to use that word systemic again in The Pursuit of the novel and the interesting and the things that are presumed not to be addressed by the scriptures

01:01:33

We're going to go chase these things down and here this

01:01:40

Seminary Somebody believed that they needed to hire somebody for this job

01:01:46

Somebody believed that they needed to have a special advisor to the president on these subjects somebody believed that as a

01:01:55

Supposedly Bible believing and Bible preaching and Bible teaching organization teaching pastors how to be pastors

01:02:07

Somebody some board of directors. I mean this goes This goes much farther down than just the names that are getting thrown around That's why

01:02:16

I don't want to focus on dr. Strickland. I don't want to focus just on Danny Aiken. I want to focus on the fact that that this is institutionalized in the thinking and has been we've just seen the iceberg pop up and all we're seeing is a little tiny portion of it and it's been under the surface for all this time and We're running right into it

01:02:45

He is a professor professor of theology just teaching systematics

01:02:52

Along with liberation theology if you don't think that the systematics are being affected by the liberation theology

01:02:58

You need to think again but again folks This is the man's job

01:03:07

This is what he was hired to do he is simply doing that which he was hired to do

01:03:15

And you can't I don't think you can do those things without Embracing at least some or part of James Cone's teaching you can't

01:03:26

Critical theory is critical race theory is heavily impacted by James Cone So you can't teach those subjects without him you can't and I believe dr.

01:03:38

Strickland knows that He also says in this article and I'm gonna put this one back up This is what

01:03:51

I call the capitulation affirmation the complete capitulation affirmation he says

01:03:56

I want there to be no question about my affirmation that the Bible is the Authoritative Word of God and the foundational text for all that I do well,

01:04:05

James Cone clearly thought the same thing, but Look at the words that are being used here.

01:04:15

This is carefully phrased. It really is very carefully phrased A foundational text what's not here is the idea that it's the sole infallible rule of faith in practice

01:04:30

If I make that profession I have to state state it much more concisely and much more directly

01:04:36

I have to say that the Bible is my sole infallible rule of faith in practice Not just some kind of foundational text.

01:04:43

You know what? I know Mormons that can make that I know Roman Catholics that can make that affirmation

01:04:49

I know all kinds of liberals that can make that affirmation John Dominic crossing could probably find a way to make that affirmation.

01:04:56

Oh The Bible is a foundational text. It's a parable dummy It is phrased in such a way as to give the appearance of a strong commitment but I remind you

01:05:09

I Remind you that the way you handle the scriptures is a reflection of how you view the scriptures

01:05:17

The way that you handle the scriptures is a reflection of how you view the scriptures yet we when we appealing to the interesting from those who don't share this view

01:05:36

Undermines the very profession that he's made here. I must say that again He wants there to be no question about his affirmation that the

01:05:45

Bible is his foundational text But appealing to the interesting from those who do not share this view even the way it's phrased here

01:05:55

Undermines the very profession that is made yet when we compare his other views and this statement to the concept of The sole infallible rule of the faith of the church.

01:06:05

There is something missing here, isn't there there really is It's walking right up to the line, but not going over it.

01:06:13

It's it's a carefully worded Affirmation or statement. So do we give him the benefit of the doubt?

01:06:26

Sure. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt. I Would say though that the man well, that's a repeat

01:06:36

I've already covered that and as we wrap up I want to impress upon you that if we want theological credibility with those who want

01:06:48

To hold to the scriptures as their sole infallible rule of faith

01:06:57

We need to show that by how we treat that the scriptures Going outside of the scriptures to obtain an appeal

01:07:07

To that which the scriptures refutes is a de facto rejection of those same scriptures

01:07:16

I'm gonna say that again going outside of the scripture to obtain and appeal to that which the scripture refutes is a rejection of those same scriptures folks you the advocate of critical race theory cannot

01:07:34

Interact with Colossians chapter 3 directly. They can't frankly,

01:07:41

I can't see how they don't have to take a pair of scissors to their Bible and Cut out the book of Philemon completely, but you can't interact with Colossians chapter 3 not directly

01:07:57

Certainly not as a command not as the boundary by which the

01:08:03

Christian must conduct his or herself whether that Christian comes from Europe whether that Christian comes from the

01:08:12

United States of America South Africa From Brazil from whatever walk of life from the

01:08:20

Navajo tribe or Navajo nation in northern, Arizona the scripture is the same and When we come to that place together, no matter what walk of life we came to Colossians 3 tells us that when we come together in Christ There is a harmony not a melody notice that it's not a melody that's just one tune going all the way through that everybody must adhere to it is when we come together in Christ that all of those backgrounds

01:09:01

Come together in perfect harmony. That's the words that are used there in perfect harmony

01:09:10

We are one in that place and it's not a switch that we can flip on and off when we walk in and out of A building it is a mentality a way of life that goes with us

01:09:22

Everywhere we go. It's supposed to because that's how we share is the greatest most effective evangelist that we have is how we live the

01:09:34

Christian life out in the world and the fact that we Do so in such a way that there is a testimony that sets us apart from the thinking of the world and so when you encounter the

01:09:50

Imagine encountering a guy who's into Antifa or a member of Antifa on the street under normal circumstances

01:09:57

Is there something about you that's different than him? It better be It better be if it's not it doesn't matter what comes out of your mouth

01:10:10

You can tell him about Jesus all day long, but if he sees a hypocrite

01:10:16

Who doesn't actually live what he's saying He isn't gonna care is he

01:10:23

He isn't gonna care the way that you handle the scriptures is a reflection of how you view the scriptures

01:10:37

I Truly hope that I've been faithful in doing that today And I pray

01:10:44

I truly do pray don't focus on dr. Strickland. Don't focus on dr.

01:10:50

Ellis Don't focus on Miss Pryor. Don't focus on the individuals that I brought up.

01:10:55

It's the mentality. It's the thinking That I want you to focus on and realize we have to speak to these people

01:11:06

We have to recognize that we may need to actually evangelize

01:11:12

People back into the faith who are teasing with the world and show them come back to Christ Come back to a

01:11:22

God -centered mentality note the error of your ways and Come back to that place that is has a mind that is set on the things above.