CenterForBiblicalUnity

I recently attended a @jamesfishback event at Auburn University. Here are my thoughts. I want to caveat that while these talks are happening at TPUSA chapters, they are not TPUSA sponsored events. christianpost.com/voices/i-a…

How dare we allow politics to shape our theology? Over the past ten years, I’ve watched Christians radically shift their theological beliefs in response to what they perceive as political crises. Initially, I saw this among friends who went “woke” in the wake of Trayvon Martin’s death, Ferguson, and Donald Trump’s 2016 election. I watched Christians like Russell Moore, Thabiti Anyabwile, and Lecrae shift their theological emphasis to align with the political crises of the day. We were no longer brothers and sisters in Christ, living out our faith together. Instead, we were increasingly divided into black and white, with a new emphasis on social justice. The gospel was displaced by activism. Equal weights and measures were abandoned in favor of tipping the scales toward the “marginalized.” Theology was no longer primarily about what was true or false, but about what was considered white or black. We were told to move away from “white” theology and embrace “black” theology. This shift wasn’t driven by Scripture. It was driven by politics. Theology was being reshaped to accommodate newly adopted political convictions. More recently, I’ve witnessed a similar shift among other Christians, but in the opposite political direction. Since COVID-19 and the George Floyd riots of 2020, followed by an aggressive push for DEI policies and anti-white discrimination, I’ve watched men like @JoelWebbon, @Eric_Conn, and @Brian_Suave make similar adjustments to their theology in response to a different political crisis. Now, the emphasis is on prioritizing white identity and heritage. Joel Webbon, for example, once said he would rejoice if his daughter married a godly black man. More recently, he has expressed opposition to that possibility, citing his preference for grandchildren who look like him. This represents a significant shift in how he approaches questions of race and marriage, seemingly to accommodate a particular political outlook. Just as with the previous movement, this shift does not appear to be driven primarily by Scripture. Instead, it seems to begin with reading other materials to understand and respond to a perceived political crisis, followed by adjusting theological convictions to fit the resulting worldview. This helps explain the renewed interest by men like @Dalepartridge in arguments surrounding the Curse of Ham and appeals to “natural order of love” to justify racial separation, even among Christians. I’ve been grieved by both movements. I’ve watched Christians who once appeared biblically sound gradually drift toward ethnic tribalism and idolatry as politics increasingly shapes their convictions. What’s particularly astonishing is that many of these people, now divided by seemingly irreconcilable views on race and politics, would have been worshipping in the same churches and doing life together just ten years ago. Unfortunately, they've allowed the cares of the world to divide them. There is something to be said for Christians who plant their feet firmly in the truth of Scripture and refuse to be moved by the shifting winds of the world. Martin Luther famously declared: “I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted. My conscience is captive to the Word of God...Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.” I pray that these men will return to the truth of Scripture. I pray they will recognize that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood and, therefore, must not adopt the weapons of the world under the guise of fighting for Christ. “Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elements of the world, rather than Christ.” — Colossians 2:8 We need men who refuse to compromise, no matter how tempting it may be to gain power by employing the methods of the world. We cannot advance God’s kingdom or build a better society by appealing to ethnic tribalism, whether it comes in the form of social justice ideology or white Christian nationalism. The temptation is the same in both cases: to allow a political movement to dictate our theological convictions rather than allowing Scripture to govern our political engagement and how we view and treat fellow believers. When that happens, we risk exchanging biblical truth for the approval of our political allies and the promise of worldly power. We become convinced that the end justifies the means. There are certain biblical truths in which I believe are crucial for the times we are living in. We must plant our feet and refuse to move: Church over tribe. (Mark 3:31-35) Equal weights and measures over partiality. (Leviticus 19:15) Faithfulness over pragmatism. (1 Corinthians 4:1-2) Scripture as the final authority. (2 Timothy 3:16) These are not merely slogans. They are commitments that must govern how we think, how we live, and how we relate to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our allegiance to Christ must take precedence over our allegiance to any political movement, racial identity, or cultural cause. Paul reminds us of the goal of Christian maturity and unity in Ephesians 4:11–16: “11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. 14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. 15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ. 16 From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.” — Ephesians 4:11–16 The church must not be tossed about by every political crisis, ideological trend, or cultural movement. We must grow in discernment, remain grounded in the Word of God, and speak the truth in love. Our unity is found in Christ, not in a shared ethnicity or political agenda. May we have the courage to stand firm in Scripture, even when doing so costs us influence, popularity, political allies, our culture, and even our country. Let us refuse to exchange the truth of God’s Word for the fleeting promises of worldly power. And may we never forget that our first allegiance is to Christ and His kingdom, not to a tribe, culture, heritage, or political movement.