July Intermission: From Cosplaying Civil Rights to Exploring the Creation of the World

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A number of years ago I learned that children born around 1980 have been dubbed the Oregon Trail Generation. This microgeneration, which had an analog childhood and an AOL high school experience, also enjoyed playing the edu-tainment game Oregon Trail, where your goal was to get nineteenth-century settlers all the way to Oregon via wagons. This was certainly my experience, as our fifth grade teacher let us play Oregon Trail on an Apple 2E computer whenever we finished our work early. Provided we did the full worksheet, she would let us make pixelated decisions about gathering food, hunting game, crossing rivers, and striving to avoid death by dysentery.

As an historical event, the pioneers who loaded up Conestoga Wagons and headed west faced real decisions of life and death—just google “the Donner Party.” The entertainment value of the Oregon Trail could never match the experience of the families who suffered loss as they ventured towards the Pacific.

While it could introduce terms like ‘dysentery’ and evoke images of wagons fording rivers, such history was observed from the safety of a temperature-regulated classroom. The announcement of death by dysentery would not result in a real tombstone, but only the annoyance of having to start the game over before Mrs. Martin called us back to class.

Indeed, such is the way life in the modern world works. Endless “risks” are nullified by virtual engagement, as former risks are transformed into risk-less rewards. Just the same, countless controversies—especially those surrounding race, ethnicity, and social justice—are generated by social media as activists fashioning themselves after the heroes of the civil rights movement.

Ironically, in the same space I played Oregon Trail, I also learned to venerate Martin Luther King, Jr. and to treat classmates by the content of their character more than the color of their skin. Yet, forty years later, MLK’s complicated legacy has been questioned by those say his calls for colorblindness have not gone far enough. Instead, in a country now operating under a new constitution of civil rights, a new generation of the Hashtag Activists has come of age.

Cosplaying the Civil Rights Movement

Hashtag Activists, as we might call them, have gained a great deal of followers, not to mention funding, for their causes. Yet, all too often they are as interested in their own brands, books, or billfolds, as they are in ending injustice today. For instance, while activists like Ibram X. Kendi seek to remedy racist discrimination with antiracist discrimination, he and others fail to address some of the actual injustices going on today.

One painful example of this inconsistency is the holocaust of black babies who are aborted every year in cities run by Democratic mayors. Equally, those who blame economic disparity on the four hundred years of slavery in America often overlook the slavery of sex-trafficking today. Instead, without recognizing any changes in history, white guilt continues to be levied with no sense of proportionality. Indeed, fingers can click on keyboards, lamenting the loss of affirmative action, but many of those same keyboard warriors do little to help foster family values or prevent the breakdown of marriage—two tangible ways to improve the condition of children, black or white, growing up in poverty. Indeed, decrying injustice is a lucrative business, and so one has to wonder at the irony that those who cry the loudest are also the greatest financial beneficiaries.

For these reasons and more, it is not too harsh to say that many are cosplaying the Civil Rights movement. New forms of discrimination (e.g., health equity, climate equity) continue to be invented today, and only these knights of the social justice can solve the problem with their book, or their service, or their presence. Certainly not everyone is an Al Sharpton, but even those who are sincere about rectifying wrongs and removing the stain of racism are too easily caught up in ways of thinking that come from Critical Race Theory and other Marxist forms of social action. Likewise, too many empathetic Christians have been caught up in these movements, even marching with organizations whose ideological commitments embraced Marx and mammon (as we would come to learn). Today, no one in America dies from dysentery, but many have been poisoned by half-truths masquerading as whole truths. And as a result the church has been divided and the gospel has been obscured.

This month, Christ Over All has sought to address this problem, by learning afresh about the civil rights movement—appreciating its strengths, recognizing its weaknesses, and examining all things by the Word of God. Indeed, early in the month Virgil Walker’s important longform essay helped us see the good and the not-so-good of the civil rights movement. After this cornerstone essay, Stephen Wellum’s biblical and theological examination of justice gave us strong medicine for knowing who God is, what he has done, and what we ought to do when it comes to justice. More personally, we benefitted from hearing the testimony of Charles Ware and Jonathan Tapp. In both instances, we saw how the Word of God, not the color of one’s skin, became the dividing line for truth.

More specifically, Marla Helseth helped us think more biblically about racism and antiracism, Toby Jennings considered the source of true civil rights, Kevin Briggins addressed the subject of systemic racism, Ardel Caneday revealed the trend of finding “racism” in almost everything, and Virgil Walker returned to help us think about Martin Luther King Jr. and the Fourth of July. Then, Darrell Harrison examined the way that black liberation theology has compromised many churches, while I offered a biblical theological treatment of race, ethnicity, racialization, and the Great Commission. Finally, Tim Kirk introduced us to the important thought of Shelby Steele, while Brad Green reviewed Christopher Caldwell’s book The Age of the Enlightenment, and Ardel Caneday explained why my new book, Dividing the Faithful, is needed, even though it reviews another book written twenty-three years ago. (If you didn’t get a free copy of Dividing the Faithful in the month of July, you can now pre-order the book at G3 Press).

In all, I have not even listed all the articles, book excerpts, or the podcasts that we produced this month. Truly, there is wide selection of resources, written and recorded, that you can review to better consider the impact of the civil rights movement. If you missed anything from during the month of July, here they are in one place below, with the longform essays in red. Also, if you’ve benefitted from any of our articles, we would invite you to amplify our work for the good of the church. We are working to turn our online articles into print editions for wider readership. If you are interested in giving to that project and for the ongoing ministry of Christ Over All, please donate here.

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Civil Rights and Civil Wrongs: What the Church Needs to Know and (Un)Do

Where is the Good News? An Honest Look at the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Community by Virgil Walker • Longform Essay

While the Civil Rights Movement accomplished much good, it unwittingly hitched the Black community to destructive governmental institutions and policies. Just how did this happen? READ ESSAY

2.30 Virgil Walker • Reading • “Where is the Good News? An Honest Look at the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Community” by Virgil Walker • Podcast Reading

While the Civil Rights Movement accomplished much good, it unwittingly hitched the Black community to destructive governmental institutions and policies. Just how did this happen? LISTEN TO PODCAST

What is the Fourth of July to Black America? by Virgil Walker • Concise Article

Can Black Americans celebrate the 4th of July—even though slavery existed at the founding of the United States? READ ARTICLE

Introducing Dividing the Faithful by David Schrock • Longform Essay

The book Divided by Faith took the evangelical world by storm within the past decade, and it left a movement fractured largely on the issues of race. This is the first book-length critical response that exposes the error that Divided by Faith advances. Learn About THE BOOK

On Civil Rights: What They Are and from Where They Come by Toby Jennings • Concise Article

Civil rights did not arise sometime in the last two centuries. They are older than that—much older. Their origin lies all the way back in the garden with God’s first image-bearers. READ ARTICLE

Why Write a Book-Length Critique of Divided by Faith Twenty-Three Years After It Was Published? by Ardel Caneday • Concise Article

The book Divided by Faith was written in 2001, and it was one major contributing factor to the fracturing of the Young, Restless, and Reformed movement over the issue of race. Why write a book-length critique of Divided by Faith 23 years after the fact? READ ARTICLE

2.31 Virgil Walker • Stephen Wellum • David Schrock • Interview • “Where is the Good News? An Honest Look at the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Community” by Virgil Walker, Stephen Wellum, David Schrock • Podcast Interview

While the Civil Rights Movement accomplished much good, it unwittingly hitched the Black community to destructive governmental institutions and policies. Just how did this happen? Listen in as Virgil Walker, Stephen Wellum, and David Schrock explain some of these complex issues. LISTEN TO PODCAST

What is the Mission of the Church in a Racialized World? by David Schrock • Concise Article

What does the Bible have to say about race and ethnicity? And how does this inform the Church’s role in a world of racialization? READ ARTICLE

What’s the Truth About Martin Luther King Jr.? by Virgil Walker • Concise Article

What did Martin Luther King, Jr. believe about the Bible? And how did the Civil Rights Movement he led lay the groundwork for today’s sexual revolution? READ ARTICLE

Excerpt from Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe by Voddie Baucham • Concise Article

What is racism? Though perhaps a simple question, confusion abounds. In this excerpt however, Voddie Baucham brings helpful clarity. READ ARTICLE

Thinking Biblically and Theologically about Justice by Stephen Wellum • Longform Essay

Today’s “social justice” masquerades as truth but is completely untethered from God and his self-revelation in Scripture. To rightly understand justice, we must ground our thinking firmly in the Word of God. READ ESSAY

2.32 Stephen Wellum • Reading • “Thinking Biblically and Theologically about Justice” by Stephen Wellum • Podcast Reading

Today’s “social justice” masquerades as truth but is completely untethered from God and his self-revelation in Scripture. To rightly understand justice, we must ground our thinking firmly in the Word of God. LISTEN TO PODCAST

Is Systemic Racism a Thing of the Past? by Kevin Briggins • Concise Article

Is systemic racism still an issue today? And are all inequalities a product of racism, or might there be other causes? READ ARTICLE

A Personal Testimony on (G)race by Charles Ware • Concise Article

From the son of a migrant worker to the president of a Bible College: this is the story about one Christian’s race, but more importantly it’s a story about God’s grace. READ ARTICLE

Wokeness and the Church by Jonathan Tapp • Concise Article

A healthy church is a beautiful portrait of unity in diversity. However, this diversity is Holy Spirit-wrought, not a product of any worldly ideology. READ ARTICLE

2.33 Stephen Wellum, David Schrock • Interview • “Thinking Biblically and Theologically Justice” by Stephen Wellum, David Schrock • Podcast Interview

Today’s “social justice” masquerades as truth but is completely untethered from God and his self-revelation in Scripture. To rightly understand justice, we must ground our thinking firmly in the Word of God. LISTEN TO PODCAST

Civil Rights, Anti-Racism, and the Sin of Partiality by Marla Helseth • Concise Article

Scripture is clear: racism is a sin. But is the answer to discrimination more discrimination? Certainly not. READ ARTICLE

Defining Racism Upward: Expanding Racism and Multiplying Racists by Ardel Caneday • Concise Article

In the darkness of worldly ideas, many words have gone rancid. As salt and light in the world, Christians illuminate this deception and preserve truth. READ ARTICLE

The Black Church and the Insignificance of Ethnicity in Light of the Gospel of Christ by Darrell B. Harrison • Concise Article

While promising freedom, black liberation theology is actually a graceless self-salvation which enslaves its adherents. Only the true gospel of Christ can free people of all ethnicities from the bondage of sin. READ ARTICLE

Shelby Steele and Avoiding Shame in the Age of White Guilt by Tim Kirk • Concise Article

When loaded with guilt and longing for justification, what’s the natural response? “I’m not like them!” But can this self-justification deliver? READ ARTICLE

2.34 David Schrock, Trent Hunter, Ardel Caneday • Interview • “Dividing the Faithful: How a Little Book on Race Fractured a Movement Founded on Graceby David Schrock, Trent Hunter, Ardel Caneday • Podcast Interview

Listen in as Trent Hunter and Ardel Caneday join David Schrock to discuss his new book, Dividing the Faithful: How a Little Book on Race Fractured a Movement Founded on Grace. LISTEN TO PODCAST

One Constitution, or Two? Reviewing The Age of Entitlement by Christopher Caldwell by Brad Green • Concise Article

The United States essentially has two “constitutions”—its “official” constitution of 1788 and its “functioning” constitution which has effectively been in place since the 1960s, and this can be seen in regard to race, sex, war, debt, and diversity. READ ARTICLE

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In the Beginning: A Theological Exploration of Genesis 1-11 

If Oregon Trail provides a warning for pretending to replay the civil rights movement today, then it also provides an apt illustration for the journey that we are about to take in August. But first, a digression.

One month ago, I landed in Phoenix, Arizona, where I met a band of happy travelers who would spend the next week floating (and falling) down the Colorado River. For 187 miles, our team of professors, pastors, and church leaders rafted down the Grand Canyon and studied the rocks to see the way they bore witness to the global flood of Genesis 6–9. We also took the time to study the riches of God’s Word. Spending our time in Genesis 1–11, we saw how God himself left an inspired record explaining where the world came from, why death has entered creation, and how God has promised to restore the world to its former glory.

In fact, the glory that is to come in the new creation will far exceed the original glory, and evidences of that are found in places like the Grand Canyon. The picture on this month’s cover was taken on the night before we took to the rafts. This picture shows Marble Canyon and the sedimentary rocks that were laid down during the flood. The river, at the bottom of the canyon, is best explained as the result of a cataclysmic dam break that came in the days (or years) following the flood and the recession of the waters. Who knew that the marks of God’s judgment could be so beautiful?

This was just one of the lessons I learned on my theo-geological exploration of the Grand Canyon. And it is one we will pick up this month, as we journey together through Genesis 1–11.

On that rafting trip, we spent seven days experiencing countless rapids and a dozen or so side hikes to see the evidences God’s power, glory, and grace in creation. From that trip, I came away with a greater appreciation for the judgment and salvation of God evidenced in creation. Thousands of feet of sedimentary rock deposited by the flood has a way of quickening the mind to imagine the judgment of God told in Genesis 6–8. At the same time, knowing the story of Noah, his ark, and the promise of God’s deliverance also awakens the heart to give thanks to the God who saves.

Get in the Boat and Come Along for the Ride

For the rest of this month, the creation of the cosmos and the salvation and judgment of God in Genesis 1–11 will be the theme of our song. Truly, these eleven chapters are pivotal for understanding the whole canon of Scripture and the entire scope of creation. Put negatively, if we get them wrong, we will wrongly see the world and everything in it. Even more, if we mishandle Genesis 1–11, we will be prone to wander and stray in the rest of the canon.

Conversely, if we rightly understand the meaning of Genesis 1–11, then it opens up vistas to see and know and love the glory of God. And to that end, we turn to these opening chapters of Genesis. And for the next month, we will hear from biblical scholars, systematic theologians, and experts in creation science to help us understand the literary, historical, and theological meaning of this passage. So, go ahead and get in the boat. We’ve got an exciting month ahead.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Author

  • David Schrock

    David Schrock is the pastor for preaching and theology at Occoquan Bible Church in Woodbridge, Virginia. David is a two-time graduate of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a founding faculty member and professor of theology at Indianapolis Theology Seminary. And he is the author of Royal Priesthood and Glory of God along with many journal articles and online essays.

Picture of David Schrock

David Schrock

David Schrock is the pastor for preaching and theology at Occoquan Bible Church in Woodbridge, Virginia. David is a two-time graduate of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a founding faculty member and professor of theology at Indianapolis Theology Seminary. And he is the author of Royal Priesthood and Glory of God along with many journal articles and online essays.