# Fault Lines  ## Metadata - Author: [[Voddie Baucham Jr.]] - Full Title: Fault Lines - Category: #books ## Highlights - German philosopher Karl Marx was the leading architect of the most dominant school of thought within sociology, known as Conflict Theory. Marx viewed society as a group of different social classes all competing for a limited pool of resources such as food, housing, employment, education, and leisure time. ([Location 56](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=56)) - hegemony is what takes place when a dominant group imposes its ideology on the rest of society: “thus social control is achieved through conditioning rather than physical force or intimidation.”5 ([Location 60](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=60)) - These men developed Critical Theory as an expansion of Conflict Theory and applied it more broadly, including other social sciences and philosophy. Their main goal was to address structural issues causing inequity. They worked from the assumption that current social reality was broken, and they needed to identify the people and institutions that could make changes and provide practical goals for social transformation. ([Location 70](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=70)) - In the social sciences, “critical” is “geared toward identifying and exposing problems in order to facilitate revolutionary political change.”7 In other words, it implies revolution. It is not interested in reform. Hence, we do not “reform” the police; we “defund” the police or abolish them. ([Location 74](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=74)) - This is complicated by the fact that Critical Theory denies objective truth. ([Location 80](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=80)) - In other words, Critical Theory is not just an analytical tool, as some have suggested; it is a philosophy, a worldview. ([Location 90](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=90)) - CRT recognizes that racism is engrained in the fabric and system of the American society. ([Location 99](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=99)) - According to Richard Delgado, the worldview of CRT is based on four key presuppositions: Racism is Normal:… the usual way society does business, the common, everyday experience of most people of color in this country.13 Convergence Theory: “Racism advances the interests of both white elites (materially) and working-class whites (psychically), large segments of society have little incentive to eradicate it.”14 This means whites are incapable of righteous actions on race and only undo racism when it benefits them; when their interests “converge” with the interests of people of color. Anti-Liberalism: [CRT] questions the very foundations of the liberal order, including equality theory, legal reasoning, Enlightenment rationalism, and neutral principles of constitutional law.15 Knowledge is Socially Constructed: Storytelling/Narrative Reading is the way black people forward knowledge vs. the Science/reason method of white people. Minority status, in other words, brings with it a presumed competence to speak about race and racism. The “legal storytelling” movement urges black and brown writers to recount their experiences with racism and the legal system and to apply their own unique perspectives to assess law’s master narratives.16 ([Location 109](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=109)) - Derrick Bell is the father of CRT, then he is the grandfather of Intersectionality. The idea was popularized by Bell’s Harvard Law School protege, Kimberlé Crenshaw, ([Location 127](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=127)) - Intersectionality is about the multiple layers of oppression minorities suffer. ([Location 131](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=131)) - Why are people and groups like Thabiti Anyabwile, Tim Keller, Russell Moore, the Southern Baptist Convention, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, 9Marks, the Gospel Coalition, and Together for the Gospel (T4G) being identified with Critical Social Justice on one side of the fault, and people like John MacArthur, Tom Ascol, Owen Strachan, Douglas Wilson, and the late R.C. Sproul being identified on the other? ([Location 191](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=191)) - I believe the current concept of social justice is incompatible with biblical Christianity. ([Location 230](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=230)) - Our problem is a lack of clarity and charity in our debate over the place, priority, practice, and definition of justice. ([Location 232](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=232)) - There are two competing worldviews in this current cultural moment. One is the Critical Social Justice view—which assumes that the world is divided between the oppressors and the oppressed (white, heterosexual males are generally viewed as “the oppressor”).3 The other is what I will refer to in these pages as the biblical justice view in order to avoid what I accuse the social-justice crowd of doing, which is immediately casting its opponents as being opposed to justice. ([Location 243](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=243)) - I am not writing this book to stop the divide. I am writing to clearly identify the two sides of the fault line and to urge the reader to choose wisely. ([Location 256](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=256)) - Ibram X. Kendi captured this sentiment in a recent tweet contrasting his “Liberation Theology” with what he called “Savior Theology.” According to Kendi, we are not here to see people delivered from the penalty and power of sin. On the contrary, “the job of the Christian is to liberate oppressed people from their oppressors.” ([Location 541](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=541)) - We both saw government schools as places to which no Christian should send their child unless there was absolutely no alternative, and we chided churches for not offering those alternatives. To say that this was and is a minority view in the SBC is a gross understatement; over 85 percent of Southern Baptists send their children to government schools. Moreover, the SBC lags far behind other Christian groups in advocating for or providing Christian education alternatives. In fact, among Christian government-school teachers, the SBC has the highest representation of any denomination. Needless to say, I was not winning friends and influencing people by putting my name on this resolution. However, I saw the threat of the LGBTQIA+ movement and the entire social-justice juggernaut, of which it is but the tip of the spear, as a clear and present danger. ([Location 592](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=592)) - In fact, although we only called for an investigation of public schools with a view toward further action, Mohler went further, saying, “I believe that now is the time for responsible Southern Baptists to develop an exit strategy from the public schools.” His support was so unequivocal that the SBC later adopted our resolution. Nonetheless, I would forever be labeled as “a radical” in the eyes of many. ([Location 601](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=601)) - I saw things the way one of the first black head coaches in the NFL did: it’s not when they hire one of us, he said, but when they fire one of us that you know we’re being treated as equals. ([Location 618](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=618)) - Eventually, this conviction led to action. I was not aware of, nor had I ever met, a black pastor who was working for or even passionate about racial reconciliation. Not one had ever lamented the fact that their church was 99 percent black, or that the remaining 1 percent included exactly zero white members. ([Location 631](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=631)) - I was a stranger in a strange land. These people had different worship styles, leadership styles, came from different backgrounds, watched different shows, and in many ways lived very different lives than the other people I knew. On the other hand, I came to realize that, underneath all of that, they were the same as me. They battled the same demons, struggled with the same ups and downs, wanted the same things, and feared the same things I did. In the end, these were my brothers and sisters in Christ. ([Location 647](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=647)) - 1) I have come to understand that the Critical Social Justice (CSJ) movement is global. Just like people in the U.S. are arguing that racial disparities are de facto evidence of racism and white supremacy, the global version of CSJ is arguing that the same is true in regard to global inequities. Thus, power and resources must be redistributed not only within nations, but between them. And since America is the wealthiest nation on earth, guess who needs to “check their privilege” and divest themselves of power the most? 2) I have come to realize that culture does matter, that not all cultures are equal, that Christian culture has produced the highest levels of freedom and prosperity and the lowest levels of corruption and oppression in the world, and that transforming culture is a laudable and worthwhile goal. ([Location 691](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=691)) - Beyond confronting falsehoods in general, our pursuit of justice must also be characterized by a pursuit of truth. Much has been said recently about seeking justice, and I could not agree more. However, we must be certain that we pursue justice on God’s terms. For instance, we must bear in mind that “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established” (Deuteronomy 19:15, cf. Matthew 18:16; 2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19; Hebrews 10:28). This is critical in our quest to adhere to the Lord’s admonition that “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor” (Leviticus 19:15). How much of our current debate about justice is rooted in these principles? ([Location 784](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=784)) - Today, people are rioting and demanding justice before knowing the facts, and in most cases, without ever considering the aforementioned principles. And here is the key: People are ignoring these principles because the standard of justice upon which their pleas are built does not come from the God of the Scriptures. ([Location 795](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=795)) - The best research on the topic of fatal officer-involved shootings (FOIS) has been clear, as were the findings of Harvard economist Roland G. Fryer Jr. in a forthcoming study. “On the most extreme use of force, FOIS,” he writes, “we find no racial difference in either the raw data or when contextual factors are taken into account.”13 Fryer was actually surprised by his findings. Meanwhile, a National Academy of Sciences study ignited controversy when its authors proclaimed, “We find no evidence of anti-Black or anti-Hispanic disparities across shootings, and White officers are not more likely to shoot minority civilians than non-White officers.”14 More fundamentally, the researchers noted that “using population as a benchmark makes the strong assumption that White and Black civilians have equal exposure to situations that result in FOIS,” which is the only way the 2.5-to-1 ratio could be viewed as prima facie evidence of police bias. Instead, they noted that contrary to the accepted narrative, “If there are racial differences in exposure to these situations, calculations of racial disparity based on population benchmarks will be misleading.”15 In other words, the 2.5-to-1 ratio, taken at face value, is actually misleading. ([Location 843](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=843)) - At the epicenter of the coming evangelical catastrophe is a new religion—or, more specifically, a new cult. While some may consider the term “cult” unnecessarily offensive, it happens to be the most accurate term available to describe the current state of affairs. John McWhorter was the first observer I am aware of to refer to it as the “Cult of Antiracism.” Others have used similar terms,1 and I think they are right to do so. The antiracist movement has many of the hallmarks of a cult, including staying close enough to the Bible to avoid immediate detection and hiding the fact that it has a new theology and a new glossary of terms that diverge ever-so-slightly from Christian orthodoxy. At least at first. In classic cult fashion, they borrow from the familiar and accepted, then infuse it with new meaning. This allows the cult to appeal to the faithful within the dominant, orthodox religions from which it draws its converts. This new cult has created a new lexicon that has served as scaffolding to support what has become an entire body of divinity. In the same manner, this new body of divinity comes complete with its own cosmology (CT/CRT/I); original sin (racism); law (antiracism); gospel (racial reconciliation); martyrs (Saints Trayvon, Mike, George, Breonna, etc.); priests (oppressed minorities); means of atonement (reparations); new birth (wokeness); liturgy (lament); canon (CSJ social science); theologians (DiAngelo, Kendi, Brown, Crenshaw, MacIntosh, etc.); and catechism (“say their names”). We’ll examine some of those topics in this chapter and a few later on. In case you’re wondering about its soteriology, there isn’t one. Antiracism offers no salvation—only perpetual penance in an effort to battle an incurable disease. And all of it begins with pouring new meaning into well-known words. ([Location 1176](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=1176)) - According to Kendi, “If we don’t do the basic work of defining the kind of people we want to be in language that is stable and consistent, we can’t work toward stable, consistent goals.”4 He then outlines that language as well as his goals in a book that has not only reached millions, but has served as a roadmap for many more who, although they do not know Kendi’s name, have definitely been influenced by his definitions. He writes: To be an antiracist is to set lucid definitions of racism/antiracism, racist/antiracist policies, racist/antiracist ideas, racist/antiracist people. To be a racist is to constantly redefine “racist” in a way that exonerates one’s changing policies, ideas, and personhood.5 It is important not to miss this. Kendi’s journey has not been about actions; it has been about “arriving at basic definitions.” His work is rooted in “setting lucid definitions.” ([Location 1199](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=1199)) - On the first day, white people created whiteness. Although many White people feel that being White has no meaning, this feeling is unique to White people and is a key part of what it means to be White; to see one’s race as having no meaning is a privilege only Whites are afforded. To claim to be “just human” and thus outside of race is one of the most powerful and pervasive manifestations of Whiteness.6 Whiteness: a set of normative privileges granted to white-skinned individuals and groups which is “invisible” to those privileged by it.7 ([Location 1213](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=1213)) - Let’s look, for example, at the Encyclopedia Britannica’s entry on Critical Race Theory: Critical race theory (CRT), the view that the law and legal institutions are inherently racist and that race itself, instead of being biologically grounded and natural, is a socially constructed concept that is used by white people to further their economic and political interests at the expense of people of colour.8 ([Location 1229](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=1229)) - On the second day, white people created white privilege. I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege. So I have begun in an untutored way to ask what it is like to have white privilege. I have come to see white privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets that I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was “meant” to remain oblivious. White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools, and blank checks.12 White Privilege: a series of unearned advantages that accrue to white people by virtue of their whiteness. ([Location 1253](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=1253)) - Where else would phrases like “I decided to work on myself” or “as far as I can tell” be considered appropriate for academic research? They appear only in grievance studies. However, in the academic realm, this is a horse of a different color. According to Britannica, “Whiteness Studies begin with the premise that racism and white privilege exist in both traditional and modern forms, and rather than work to prove its existence, work to reveal it.”14 In other words, this is a foundational tenet of faith. ([Location 1270](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=1270)) - On the third day, white people created white supremacy. White supremacy is a historically based, institutionally perpetuated system of exploitation and oppression of continents, nations and peoples of color by white peoples and nations of the European continent; for the purpose of maintaining and defending a system of wealth, power and privilege.16 White Supremacy: any belief, behavior, or system that supports, promotes, or enhances white privilege. ([Location 1283](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08P27WW68&location=1283))