By Ty Fischer

I seek to avoid the word “must” so I’ll use the word “please.” Please do these two things with this new article by Rod Dreher, Antiracist, Anti-Christian.

First, even before you read the article, watch this three-minute video of Ibram X. Kendi taken at a church in Manhattan. In it, he clearly states that “real” Christianity is about liberation from oppression on Earth by racial groups or by oppressive power structures. He contrasts this “real” Christianity with “Savior theology” which he says is racist theology. Kendi’s Jesus did not come to save people from their sins, because that would be bigotry. He calls it that. Kendi is the leader of the Center for Anti-racism Research and the author of the best-seller How to Be an Anti-racist.

Second, read Dreher’s article and pay special attention to Rene Girard’s analysis of this whole thing. He saw it coming. He helps us see it.

I watched Kendi’s video and wanted to write a piece on it. I read Dreher’s piece and realized it was the piece I wished I could write. Please, read it. Two great quotes from the article:

  1. Dreher nails what we all need to say and do concerning the real sin of racism: “This does not mean that the obligation to refuse racism goes away. It means, though, that we cannot fight it with a lie.”
  2. Dreher, by way of introducing Girard’s analysis, nails where we are today: “If you or your church follows this false gospel, it is going to lead you away from Christ. Note that Kendi blames traditional orthodox Christian teaching about sin and salvation as a catalyst for bigotry. What he’s doing is preaching Antichrist: a false Christ who is going to be more Christian than Jesus.”

The church desperately needs more of this sort of clear-eyed, fearless moral reasoning. So many believe that there is some sort of middle ground that we can find with the revolutionaries. After listening to Kendi, the choice he leaves us is clear. Would you like to keep your Savior Jesus who heals the morally deficient? Then you are upholding racism and bigotry. If you want, Kendi will provide you with another Jesus to worship–it’s just not the Jesus of the Bible.

Read the article by Rod Dreher, Antiracist, Anti-Christian.

Watch the three-minute video of Ibram X. Kendi.