Albert Mohler condemns Identity Politics as antithetical to the Gospel

SBTS President Dr. Albert Mohler declares ‘main’ and ‘lamentable’ consequence of Intersectionality and Critical Race Theory is identity politics

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Albert Mohler addressed the controversy roiling the Southern Baptist Convention over its seeming embrace of Neo-Marxist inspired Intersectionality and Critical Race Theory. At about the 20:00 mark of The Briefing, Mohler engages the issue of how the Southern Baptist Convention approved Resolution 9 on Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality. Mohler offered strong words of criticism about the failings of the resolution and words of praise for what the resolution got right. Unfortunately, Mohler rightly notes the resolution was not strong enough in its condemnation.

On the June 14 edition of The Briefing, Mohler said, “I did not want the resolution to say less than it said. I wanted it to say more than it said. I wanted it to acknowledge more clearly the origins of critical race theory and intersectionality. I wanted it to state more clearly that embedded in both of those analytical tools is a praxis—that is a political extension.”

Mohler explained the origins of Intersectionality and Critical Race Theory. He said,

“But when the resolution stated that critical race theory and intersectionality have been appropriated by individuals with worldviews that are contrary to the Christian faith, the reality is that both intersectionality and critical race theory emerged from worldviews, and from thinkers who were directly contrary to the Christian faith. Indeed, you can draw an intellectual line from Marxist theory to the transformation of Marxism, especially in the middle of the 20th century in European thought, and then you can fast forward to critical legal studies as they emerged in law schools, applying the same kinds of analysis, indeed even denying rationality and objective truth and subjecting legal texts, such as laws and constitutions to that kind of analysis.

…

“Both critical race theory and intersectionality are a part of the continuing transformative Marxism, that is now so dominant in higher education and increasingly in policy.”

While the resolution declares Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality can be used as analytical tools, Mohler warns that there is more to these Neo-Marxist concepts. He said,

“It is not fundamentally wrong to say that Intersectionality and Critical Race Theory are analytical tools. What does that mean? It means that they are tools of analysis. Of course, they are. They emerged as analytical tools. But they were never merely analytical tools, and in the common discourse in the United States and especially in public argument and higher education, both Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality are far more than analytical tools.”

And what does Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality bring as a consequence? Mohler says identity politics.

“The main consequence of critical race theory and intersectionality is identity politics, and identity politics can only rightly be described, as antithetical to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have to see identity politics as disastrous for the culture and nothing less than devastating for the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Mohler is right in all he says.

But that really makes a good conservative wonder, why didn’t Mohler say this at the Convention? Why didn’t he run to a microphone and help Dr. Tom Ascol and Dr. Tom Buck stop this bad and dangerous resolution? Are we asking too much of Mohler to do more than talk about the badness of Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality?

In any case, all conservative, Bible-believing Southern Baptists should praise Dr. Mohler said something–even if it comes a couple of days too late.