TRIUMPH: Conservatives leaving Woke churches according to former SBC President.
In rant against politics, J.D. Greear claims Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, and Rachel Maddow are discipling church members more than pastors.
Former Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear expressed frustration that Christians are leaving Woke churches. Greear seemed baffled while churchgoers would forsake churches promoting a Woke, Social Justice agenda despite years of ministry. Greear attributed this not to errors on the part of his and similar churches. Rather, Greear blamed politics and political commentators like Tucker Carlson.
In a chapel message delivered at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS), Greear attacked Christians to his Right who were upset because “they could not bear to have their political idols challenged,” and whose primary identity was “political.”
Greear then admitted Christians are leaving Woke megachurches—something conservative discernment bloggers, conservative pundits, and conservative theologians have urged over the last four years. While Greear laments this—it is good news. Christ is taking His people out of these centers of Leftist indoctrination.
“We know that because a lot of church people left their church (not just Summit Church) because of some disagreement over a relatively small political disagreement, at least small in light of the Gospel and in light of eternity,” Greear said.
Greear detailed all the reasons he is orthodox in terms of his beliefs and then lamented how people would leave the church after years and going through struggles together.
“I married your children. I walked with you through the tragedy of the death of a loved one and now you are leaving because you disagree that we said too much, too many things about George Floyd,” Greear said.
Greear then seemed baffled at how Christians can bash Cancel Culture but then leave Woke churches.
“We Christians say we hate Cancel Culture but it was amazing to me how many of us Christians canceled our church,” Greear said.
Greear then lamented the influence political news programs like Tucker Carlson Tonight have on church goers.
“Pastors get to disciple our people about one hour a week and Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Rachel Maddow get them for three hours a night,” Greear said. “When the church gets in bed with politics, the church gets pregnant, and the offspring does not look like our Heavenly Father. It looks like the Synagogue of Satan.”
This is an interesting analysis by Greear that probably should apply to his promotion of Woke issues; however, Greear seems oblivious to this application and instead seems intent on promoting a Third Way between Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity on the Right and Rachel Maddow on the Left.
As so often is the case, the Third Way is often the wrong way. As Historian Marc Bloch warned academics trying to find a middle course, “There are in the world scholars whose good nature has worn itself out in seeking a middle ground between antagonistic statements. They are like the little chap who, asked for the square of the number two, when one neighbor whispered, ‘four’ and the other ‘eight,’ thought he had hit the mark in answering ‘six.’”