In a sermon in January 2021 at Community Fellowship Church in Lancaster, Pa., Baucham traced the origins of CRT to Karl Marx and critiqued CRT for viewing the world in terms of an oppressor/oppressed framework. It is this framework that leads people to believe in structural racism, said Baucham, and it is why CRT proponents encourage us to listen to the voices of the marginalized. He told the congregation that CRT is a “lie from the pit of hell” because it teaches that Black people are inherently virtuous and white people are inherently guilty instead of that all people all in need of redemption in the eyes of God.
Some church leaders disagree with a categorical rejection of every aspect of CRT, even though they would not adopt the theory in its entirety. Such leaders include Rev. Ralph D. West, who cut ties with the SBC over this issue, Pastor Dwight McKissic, and Dr. Tony Evans. The Rev. Esau McCaulley believes that Scripture does support the idea of corporate sin, including systemic racism, and notes that the Bible repeatedly addresses the need to defend the oppressed.
Ed Litton: Systemic Racism Is ‘Obvious,’ but SBC Has ‘Never Condoned’ CRT
Voddie Baucham told Capstone, “When Rod Martin approached me to see 1) if I was still part of the SBC, and 2) if I would be willing to play a role in the CBN, I was happy to lend a hand in hopes of playing a role in rescuing the Convention that has meant so much to me. My sending church is SBC, so I am still part of the family. I am not sure what I will be able to contribute, but I am not the kind of guy who calls others to arms then sits on the sidelines.”
When asked if he were returning to the SBC, Baucham said, “Technically, I never left the SBC. It is true that I fell out of favor with SBC elites. Consequently, I have not had a visible role in the Convention for over a decade. But my sending church, Grace Family Baptist Church in Spring, TX (a church I planted in 2006), was and is an SBC church, so I am considered an SBC Missionary.”
Near the end of the interview, Baucham said he believes that the SBC’s “wokeness” days are numbered: “At some point, SBC elites are going to have to stop pointing fingers and start answering questions. They are going to have to give an account for their unwillingness to stand against, or at least acknowledge the onslaught of wokeness.”
