âCritical race theory,â again?
Groan. Every time I surf the news these days, those three little words continue to pop up, even though hardly anybody, including the people who say it, seem to know what âcritical race theoryâ or CRT, for short, really means.
So I was only half-surprised to see the CRT dispute has even reached churches, including the internal tug of war between ultraconservatives and moderate conservatives in the very conservative Southern Baptist Convention.
Two prominent Black megachurch pastors, the Rev. Charlie Dates of Chicagoâs Progressive Baptist Church and the Rev. Ralph D. West of Houstonâs The Church Without Walls, made national headlines in religious media by announcing that they would be leaving the denomination in protest.
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Fred Luter speaks at the Southern Baptist Convention s Annual Meeting in New Orleans, June 18, 2012. Luter was elected president of SBC on Tuesday, June 19. | (Photo: The Christian Post)
Fred Luter, the Southern Baptist Convention’s first and only black president, along with current leader J.D. Greear have joined a growing chorus of dissent over a statement from the denomination’s Council of Seminary Presidents denouncing racism and critical race theory.
, which argues that “the actions of some in the SBC appear to be more concerned with political maneuvering than working to present a vibrant, gospel-loving, racially and culturally diverse vision.”
Two Prominent Pastors Break With SBC After Critical Race Theory Statement
Charlie Dates and Ralph D. West spoke out in response to a controversial statement released by seminary presidents.
Kate Shellnutt| Image: bengrey / Flickr and MLK50 / BP
Ralph D. West and Charlie Dates
The leaders of two majority-black megachurches in major cities announced this week that they will no longer affiliate with the Southern Baptist Convention.
In op-eds announcing their decisions to leave, Charlie Dates of Chicago’s Progressive Baptist Church and Ralph D. West of Houston’s The Church Without Walls both criticized SBC seminary presidents’ declaration that critical race theory was “incompatible” with the denomination’s statement of faith.