An Interesting Back and Forth About Reparations

My neighbor JP Chavez shared with me “an interesting back and forth,” as he put it, in the form of two links. One ‘Reparations: A Critical Theological Review’ published by Kevin DeYoung at The Gospel Coalition on April 22, 2021 dealing with the book ‘Reparations: A Christian Call for Repentance and Renewal’ by Duke Kwon and Greg Thompson. The other, ‘Sanctifying the Status Quo: A Response to Reverend Kevin DeYoung’ by the authors of that book DeYoung reviewed and critiqued, published July 19, 2021 at The Front Porch.

Time at present does not permit me to do full justice to either, much less both. But between now and when I revisit this topic, you should definitely make time to read these two pieces and prayerfully and studiously consider them.

While you are at it, consider also this YouTube video of Voddie Baucham addressing why the Southern Baptist Convention adopted a resolution affirming Critical Race Theory instead of roundly condemning it as Marxist infiltration of Christ’s Church.

For now, let me just point out the low-down dirtiness of smearing a critic for being a racist supporter of “White Supremacy” merely for having the temerity to disagree openly and at-length with some measure of authority a pseudo-theological, pseudo-historical, pseudo-psychological, pseudo-economical, thoroughly political attempt to argue for reparations being paid by white Americans generally and the white churches in particular.

Schrodinger’s White Supremacist

Kwon and Thompson assure us Kevin DeYoung is not a white supremacist and racist – per se. But his methodology is thoroughly racist and white supremacist. If only we were not such racists and white supremacists we would have the wisdom, godliness, and maturity to take their word for that.

If only we could get a non-racist word in edgewise, maybe we could talk about Antonio Gramsci. Alas, wisdom is too high for the fool. And civil discourse is the last thing on the minds of proponents of CRT. Indeed, the whole notion of civil discourse is merely a product of that very “Whiteness” which we are being ceaselessly called to repent of.

Grace? What grace? Don’t change the subject to salvation. And don’t you dare go pleading the cause of anything which might remotely sound like innocent white people having their lives and livelihoods destroyed in the name of anti-racism. We don’t countenance that sort of talk around here where the new Woke gospel reigns supreme.

Heaven help us. With all this talk of reparations, it will take a miracle to truly repair the damage being done in the pursuit of naked self-promotion, virtue-signaling Leftism.

Pay heed to the example of Pastor DeYoung. Being gracious scores you no meaningful or enduring points. The options are confined to surrendering or dying. Agree wholly or be cast into outer darkness where there is only weeping and gnashing of teeth. Those are the rules.

Or perhaps there is another way. And maybe we should try a little more clarity and directness, and a little less of trying to be winsome with wolves in sheep clothes. Such things clearly do not work on them.