Over the past fifteen years, my wife Dollie and I have sought to set aside a Sunday or two each year to visit churches that have particular theological, social and cultural influence and significance in American history – either for better or for worse.
This past Sunday, on June 30, 2024, we attended Ebenezer Baptist Church in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1886, Ebenezer is affiliated with two liberal denominations – the Progressive National Baptist Convention and American Baptist Churches USA, and it emerged as a prominent church and voice for civil rights in the 1960s under the leadership of Rev. Martin Luther King Sr. and his renowned son, Rev./Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The current senior pastor, Rev. Raphael Warnock, was elected to the United States Senate in 2020.
[Incidentally, June 30th marked the 50-year anniversary of a horrible event in the church’s history. On Sunday, June 30, 1974 Alberta King, the wife of Martin Luther King Sr., was murdered by a young black psychopath named Marcus Wayne Chenault while playing “The Lord’s Prayer” on the church organ. Chenault later told police that he was “on a mission to kill all Christians,” and that he shot Mrs. King because he didn’t see her husband in the sanctuary at the time. He also killed a church deacon and wounded one other congregant.]
Ebenezer Baptist Church identifies itself as “an urban-based, global ministry dedicated to individual growth and social transformation through living in the message and carrying out the mission of Jesus Christ.” However, its view of “social transformation” doesn’t necessarily align with biblical social justice. Although influenced in some respects by scriptural principles, it also contains neo-Marxist influences derived from Liberation Theology and Critical Race Theory.
As Dollie and I have experienced over the years, most churches tend to be quite open and welcoming of visitors. (One exception is The Perfect Church in Atlanta, but that is a story for another time.) Ebenezer is no exception, as every year thousands of visitors, tourists and curiosity seekers visit the church during weekdays or for Sunday services. Everyone with whom we interacted was hospitable, and the worship music was quite inspiring.
Rev. Warnock is a master communicator, and on this particular Sunday his sermon text was taken from Matthew 11:7-15 in which Jesus identified John the Baptist as a fearless prophet of God – a contemporary Elijah and a “reed” unshaken by the wind. As such, John was not socially acceptable to the power elites of his day. According to Rev. Warnock, “Truth and trouble go hand-in-hand,” and the true gospel is inherently controversial as it speaks truth to power. Very true – although I would fundamentally disagree with the pastor’s application of the principle.
After the first several minutes, Rev. Warnock’s sermon became increasingly politicized. His particular target was the issue of gun violence, which of course all Christians find reprehensible. Except that according to him, the problem seems to be the inanimate object itself rather than the psychopaths who pull the triggers and murder innocent human beings. (Kitchen knives are also often used by deranged maniacs to injure or kill others, but no one advocates the elimination of kitchen knives. Likewise, automobiles driven by drunk or drugged-out drivers kill or maim thousands of Americans annually, but no one thinks we should ban automobiles. The problem is not the tool – the gun, the knife or the automobile – but the user.)
Rev. Warnock then transitioned to argue that we have far too many people currently behind bars – especially poor people and minorities. Apparently, a major factor is “poverty” rather than inherent sin, the breakdown of families and the erosion of the rule of law in our society. Therefore, Ebenezer Baptist Church is “building a multi-faith movement to end mass incarcerations” in America. According to him, there is “a war on poor people” in our country, and there are too many minorities who are presently interned in jails or prisons who should be released. In fact, EBC has established a fund to post bail for many currently awaiting trial. The implication, of course, is that our entire criminal justice system is inherently classist and racist.
There is also, according to the reverend, an epidemic of “lying” regarding the cause of all this violence. For example, some politicians keep lying about all the violence that occurred on January 6th, 2021 – a remark that sparked ripples of laughter in light of recent media and Democratic Party allegations that Trump lied habitually in last week’s presidential debate. (On the other hand, they portray Biden as a decent and honest man who is just a little past his prime.) Meanwhile, these same apologists for the January 6th violence accuse innocent immigrants (or “newcomers” as the Biden administration labeled them several months ago) of coming into the country and taking jobs from Americans. Imagine anyone thinking like that!
As mentioned, Rev. Warnock is an effective communicator, and the best line in his sermon was, “Sometimes you just gotta love the hell out of people.” Quite true, if nonetheless misapplied in the context of his remarks. He also generated applause from the congregation by showing a brief clip of himself and other Democrat leaders surrounding Joe Biden as he signed some recent legislation – but at the time I was busy jotting down notes and failed to pick up on the context.
Last Sunday’s service preceded by five days the 248th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the American nation. However, nothing was mentioned of this momentous event in human history. The history of racial bigotry, slavery, Jim Crow discrimination and systemic racism in America’s past is deplorable, and it must be addressed honestly. However, as I wrote in Critical Race Theory: A Critical Assessment, those social evils of the past were acknowledged and legally rectified in the civil rights legislation of the 1960s. The result, as Kathleen Brush noted in her incisive study of the history of global racism in Racism and Anti-Racism in the World – Before and After 1945: “African-Americans are the most educated and prosperous black population in the world…. The United States [is the world’s] leading anti-racist nation.” This is a reality that is constantly and intentionally ignored or disingenuously refuted in most contemporary racial analyses.
In closing, I should mention a couple of other significant points related to the service at Ebenezer Baptist Church this past Sunday. One was a traditional altar call following Rev. Warnock’s sermon – or what Baptists have traditionally referred to as an “Invitation” – for those in the congregation who felt moved by the Holy Spirit to “come and give your life to Christ” or otherwise join the church. The pastor emphasized that not only do we need faith in God, but that faith needs a community for growth and support. Quite true. Personally, I found the Invitation, which has almost totally vanished in the vast majority of contemporary evangelical churches, to be emotionally moving. Following the Invitation, the congregation all repeated the church’s “Purpose Statement” which is available on the church’s website.
Lastly, I would pose a fundamental question: Why are liberal/progressive churches so bold and forthright when it comes to propagating their beliefs – including their heretical doctrines and neo- Marxist socio/political views – while conservative evangelical churches and church leaders are so hesitant to stand for the moral and cultural principles that are clearly taught in Scripture and in orthodox Christian history? This is inexplicable. It is also indefensible.
For some 60 years and more, Ebenezer Baptist Church has been one of the most influential churches in America. Its contributions to the civil rights movement were monumental, but since the 1970s it has been in the forefront of liberal/leftist initiatives from abortion “rights” to radical climate activism, open borders, racial and class divisiveness, and every other conceivable manifestation of government control over the lives of American citizens. I don’t question their sincerity. But I do contest their understanding and application of true biblical social justice.
