Religious Studies and Woke Indoctrination

One of the many reasons a traditional Anglican university or college is needful is that what passes for “religious studies” at many universities and colleges is – how to put this nicely – to be avoided, more woke indoctrination than weighty study of religion.

Mark Pulliam has written a withering critique of this situation in the academy.  Here is a sample:

In addition to the LGBTQ agenda, religious studies scholars promote a litany of issues that coincide with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party: Marxism/socialism, immigration reform, climate change, criminal justice reform, and identity politics. The ideologues who preach this secular gospel of social justice are supported by a flotilla of sympathetic publications, such as The Immanent Frame, Religion and Politics, the Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, Sojourners, and Religion Dispatches.

The connection to religion is often very loose, bordering on non-existent. One woke religious studies scholar describes herself this way: “I am a scholar of religion with particular interests in the history of capitalism and labor; religion in the Americas; feminist, queer, and critical race theory; and theory and method in the study of religion.”

On many university faculties, there is overlap between religious studies and, for example, African American studies. At Princeton, Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., a former president of the AAR, chairs the Department of African American Studies while also serving on the faculty of the Department of Religion. At the University of Texas, religious studies scholar Ashley Coleman Taylor describes her interests as “Black Feminism, Black Genders and Sexualities, Pragmatism, Queer of Color Critique, Africana Religions, Puerto Rican Studies, Atlanta Studies.” She is on the faculty of the Department of Religious Studies but also teaches in the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies. The disciplines are seemingly interchangeable.

Apparently so.

It turns out that the Matthew 25 Gathering in 2019 chose as a main speaker a young academic who is very much within this trend of religious studies as woke indoctrination.  Oh, Dr. David Leong does not foam at the mouth and seems more sane than other woke professors.  Yet by his own admission, Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me is required reading for his Freshman introductory Christian Theology  course.

One or more Freshman students have asked him why they were reading Coates for a Christian Theology course.  A good question indeed.  Leong tries to answer the question in his Gathering lecture.  I do not think he does so well, but see for yourself, beginning at 12 minutes into this video.

The rest of his lecture reveals some more wokeness although, again, I am sure he is not as high on the wokeness meter as many.  At the same time, I find his endorsement of Soong-Chan Rah’s work telling.

Remember the Matthew 25 Initiative and its Gatherings are sponsored by the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), a mostly orthodox Anglican denomination for those not familiar with it.  This trend of Religious Studies as woke indoctrination is not just a Berkeley/Oberlin Leftist fringe development.  It is just about everywhere in academia as well as in the church where traditional orthodox have not successfully rejected it.

Some therefore advise prospective ministers not to take religion courses at the undergraduate level, and I suspect that this is good advice for most students at most universities.  I also think it all the more behooves traditional Anglicans to provide alternatives at the undergraduate level, including creating Anglican colleges.

BREAKING: Dr. Rah Will Not Be Speaking to Matthew 25 Gathering

I’ve just been informed by Canon David Roseberry that Dr. Soong-Chan Rah will not be involved in the Matthew 25 Gathering in September.  Previously, he was scheduled to be the keynote speaker.

In Canon Roseberry’s words, those in charge felt they “needed to focus on building the base, expanding Archbishop Beach's vision . . . and serving those workers who carry on the work of Matthew 25.”

I heartily support the decision and the refocus, but will refrain from further comment at this time.

Archbishop Foley Beach will be in attendance and will be asked to speak.

Canon Roseberry Promises to Address Concern About The Gathering

At a business meeting of the ACNA Provincial Assembly last week (about 1 hour 22 minutes into this video), Canon David Roseberry acknowledged online concern about “someone that we have in our lineup” for The Matthew 25 Gathering in September and promised to “get to that right after the first of next month [i.e. July].”  Likely, that someone is Dr. Rah.

I appreciate Canon Roseberry seeing the need to address concern about The Gathering lineup, and he should be given the space to do so.  I will say my main concern is not Dr. Rah himself.  It is hardly his fault he was invited to be the keynote speaker.

Most mainline denominations, including The Episcopal Church, have confused ministry and lib/left political advocacy.  That has greatly harmed those denominations (and was a factor in my leaving the mainline Presbyterians) and would harm the Anglican Church in North America if we repeat that error.  And it would harm the Matthew 25 Initiative as well.  I am not alone in withholding donations until I am confident funds will not go to lib/left advocacy I oppose. 

I pray God is using this episode to steer us and ACNA leaders away from that ministry error and will wait for Canon Roseberry’s statement with that hope.

Look who’s keynoting ACNA’s Matthew 25 Gathering.

In September, the Matthew 25 Initiative of the Anglican Church in North America will be putting on The Matthew 25 Gathering: Justice And Mercy Contending For Shalom.  The keynote speaker is Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah of North Park Seminary.

Having dug around the internet, I now think his selection to keynote an ACNA conference is a matter for concern for ACNA members, especially pertaining to the Matthew 25 Initiative.  At this point, I want to stick to presenting what I know.  I may comment more at a later date, but for now, I just want to get the facts out there out there about aspects of Dr. Rah’s background.   

As I’ve mentioned, Dr. Rah is the scheduled keynote speaker for The Gathering.  His website may be found here.  His bio at Sojourners may be found here.  He is on the board of Sojourners.  I think most of my readers are aware of the background of that organization.

In 2016, he signed two open letters attacking Donald Trump, “Called to Resist Bigotry — A Statement of Faithful Obedience”, and “A Declaration by American Evangelicals Concerning Donald Trump.” Among the “Evangelicals” who signed the latter were Brian McLaren, Rachel Held Evans, Jim Wallis, and Ron Sider.  (For the record, I opposed Trump and supported other candidates for most of 2016.)

In contrast, just after the election of Barack Obama in 2008, he wrote, “I am Barack Obama, and Barack Obama is America.” Just after his inauguration in 2009, he wrote, “On January 20th, 2009, hope replaced cynicism.”

He was a keynote speaker at the DisGRACE conference, which had a very Leftist direction it is safe to say.

When Rev. Franklin Graham urged people to obey the commands of police for their own safety, Rah signed a letter denouncing Graham’s statement.  Rachael Held Evans and Jim Wallis were also among the signers.

He has called Michael Brown, shot and killed at Ferguson, a victim of violence.  (It is well established that Brown attacked a police officer, and that the officer acted in self-defense.)

In 2015, in a post listing numerous grievances, he denounced saying “All Lives Matter” instead of “Black Lives Matter”:

So next time, white evangelical leaders, you feel the urge to mouth off that “ALL Lives Matter” — CLOSE your mouth and OPEN your eyes, ears, and minds to get yourself some knowledge.

The above is obviously not comprehensive.  It what a brief time searching the net has produced.  And I’ve not investigated his theological views – other than his opposition to preaching, “All lives matter.”

With the above background, I contacted Canon David Roseberry of the Matthew 25 Team.  He said this about The Gathering and about having Dr. Rah as the keynote speaker, “Anglicans always try to be both modest and generous in their mission and their thinking. By modest I mean that we never believe that we have all the answers and all the right perspectives possible.  By generous I mean that we always want to engage others in discussion. No one who claims the name of Jesus Christ as Savior should imagine they are outside of our fellowship. And anyone who works for the name of Jesus Christ can be our partner in mission.”

And I will be modest and generous and let him have the last word for now.