Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary has been at the forefront of the Social Justice Wars of the SBC in recent months and years. A promoter of Critical Race Theory and Marxist Intersectionality, president Danny Akin has installed an Affirmative Action wing for the seminary – called the Department of Kingdom Diversity – and has promoted the work of radical Cultural Marxists like James Cone, hosted a Malcolm X read-in for students, and according to numerous faculty members, warned staff that if they publicly complain about the Marxist undertones of the seminary’s new “woke” direction, they would be subject to mandatory sensitivity training and ultimately, firing.
Since Akin’s strong promotion of the agenda set for the SBC by James Riady and George Soros, especially as seen in the lead-up and aftermath of the MLK50 Conference, his status has risen to top-tier influencer among the New Calvinist contingent of the Evangelical Industrial Complex. After the successful veneration of non-Christian heretic and sex trafficker, Martin Luther King (King denied the deity of Christ, the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture, and the Resurrection), at the ERLC and Gospel Coalition-sponsored event, this Social Justice contingent in the SBC has been promoting Egalitarianism, a view on gender roles that is contrary to the traditional view held by Southern Baptists, particularly post-Conservative Resurgence. While claiming to be Complementarian (the more traditional view that men and women have equal but different, complementary roles, with leadership positions and positions of authority being exclusive to men), Akin, upcoming presidential shoe-in, JD Greear, and other woke SBC recipients of Riady-Soros cash are busy advocating for women to serve at the highest levels of leadership in the SBC in order to better serve what they call an “underrepresented minority voice.”
Moving from the ethnic component of Critical Race Theory (CRT doesn’t pertain only to “race” or ethnicity, but to all special “identity groups”) to Intersectionality, Akin and SEBTS have followed the lead of Greear, Dwight McKissic and other Social Justice Warriors to ensure that women and minority groups are running the SBC. This is a vitally important part of the agenda set forth by the billionaire donors who have been pumping these educational institutions with progressive cash.
Pulpit & Pen has spoken to three witnesses – two faculty members and one non-faculty staff member – who have spoken on-the-record as confidential sources, claiming that Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) has threatened them with “sensitivity training” and possible termination for making posts referencing Critical Race Theory or Cultural Marxism. One faculty member has moved on to another Southern Baptist Seminary but is gravely concerned that its direction is also turning hard-left on the issue of gender and the other two remain (for the time being) at SEBTS.
“When I first spoke out on Facebook about the wisdom of promoting someone with dubious theological credentials and a severely problematic personal witness like Dr. King, I was immediately called by a colleague who urged me to delete my post. I was told that it could be used by the press to paint the institution as racist. This floored me, considering my post didn’t address the ethnicity of Dr. King, but his character. Nonetheless, I let the post remain.”
The source continued, “Within another hour, I received a phone call from Dr. Akin, who expressed disappointment that I would speak out publicly on the issue and was encouraged – strongly – not to criticize the work of the [ERLC] or [Russell] Moore. The implication was clear; Southeastern was going to make social justice a core focus in coming years, and I might be better off at a different institution.”
With nowhere else to go, the faculty member has remained. When asked if he was fearful that his published communications would lead to punitive consequences from Akin, the professor responded, “Good luck. I’m not the only one told to swallow the social justice camel or else. There is a culture of fear, and it’s pervasive. Many faculty members have received those phone calls.”
Another source, the faculty member now teaching at a different seminary, told us, “I was told when [the Department of Kingdom Diversity] began that if I didn’t like ‘righting injustice’ I should seek employment elsewhere else. I did; I do want to correct injustice, but I don’t think the Marxist agenda is just. I also let it be known – in writing – that the growing acceptance of women in positions of leadership at [SEBTS] would eventually lead to a full dismantling of what we worked so hard to defend in the Resurgence.”
He continued, “It’s like a brain-drain at SEBTS. The folks they’re bringing in to promote diversity don’t even have doctorate degrees. They’re not scholars. They’re organizers. When I decided that I wouldn’t send my own kids to [the seminary] for fear they’d receive more indoctrination than doctrine, I decided it was time to move.”
Now, that source is greatly concerned about a particular resolution proposed for the upcoming SBC meeting, from one of his new seminary’s leaders, that gives what he perceives to be a “hat-tip” to redefined egalitarianism.
“It’s out of the frying pan and into a slightly less hot skillet,” he added.
Finally, one long-term staff member at SEBTS recalls a threat to receive “sensitivity training” after posting a popular meme generated by Pulpit & Pen of the faces of many “Social Justice Warriors” during the week of Together for the Gospel, following on the heels of MLK50.
The source said, “I was emailed the [employee handbook] pdf and told that if I didn’t delete the post I would be in violation of expected conduct and would have to receive what was called ‘sensitivity training.’ This is my only employment. I deleted it.”
SEBTS Danny Akin was contacted for a response to these accounts. Akin was asked, “Why am I hearing from SEBTS profs that you’re requiring diversity training and telling them not to speak out about their objections to Critical Race Theory?”
Akin responded via text, “None of those are true. You need better sources my brother,” to which he was asked, “Better than your profs?” Akin then said curtly, “Unless you want to reveal your source, we can conclude this conversation.”
As with our reporting on Greg Locke, Clayton Jennings, Ergun Caner, or Louisiana College, we may not always be able to cite the name of a source due to fear of repercussions toward the witness, but as you can see, our facts are always proven in God’s providential timing. There are also many reports of NAMB-funded church planters being warned that their funding would be cut if they continued to criticize Russell Moore or the Social Justice direction of the SBC. We will also publish those accounts soon.
[Contributed by JD Hall]
