Jon Harris is a recent graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. After a break from on-campus studies for several years, Harris reports that the social justice take-over of the seminary in just a few short years was overwhelming.
To be very clear, Harris alleges that the institution has taken a “left turn” and that the institution has gone from being known as the “mission school” to the “social justice school.”
Calling it a “Downgrade,” a term that harkens back to Spurgeon’s stance against the doctrinal dumbing-down of the Baptist Union, Harris begins by quoting Scripture and urging viewers not to be taken captive by heresies and false teachings.
Harris claims that because he’s chosen not to affiliate with the SBC, he is free to speak out about their newly ‘woke’ social justice movement – a detriment to the Gospel in his estimation – unlike many other students or professors who rely on the SBC for income and are silenced.
As he begins his recalling of the social justice coup at SEBTS, it is clear that Harris is Scripturally well-informed (as a graduate, he should be) and takes his doctrine seriously. He makes the accusation that The Gospel Coalition, Together for the Gospel, Desiring God, SEBTS and others are “evangelical leftists.”
Harris claimed (at the 10.30 mark) that there are a lot of professors at the school who are against social justice supplanting the
Harris claims that at least three professors believe in evolution (and one professor called Ken Ham a “charlatan”), that speakers are sometimes chosen because they give money to the institution, several professors advocate Molinism, and includes other problematic doctrinal stances.
But then, Harris got to the crux of his complaint. Over time, he noticed that speakers seemed to be chosen in chapel because of the color of their skin, even though they held to aberrant doctrines or doctrines not believed by Southern Baptists. Harris tried to explain that he went to seminary to learn about doctrine, not to hear speakers talk about “the black experience” over and over again.
All the while SEBTS became more concerned about poverty and race relations, they became less and less concerned about doctrine or issues like abortion. This seems to have been orchestrated by SEBTS leadership.
The first real moment of concern for Harris was when an adjunct professor of SEBTS prayed a prayer accusing the police in the Michael Brown case of “targeting” African Americans and very clearly took the side of the violent, police-assaulting thug instead. After this, Jon decided to leave campus.
Upon his return, Harris saw that the seminary had gone all-in on the topic of social justice. From entire chapel services dedicated to condemning the Confederate flag to Akin’s promotion of the Openly Secular atheist campaign, Harris gives a case-by-case analysis of SEBTS’ downgrade. According to Harris, “It’s more grievous to [SEBTS] have a president who has cabinet members who are ‘alt-right’ than it is to have a president that pushes for transgender bathrooms and abortion rights.”
Harris points out that he did not vote for Trump, but noticed the one-sidedness of SEBTS politics which seems to always lean left instead of right.
Harris went on to discuss the Department of Kingdom Diversity at SEBTS and the director’s tacit endorsement of Hillary Clinton in the last election.
This is an hour and thirty-seven minute expose’ – with first-hand details from the perspective of a recent SEBTS graduate – of how SEBTS was completely taken over for the purpose of social justice and is experiencing, as Harris calls it, “mission drift” away from the Gospel.
And yes, he accuses them of Neo-Marxism.
Watch below.
