Lynching is not a phenomenon confined to the Reconstruction-era South. Social Justice advocates in the 21st Century, weaving white guilt into a noose, are experts at taking out noisy but effective opponents…one by one.
I don’t know A.D. Robles. I mean, I don’t know-know him. We don’t hang out, in other words. And that means in person or the cyber-world. But, I’ve enjoyed watching his videos. I say that to preface my clarification that Robles did not ask me to write this post, probably does not want me to write this post, and we have not discussed this issue (or pretty much any issue) ever, as best my memory serves. I have never had, do not have, and have never had any official or unofficial affiliation with Robles.
That awkward disclaimer aside, Robles is among a few mostly younger men (Cody Libolt and Jon Harris are two others) who have spoken out openly, honestly, and regularly against the Social Gospel, which has been unfortunately renamed Social Justice by people who know evangelicals have short attention spans. Social Justice is accompanied by other troublesome but parallel political doctrines like Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, and Cultural Marxism.
Pastors in the pulpit stand up against the advance of Social Justice into the church not to be political, but to keep from being political.
Social Justice, Rauschenbuschism, Critical Race Theory, Liberation Theology…these are all the bastard children of Marxism, a subversive ideology that is designed to infiltrate institutions (governments, schools, and churches) and change them from the inside-out.
Social Justice is not a doctrine pushed out from the pulpit and into the world. It is a doctrine being pressed upon the church from outside parachurch organizations that serve as a bridge between political ideologues and people of faith.
Faithful pastors speak out against Social Justice in order to prevent Gospel mission-drift. When a pastor speaks out against Social Justice it is not a distraction from the church’s mission, it’s preventing a distraction from the church’s mission.
Robles has been one of those outspoken voices. Today, he posted this heartbreaking video on his YouTube Channel.
You can hear the pain in Robles’ voice.
Robles explains in the video that he has resigned his pastorate from his church in Vermont, where he is currently retaining membership for the time being. The reason for his resignation is because (A) his stance against Social Justice and (B) because a prominent Southern Baptist leader convinced his co-elder that “criticizing someone who claims the name of Christ” is wrong.
That prominent Southern Baptist leader needs to read the Bible. The Judaizers claimed the name of Christ, and yet Paul rebuked them. Peter claimed the name of Christ, and yet Paul rebuked him to his face.
Newsflash: Every pseudo-christian heretic claims the name of Christ. They are to be marked (named) and avoided (Romans 16:17).
I have warned a number of these young men speaking out for the Gospel (that’s what I’m going to call ‘speaking out against Social Justice’ from now on) that they are putting their careers and livelihoods on the line. I want to continue to warn them of this…right before I tell them to keep doing it.
I survived in the SBC as an active critic longer than anyone I know. Most pastors who dare speak out in criticism are ousted through various means, but most primarily, through the influence of the denomination.
The Associational Missionary starts taking congregants out to lunch. Elders or pastors start getting phone calls from denominational leaders. Influential donors are approached by other clergy people with complaints against their out-spoken pastor.
There are three reasons I survived that long before our church voluntarily left the SBC of our own accord. (1) The Fellowship Baptist Church of Sidney is geographically isolated, a long distance from other Southern Baptist Churches and denominational leaders (2) Few church members were raised Southern Baptist, and therefore felt no misguided loyalty to the denomination and (3) when the denomination did send the Associational Missionary to start strife within our congregation to oust me, thankfully the congregation was already convinced he was a notorious simpleton long before they ever met me, and took no stock in his predictions of doom and gloom for having a critical pastor.
Here’s unsolicited advice from an war-torn, battle-scarred pastor who looks older than his age from the stress and conflicts of life…don’t resign. Make them fire you. And if you’re a church member who’s resisting the Social Justice intrusion, don’t voluntarily leave. Make them vote you out.
Make them put on record (in writing) what specific chapter and verse you’ve violated and what commandment you’ve unrepentantly broken. As Baptists, elders should not just be able to make us leave. Matters of membership (let alone leadership) should be congregational decisions. Take it to the people; take it to the pews. Let that which is done in the dark be brought to the light.
That’s not any kind of rebuke for Mr. Robles. That’s a note of advice for the countless other pastors who are in jeopardy of being fired or who feel pressured to resign because they do the job of being a pastor, which involves reproving and rebuking.
That said, let me remind you that we’ll all end up swinging on the same gallows. Mr. Robles had a kind, gracious, soft-toned approach in his videos and social media (in other words, the opposite of me). It does not matter how you say it. They will come for you eventually, and if possible, take you out.
Thankfully, there are lots of authentic believers out there who want a good pastor. I know some churches myself. Robles will land on his feet. He’s down for sure, but I suspect it’s not down for the count. Please pray for him and pray for every man like him, who will not bend the knee to Ba’al.
There’s at least seven thousand of us, so I hear.
[Publisher’s Note: By the way, I’m going to talk to pastors and church members about what to do when Social Justice infiltrates your church. Catch it at 6PM MT from the P&P FB Page – JD Hall]
