In an “I’m sorry you got offended” type of public apology, Burns issued a mea culpa regarding some of the brazen militancy of his discourse. What many people are overlooking is that it was originally addressed to “White Evangelicals” and then changed to “Some Evangelicals.” This is important because Anyabwile’s entire agenda has served to divide the church into ethnic categories. If Burns couldn’t even avoid racial division in his apology article (without The Gospel Coalition changing it for him), why should we believe him?
To Ron Burns, everything is about ethnicity. That’s why he continues to go by his fake Black Nationalist name, Thabiti Anyabwile, which he says he chose to identify himself with the Black Nationalist Movement. Burns – who regularly engages overtly in Critical Race Theory and Identity Politics designed to divide the Body of Christ by skin color, offered an apology to “White Evangelicals” today, before changing the title of his post after publication to take out the “White” part and make it less racial.
The URL of the post demonstrates its original title before references to “white” evangelicals was scrubbed from the title and article.
Burns is probably the most radical preacher (or at least the most vocal) using The Gospel Coalition to drive American evangelicals to the political left. Although Tim Keller is probably as dangerous given his adherence to textbook Marxism, Burns is certainly more notable.
Burns recently lauded a foul-mouthed, blasphemous and vulgar gun-grabbing politician (he’s against Second Amendment rights). He’s been hijacking what it means to be “pro-life” to advocate his leftist ideology. He’s encouraged foreign nations to hack our election system to keep Trump from being re-elected. He’s cited atheist, Christopher Hitchens, in his advocacy for monetary “racial reparations.” Burns clearly indicated he’d rather have abortion stay legal than have Trump as president. Burns has said that all white people are racist and that white people are all guilty of killing Dr. King. Burns stuck up for his brother when he assaulted a police officer and has regularly maligned law enforcement and advocated for the racist anti-law organization, Black Lives Matter. Burns has even promoted and defended the Black Panthers organization. He endorsed Hillary Clinton during the 2016 general election and endorsed Bernie Sanders during the 2016 Democratic primary. In doing so, he indicated that babies aren’t “living” and discounted the importance of the abortion debate.
Burns apologized for none of these things.
In a virtue-signaling open-letter of apology (which seems to be all the rage these days among ‘woke’ evangelicals) Burns spoke in vague generalities and mentioned sin, but non-specifically.
Burns also used much of his letter to reinforce his own position, claiming that “some evangelicals” don’t really want what he calls “justice” (meaning reparations, the redistribution of wealth, the dismantling of immigration law, an expansion of the welfare state, and Democratic political leadership).
Burns blamed his nebulous, ill-defined and non-specific “sin” on white evangelicals (later changed to some evangelicals) who made him feel “hopeless.”
After the article was published, however, it seems that the editors of TGC blog removed “White Evangelicals” from the title and replaced it with “Some Evangelicals.” Then, they edited references to skin color throughout the post itself.
It seems that even in his apology, Burns can’t get away from flagrant racialism (an unhealthy fixation on race). Critical Race Theory and Identity Politics have overtaken the man and have done so since his youth when he joined the Black Nationalist Movement. And frankly, despite his claim, his apology seems rather forced. TGC is probably getting tired of making excuses for him.
Just as White Nationalism is a blot upon the witness of Christ, so is Black Nationalism. Until we go back to striving for color-blindness – the same kind of response to ethnic differences we see in the New Testament – the church will not be restored to unity. Until Burns repents of his divisive positions, there’s no reason to accept an “I’m sorry you were offended” type of virtue-signaling apology.
Burns seems to only think in terms of black and white, as his article’s original title indicates. Although both black and white people work for Pulpit & Pen, we refuse to identify ourselves as either black or white.
Instead, you can color us skeptical.
