I normally do not review books on WCSK. However, sometimes there are books so timely, urgent and relevant that I would be doing my readers a disservice by not calling their attention to books that will edify and prepare them for such a time as this. Below is my review for the new book Fault Lines by Voddie Baucham.
4.45 of 5.0 stars
The bottom line: A clarion call to the Church to stand firm in the truth against the lie of critical race theory (CRT).
Fault Lines is a timely book that (in my opinion) should be required reading for all Christians, especially church leaders. Here, Dr. Voddie Baucham sounds the alarm on a modern deception that attempts to subvert the gospel: CRT or Critical Race Theory. This urgent warning and call-to-arms are necessary because many Christians are asleep at the spiritual wheel and woefully unprepared to defend the truth of God against the lies of men. We are at war yet the best many can offer is concessions and smiles.
What Fault Lines will subsequently equip you with is an informed understanding of CRT’s roots (Marxism), the components of its basic worldview in the words of its thought leaders and prophets, its stated aim (justice and equity) and its true aim (power). Throughout the text, the author provides a biblical framework for looking at all the issues CRT is concerned with (e.g., justice in the shooting of black men by police); he also digs deeper into the data to formulate sober conclusions based on a consideration of all the facts (e.g., that a black person is far more likely to be killed by another black person than a police officer). Dr. Baucham’s impartial quest for truth exposes CRT as intellectually bankrupt because the “theory” is based on propositions and assumptions, not objective reality and rigorous conclusions. The book ends on a note of hope and encouragement in that the Kingdom of God transcends race and the solid ground on which the Christian stands is not a pagan ideology; it is the Word of God. By the end of the book, you will have been so well-saturated in knowledge, you can stand your ground on the side of the fault line that refuses to compromise on the supremacy of Christ, the sufficiency of God’s Word and the sovereign power of God to change hearts and minds.
Furthermore, after reading this book the reader will discern that the “woke” church is not a biblical church. In reality, CRT is a Satanic, anti-Christ ideology that spits in the face of the gospel, makes a mockery of Christ’s atonement and is predicated on a perverse doctrine of ethnic election: white is inherently evil and black is inherently righteous. Likely what is the most important fact to extract from the text is that CRT sees biblical Christianity as a paragon of “white oppression” and is a power structure that must be dismantled. The prophets of CRT therefore may preach “justice” and “equity” from the pulpit but the real agenda is to destroy the pulpit and to darken the minds of those listening with mixture.
As added bonuses, Dr. Baucham speaks to many truths that will certainly unsettle those who wish to stick to a narrative that serves an alternative agenda: examples of suck talking points include black fatherlessness and the greatest threat to black lives, abortion (the real black genocide). The author exposes the pagan ideology behind BLM and many of those in the evangelical world who have openly embraced CRT by what they have communicated in their own words. He also provides a very intriguing analysis of how the SBC (Southern Baptist Convection) deceptively adopted Resolution 9 which embraces CRT as a useful “analytical tool.” This means a now-compromised Protestant institution favors using the devil’s gospel in the name of the Lord.
The only critique that I have about this book pertains to what seems to be the root cause of why so many in the Church will abandon the Word in favor of “wokism.” That is, why would any Christian think the Bible is not adequate to deal with any matter that pertains to life and godliness? I think the answer goes deeper than, “Because they believe the Bible is not sufficient.” The root cause is a lack of faith, for the only reason why any Christian turns to an all-encompassing “analytical tool” or a “solution finder” outside of the Bible means they either don’t trust God or don’t trust what He said in His Word. This means the rumbling along the fault line is also exposing a crisis of faith in the modern American church.
Truly, these may be unsettling times but praise God for the blessed hope that we know how this all ends: the triumph of the Lamb.
Dr. C. H. E. Sadaphal
To purchase this title, click here.