Editor’s note: This article has been updated.
Pastor Tony Evans, author of Oneness Embraced, recently took to the pulpit of his Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship megachurch to teach about Critical Race Theory.
Evans previously issued a statement on his views of Critical Race Theory, or CRT, after several White Southern Baptist leaders issued a statement denouncing the legal framework examining race in society as incompatible with their Christian faith.
“I have long taught that racism, and it’s ongoing repercussions, are real and should be addressed intentionally, appropriately and based on the authority of God’s inerrant word,” Evans said in that 2020 statement.
On July 14, Evans addressed CRT in full as a “hot topic” for his church’s Wednesday meeting. For those mid-week meetings, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship invites participants to “[e]ngage with Dr. Tony Evans on the hot topics of today’s culture and learn what the truth of God’s Word says about them all!”
CRT has emerged as a target of far-right conservatives who inaccurately dismiss the legal theory as racist. Dozens of Republican-led states have enacted prohibitions against teaching CRT in schools, although educators insist there’s no evidence the complex legal theory has been introduced to young students.
In the first part of Dr. Evans’ “The Truth About Critical Race Theory” teaching, the Dallas, Texas, pastor addressed the subject in three parts: first, he defined CRT; second, he addressed “the explosion” that has led to confusion and contention about CRT; and third, he offered what he believes is a “biblical response” to CRT and how Christians who seek to be “people of the truth” should respond to the present debate about race and U.S. history.
In part two of his presentation, delivered July 21, Evans explains how he believes CRT falls short in offering solutions to the problem of ongoing racism in U.S. society, particularly for where Christians are concerned. The megachurch pastor presents Kingdom Race Theory as an alternative to the failings of CRT. Evans also tackles direct questions about CRT.
Below is a transcript of the first part of Pastor Evans’ “The Truth About Critical Race Theory” message with added headings. (Listen to part one and part two)
Good evening. Welcome to our “hot topics” that we are having each Wednesday night as we talk about the truth, and how to apply the truth. We talk about the principle of the truth. This Sunday when we’re talking about the source of truth. And then on Wednesday, we apply that principle to contemporary issues. Tonight, one of the most hotly debated contemporary issues that we face today, Critical Race Theory.
Father, may the words of my mouth, meditations of my heart be acceptable to You and beneficial to Your people so that we are looking at things from Your point of view. May we address and adapt our preconceived perspectives to the truth of Your inerrant Word. In Jesus name, amen.
Eleven years ago, I wrote a book on race called Oneness Embraced, tracking both the historical, theological, biblical, and spiritual elements of issues related to race and justice and like topics. In light of all that has occurred in our culture over the last couple of years, it was determined to update that book, which is in process now, relative to include a response reaction and a critique of the more contemporary issues related to what’s happening in our society today. So we’re currently in that process as we speak, that’ll come out in January. But it’s being worked on currently. At the core of the racial debate today, and racial conflict, and in many places, animus is the issue of critical race theory, CRT.
Defining Critical Race Theory
On the Fourth of July, there are firecrackers that explode all over things a shot up into the air. Things that start off as solid, once the explosion occurs, spreads. And so lights are flickering everywhere so that you can no longer see what was originally launched. Because what was originally launched, has exploded. This is what has happened to the issue of race in America and critical race theory in particular. An explosion has occurred from an original theory that has left everybody asking me and each other the question: “What in the world is critical race theory?”
It’s hard to find a definition because of the explosions that have occurred. So what I want to do today is three things in our time together this evening. I want to give you a definition before the explosion, so that you can grab what we are saying it is and what the originators of it say that it is — Derek Bell of Harvard and Robin DiAngelo, and Kimberlé Crenshaw — just a group of about five who crafted critical race theory. And then I want to look at the explosion that occurred that has led to the crisis and confusion that we deal with today. And then I want to conclude with a biblical response. How should we as Christians respond to this because we ought to be people of the truth?
And so let me start with a definition of critical race theory before the explosion that is at its core, at its foundation, critical race theory, CRT is a post-Civil Rights, social construct — I’ll say something rather than the moment — that seeks to demonstrate how unjust laws have served us the embedded — served as, should be as — served as the embedded foundation and filter through which racist attitudes, behavior, policies, and structures have been rooted throughout the fabric of America, American life, and systems. Even after those laws were changed. Let me say that again. It’s a post-Civil Rights, social construct. On social construct is where people have come together on a conclusion about a matter in society. You can have social constructs related to education, you can have social constructs related to money, you can have social constructs related to sexual orientation, those are…you…we’re facing a social construct related to what is being concluded about a certain matter.
So this social construct of CRT wants to look at how unjust laws that were racist in nature filtered themselves into the operating systems of the culture. So when the unjust laws filtered themselves, it became a way of life. These unjust laws, racist in nature accrue to the benefit of one part of the population, meaning the white race to the detriment of another part of the population, meaning African Americans and to a lesser degree, other minority groups. Because these were laws, it was the way that things were operating by permission because they were laws. We all know about slavery laws, and there were many of those. Many of us grew up with Jim Crow laws of the South, where there were official standards inculcated and established. That allowed one group to benefit and another group to be disenfranchised.
When the laws changed, and bad laws were made right — like the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voters Rights Act. When the laws changed, the system had already been infiltrated with the previous unrighteous laws and unjust laws. So that even though laws changed, the effect of those laws did not automatically and to varying degrees, still today, did not change with it. So the fruit, like Adam’s sin carries fruit, the fruit of unrighteous laws still express themselves in the structures of society, whether they’re educational, whether they’re political, whether they are social, whether they deal with criminal justice issues, whether they’re economic. Because the laws previous affected all of society, it therefore infiltrated all of society — the argument of CRT goes — so that even today, many people have to struggle with the issue of racism, not because it’s a law, but because it’s an environment that was affected by laws.
So, critical race theory seeks to track how the legal implications of the unjust laws manifest themselves today. Take the law, for example, of redlining. Redlining in the 1930s was established to segment populations tied to location and race. And the color red, which is why it’s called redlining, was given to predominantly African American communities. And a red line meant this was a hazardous community. A hazardous community meant that mortgages would not be loaned out to homebuyers. It meant this investment, you wouldn’t invest in a red line community because it was viewed as hazardous. Well, what that meant for those communities that…was the ability to buy a home, to establish neighborhoods, to get loans to put in businesses were not allowed. Well, in those redline districts, what happened was, generations were born into those districts. And when generations were born into those districts, that meant the repercussions of the red line was being transferred to one generation after another, because they were locked out and weren’t fully allowed to participate. Well, redlining laws got changed. But some of the generational influence of those laws still had effect. Because the people who were affected by it, were transferring that reality because they were never able to get out of it. And they were locked into it. And so, that is the concept of this.
Individual Racism and Systemic Racism
Now, when the subject of systemic racism comes up, which is where there’s winds up, racism tied to systems… Well, let me first define racism. So that we make sure we talking about the same thing. Racism, I define as the conscious or subconscious or unconscious belief in the superiority of one race over another race or ethnicities, which manifests itself in a variety of dismissive, oppressive, exploitive ways. Racism shows up in the use of the power of influence, use of power to influence resources or communication, which is employed to discriminate against, marginalize, exploit, or subjugate people of another race or ethnicity. Let me put it in a little syllogism. When unaddressed prejudice gets married to power, there is going to be an unintended pregnancy, that will give birth to the evil of racism. When an unaddressed prejudice gets married to power, then it’s going to have an unintended consequence, which gives birth to the evil of racism. So racism is the decision, consciously or unconsciously, to discriminate against a person of another race.
When we talk about systemic racism. I’ll define that because all this comes together. Systemic racism is the presence or secular resultant effects of racist practices and processes embedded in and shaping the social, political, economic, legal, educational, infrastructural, medical systems and policies of a society initially established and perpetuated by the government. These then overlap and interconnect in such a way as to give an unjust advantage of resources, rights, mindsets, and privilege for a majority number of one race while denying or limiting it to a majority number of another race or ethnicities. Now, this is often called white privilege — the benefits that accrue because of the laws that were established and the systems that continue to benefit those who benefited from the original laws, to the disadvantage to minority groups. And so it’s talking about systems. CRT is not concerned with your individual racial profile. It’s not concerned with whether you are a racist. CRT is concerned about racism infiltrating the structures and the systems of society, and how those structures continue to have negative effects on minority people.
Let me give you a relevant illustration that you and all of us are participating in be you white or black. As everyone knows, we now own the golf course across the street. That is 155 or so prime acres in the southwest section of Oak Cliff. I wanted us to buy that land. Not having anything to do with golf, but controlling what happens in our community. So the motivation wasn’t related to golf. It was related to Kingdom influence in the community.
But let me tell you the story of the golf course across street. It used to be a farm. In the mid-1950s, a man sold it. And it was purchased and turned into a golf course. The rule was black people could not play on the golf course, that was the rule. So we’ll call that an unjust law. It then got turned over into membership ownership. So it was owned by like 100 members. The rule was, we don’t have the law, because things were changing in society. We don’t have the law that blacks can’t be members. But we’re going to set up a system that does not allow them to be members. So what the system was was, before you become a member, an existing member had to recommend you. Okay. But when the existing member recommended you, two thirds of the membership had to vote for you.
So let’s say an Anglo man has a great black friend, nothing about him is racist. And he goes to the club and he says, “I want my African American friend to become a member of this club.” Well, he’s got to do that up against the system. And that system says two thirds of us have to agree with the way you feel. And no, until 1994, no black would be voted in because of the system Not because there was this law. It was this system that came from a law. But let’s say you part of the 1/3. If you’re Anglo, you’re part of the 1/3 that voted to let him in. Well, you still lost because the two thirds did not vote that way. Now, you could come out and argue, “But I am not one of those people. I am not a racist.” And you can be absolutely right. But the system that you are a part of is. And because you’re part of that system, you get swept up, even though you’re not a personal racist. And even though you voted the other way, because the system didn’t allow your nonracist perspective to win.
CRT is concerned with systems that operate unfairly in all of these different areas. That doesn’t allow in help for people to get good food or proper care or whatever … because systems were set up that have rollover effect, even if people in the system are not personally racist.
So when a person says “I am not a racist,” they could be absolutely true. Absolutely true. But CRT is concerned with the system, not with an individual person. So you make that distinction. So that is the concept of CRT. Now, that’s fine. That deals with laws, that deals with infiltration, that deals with contemporary effects. So far, so good. Probably don’t have too much of a problem there, until the iterations set in. So this is where it gets interesting.
“The 1619 Project;” Black Lives Matter; and Marxism
In August 2019, Nikole Hannah-Jones wrote a series of articles in The New York Times Magazine, and it became known as “The 1619 Project.” In Jamestown, Virginia, in August of 1619, 20 African American slaves came to this country as indentured servants, meaning you work for so many years and then you can work out your freedom. But they came, when these 20 or so slaves came, that led to a growth in slave trade. To make a long story short, when indentured servantry was replaced with slavery, which was cheap or free labor, in order for the profitability and the economic development through workers here in the colonies. “The 1619 Project” said that the American Revolution in the 1860s was not about freedom from England. The American Revolution was about 13 colonies preserving slavery. So the 1619 project says, “America really didn’t begin in 1776. America began in 1690, when slavery was first introduced, codified.” So there’s a revolutionary war because the 13 colonies want to be free from England, for the purpose of not having England interfere with the economic productivity of slavery.
So they threw a whole nother concept into the race discussion. And when they threw this concept, now the issue became the definition of America. Does America exist for freedom from English tyranny? Or does America exist to protect slavery? Well, once that happened — follow me now — that got plugged in the CRT. CRT was concerned about racist laws. CRT was not concerned with “1619;” “1619” came after CRT, but it got plugged into it. So now the issue is, is CRT saying that America was established to be a racist nation? So now CRT has gotten pregnant with a bigger issue about the definition of America.
May 2020. George Floyd is killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota. When George Floyd is killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, there is this national outcry about systemic racism, particularly with related to police brutality, and the like. And the growth of Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter, though, is two things not one. It’s an emphasis and an entity. It’s a movement and an organization. The movement said the lives of black people matter. In the same way that white evangelicals would say the lives of the unborn matter — well, all of us as evangelicals say that. The lives of the unborn matter. Well, Black Lives Matter, okay.
So there was this movement. Out of the movement, or concurrent and concomitant with the movement, is an entity that says black lives matter, but they both use the same name. So when you say black lives matter, are you talking about the movement, you talking about the entity, you talking about both? Well, because the entity Black Lives Matter — if you look it up on the web, wants to dissolve the black nuclear family. Because the entity wants to promote transgender rights. And they say this. That’s the entity. But you got an entity and a movement using the same name. It gets plugged into CRT. So CRT is growing now. On one side and “1619” plugged into it; on another side, there’s the Black Lives Matter. So now if you’re against Black Lives Matter, the entity, you could also be accused of being against black lives matter the movement, because folks are not necessarily making that distinction. If you agree with the movement, you can be accused of agreeing with the entity. And all of that gets plugged in the CRT.
Something else comes to the forefront. Are y’all with me now? I hope I’m not boring you. So something else comes to the forefront. Because the originators of CRT are…come from a Marxist framework. Some are overtly Marxist, some are more socialist than Marxist. And we can get into a discussion between the difference between socialism, communism, fascism and all of that … but to varying degrees are Marxist. At the core of Marxism, to make a long story short, is dividing people into tribes, into groups into divisions. Marx would call it the proletariat, the worker, versus the bourgeoisie, the elites with no middle class. So they divide them and Marxism creates conflicts. So Marxism creates a conflict, which means the government has to step in to bring order.
So America is not founded historically on a Marxist worldview, that’s why there’s so much talk in politics about keeping a strong middle class, to keep this from happening. But the problem is, because these other things, too, have been plugged into CRT, now, people are becoming divided. They’re becoming divided between the oppressed and the oppressor. And in Marx’s thing, the oppressed is the proletariat and the workers have to stand up and revolt — 1917, the Bolshevik Revolution — and so so now you have a clash. So what are you seeing the day in schools, a clash? What do are you seeing today, whites feeling like you’re calling me part of the oppressor. “I haven’t done anything.” Blacks feeling you call me part of the oppressed. You got one group that wants CRT, you got another good that’s against CRT, cuz it’s gotten now convoluted. In other words, the fire cracker has exploded now. And it’s all over the place. And we are divided because now, the disciples of these movements, depending on their own bent toward Black Lives Matter, their own bent toward “1619,” their own bent toward Marxist philosophy, when they talk about CRT, they’ll put that spin on it. And so when parents hear this in the schools, white parents are saying, “What are you doing teaching my child this?” Some black parents are raising up, “What are you doing teaching my child this?” Then you have the other side, the teachers unions, saying “We’re going to teach this because we need to teach true history.” Well, the problem is, so much has gotten attached to it and convoluted it, that it is now taking one a whole new life of definition.
So this problem of race, and there’s so much we can talk about, I don’t have time to go to it. I mean, when I started getting on radio, there was a system in place. All the Christian radio stations across the nation, they would not let on a daily black speaker. But not because there was a law, but because there was a system. And that system would not allow for it. And one told me why. He says, “The reason we can’t let on a black speaker daily, is that would offend too many of our white listeners.” Okay, so he gave me some inside scoop. And so we set up a system where we just don’t have room, we don’t have times available, we don’t have … you get these denials. And, of course, God overruled that. But the point is that there were systems in place that weren’t necessarily based on laws and CRT at its root, wants to track how that is showing up today in different ways.
And I’m going to get off through all this stuff…But anyway, that’s some of the things — because now it’s been blown up. I didn’t get into intersectionality, because now all other kinds of things, sexism has gotten attached to it and transgenders gotten attached to it. And now you got critical sex theories and all that, that gets plugged in this critical race theory. So it’s now all over the place. We’re leaving lack of clarity, confusing Christians, Christians across racial lines are divided on this thing. My phone’s blowing up from all over the country: “What are we going to do?” My congregation is divided. I got parents calling me saying that “the black kids or the white kids, we used to play together and not think about it. Now we can’t even have fellowship because we got we got voices coming over here and voices coming over there. And now it’s interfered with our personal relationships and all of that.” That’s because of the iterations have taken one thing, blown it up made it a bigger thing. The bigger thing is confusing, and it has infiltrated now, all or many or most of the sectors of society, including the military. So now everybody talks about critical race, but they don’t know what they talking about because they could be talking about any iteration of critical race, which means they never gonna agree. So that that’s where we are.
Kingdom Race Theory; One New Man; and a Colorblind God
Now, having talked about the problem, where do we go with this? All right, I would like to propose in humility, the Tony Evans theory, and I’m going to call it KRT. Not CRT, KRT. KRT, Kingdom race theology. All right. So let me define Kingdom race theology. I define Kingdom race theology s the reconciled recognition, affirmation, and celebration of the divinely created … ethnic differences through which God displays His multifaceted glory, as His people justly, righteously and responsibly function personally, and corporately, in unity under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. My concern is that we as Christians will spend so much time fighting off a CRT, we don’t get around to KRT.
Now, let me defend my new thing. Go to Ephesians 2. Ephesians 2. And I’ll highlight, I’ll walk through this and hit the high points. “Therefore remember that formally you the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision, by the so called circumcision,” okay? That’s the way the Jews, the circumcision, called the Gentiles. They called them names. They called them the N-word. The Jews, circumcision, would look at a Gentile and call them uncircumcision. Or and sometimes they call them uncircumcised dogs. So it was a demeaning. This is Paul writing the Christians at Ephesus. These are Jews and Gentiles in the same church. And Paul says y’all used to call each other names. You know why they did, cuz that was their history, their background, it was their reality.
Black and White have a history and it included laws and name-calling and oppression. The Jews were privileged. They had benefits that the Gentiles did not possess. But now the Gentiles have entered in. And Paul has to make this point: “Y’all are now Christians, you’re going to the same church. So it’s time for new rules.” Now the words, I know you got your background, I know they used to call you names. I know there was racial division, and there’s a lot of racial issues in the Bible. I know all of that. But let me tell you how we gonna move forward from here.” He says, call the uncircumcision by the so-called circumcision. “Remember that you were at times separated from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth.” But here’s the word beginning of verse 13, “But now…” I know how it was. I know how bad it was. I know they didn’t like you. I know they had benefits you didn’t have. “But now” — he now is going to give a Christo-centric perspective. A kingdom, if you will, -centered perspective. “In Christ you were formerly far off, have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Now watch this. Verse 14: “He himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, broke down the barrier of the dividing wall.” Look at the end of verse 15: “Make the two groups into one new man, thus establishing peace.” Verse 16: “reconcile them both into one body.” Verse 17: “preach peace to you who are far off, you who’ve been isolated, and peace to those who were near” the Jews. Verse 18: “in one spirit to the Father.” Verse 19: no longer strangers, outcasts, second class citizens, aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints of God’s household. Verse 22: “being built together into a dwelling place of God.” My two words are “but now.”
Now, here’s the deal. If you’re spending more time discussing CRT, than you are KRT, that is this, then you’ve been tricked by the world. You should know about it. You should understand it. I’ve tried to give you a brief overview. But no, no, no. He says, No. We got to start now. We got the history. He even says we were name-calling. But now in Christ, there are new rules. And if you will abide by the new rules of Christ, we will create something new. So while they’re fighting out there, we have peace in here. Because we’re operating on one new man. When I drink my coffee, I got black coffee. But I got white cream. I got black coffee, but I got white cream. Well, what I do is, I put white cream in black coffee. When I put white cream in black coffee, I got something new cause what I started with is not how it looks right now. What was white and black is now Brown because I have put something new together, which makes it drinkable for me. God can’t drink what we’re offering Him. Because black people are offering him black. White people are from Him white. And God said you better put some cream up in this coffee.
One new man. We ought to be crafting something new. But let me make sure you understand. God is not colorblind. I know people … “But we need to be colorblind.” No, you don’t. God is not colorblind. Revelation 5:9, Revelation 7:9. John says “I saw people from every nation, every tribe, every kindred and every tongue,” and I could see their differences. God is not colorblind, but He doesn’t want us to be blinded by color. He doesn’t want our hue to define our relationship. We are going to be different. We’re supposed to be different. But he says Christ is supposed to be all in all. So the issue are what are his rules, Kingdom rules that all of us also are supposed to abide by. And he says when you decide to do that, you become part of one new man. Okay?
When an orchestra is warming up and everything, and they warming up and it’s discord, it’s just noise. This instrument’s playing this … it’s just noise, until a conductor comes out. The conductor comes out and he taps down. Everybody gets silent. And now what was noise is now a song. But the instruments aren’t the same. There’s the saxophone, there’s the violin, there’s a piano, all the instruments were as different than as they are now. What’s the difference? The conductor has come out. And once the conductor is coming out, he is controlling what the instruments are playing, even though the instruments are still different, but they’re playing his song.
See, what we’ve got is black and red and yellow and white, playing their own songs. Well, you can do that in the world if you want to still cuss and fuss and fight. But in the Kingdom of God, we playing His song, and we were playing His song, you can use your own racial instrument as long as you’re playing His song. And so what he is saying is, “I am after one new man and in this new man.” The Bible makes it clear racism as we’ve defined it, not racial differences, is to never be tolerated. Okay. But now let’s make sure we understand.
Racial Sensitivities; Giving Room to Correct and Clarify
Because of history, there are racial sensitivities. Okay? I was talking to a gentleman, he was about five years younger than me, Anglo guy. And I was talking to him at the house. And in the conversation, he called me “boy.” Okay. Now there’s a history to “boy” and black people. Okay? For those of you who don’t know that history, goes all the way back where old men will be called boy by kids, because they were black and the kids were white. And so they had the privilege of demeaning an older man. So there’s a history. So when he said, “boy,” I felt that, I felt that, okay. Cause there’s history to the term. So I felt that, and I’m debating now. “Do I say something? And do I sound like a Christian when I say it?” “Do I say something?” No, just kidding. Now, a few minutes later, another guy comes in, who’s like my age, who’s white? And he called him boy. When he when he called him boy, it changed how I looked at him. I looked at him one way cuz I just heard boy. But when I saw him do that to his own race who was my age, then I concluded with “This is evidently how he talks.” But because I had sensitivity that I didn’t have clarity on, I reacted out of my sensitivity. When blacks, whites, reds, yellow come together, they come together with the sensitivity. The reason why we have a talk with our boys, “the talk,” is because of sensitivities. When a police comes up behind me, I’ve had experiences of being pulled over being asked, “Why are you in this neighborhood?” So that creates a sensitivity. And when I know how some might feel toward African Americans, that sensitivity is at a higher level. Now that police may not be racist. He may be as scared of me as I am of him. Okay? … But the sensitivities are there.
That’s why, at least in the Body of Christ, and our racial commitment to each other has to, through the Bible, give deference to people creating the opportunity to either correct or to clarify. Because when you don’t do that, you could be passing illegitimate judgment. Okay. Some people do what they do because of the system they’re in, not because of the person they are. But if you take the system and put the system on top of the person, you may be letting a system judge a person when the person is not agreeing with the system. And unless that exists, at least within the church, within the Body of Christ, we will not have the kind of impact and influence that God wants us to have. Paul corrected Peter, when Peter was a racist. God corrected Miriam when she objected to Moses marrying a black wife. When Moses married a black wife, God turned Miriam white, because of her rebellion against a God-ordained, a God-authorized relationship. So God judges sin. So sin of racism should not be skipped, it should be judged. But it must always be done with the biblical principle of love. Where we give the opportunity to correct or to clarify, so that we come with an understanding.
Tell History and Tell the Truth
The Church of Jesus Christ right now is a bad testimony to the healing that needs to occur in our country and in our culture. Well, that may be true out there, but it won’t be true at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship. Because we are one new man. Okay. And the white person or the Indian person, or because we’re predominantly African American, or the Hispanic person, is to be given as much value, as much significance as much embracing as you would do a black brother or black sister. Why? Here’s why: Because I’m crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Yet not I. It’s Christ who lives in me. The life which I now live, I live by faith as a son of God.
Here’s the principle: We when your race trumps God’s Word, you have made your race an idol. When your race trumps God’s Word, you’ve made your race and idol. And God rejects idolatry. Okay? Whether it’s white privilege idolatry, or whether it’s black overreaction idolatry, like the movement, Black Lives Matter. Not the emphasis, but the movement, that becomes idolatry, okay? And so when you have idolatry, God rejects it.
But now this thing is all over the place. It’s now in politics, it’s now in all kinds of division, is all in now in, in social arenas, education arenas, and it may not be able to be fixed out there. I don’t know. They tried, but they don’t agree. So when you don’t agree — can two walk together unless they agree? The Bible says no. Our key is to agree in here and let it be known what our agreement is out there. To stick with God’s standard. To tell history and tell the truth. You don’t marginalize it. You don’t whitewash it. You tell the truth, the whole truth. You know, slavery was horrible. And then Jim Crow, you got 4,500 men who were slaughtered. You got Black Wall Street, who was burned doww. You got Rosewood, a whole town that was burned down simply for illegitimate racial reasons. You go on and on and on. You don’t skip those stories. You don’t pretend like they’re not in history, but you must move forward to one new man. Okay. So that’s where we are going. That’s where God calls us to go. And I’m tired right now. So I’m gonna stop.
