Ethnic Gnosticsm

I just finished listening the today’s (February 2, 2012) The Dividing Line in which Dr. James White interviewd Dr. Voddie Baucham. The interview centered mostly about the fallout pertaining ER2, especially the discussions afterwards in which certain Black Pastors and James MacDonald insinuated that charges of heresy against T.D. Jakes were actually racist and that Black Reformed Pastors and Theologians who also raised into question the theological soundness of T.D. Jakes were doing that to ingratiate themselves in with the White Middle Class Reformed leaders in order to be accepted into their circles, et cetera. Dr. White mentioned in the interview that some had even charged that he had no right to question the theology of T.D. Jakes because he no ability to understand his “Black” experience. Dr. Baucham is a Black Southern Baptist Pastor from the Houston, TX area and is Reformed in his Theology. He has lectured in Seminaries and has pastored several churches. During the discussion it was made clear that Dr. Baucham considered what went on in ER2 and the discussions that followed to be a trap and many fell into that trap. Those who set the trap are assured that they will succeed in capturing the hearts of most professing Christians through the emotional response based in what he called “Ethnic Gnosticism.” This form of Gnosticism states that those of a certain ethnicity can claim to have an experience within it that those of another ethnicity cannot understand or have. However, the human group “experience” we can all have, but no one can share across ethnic boundaries. That is the lie from the enemy and when it is applied to Religion, and man-centered Christianity is not immune, it can be deadly. I suggest you listen to that episode of The Dividing Line if you can. Dr. Baucham is our brother in Christ and he made it clear and Dr. White agreed that the Gospel cannot be divided up into ethnicity nor is there room for Ethnic Gnosticism in the Church.

Soli Deo Gloria!