Voddie Baucham explains “Ethnic Gnosticism” | WRETCHED

today's special word is ah you know roll it fellas this is earnest i'm gonna die give me a hug here we're gonna love this hello and welcome to wretched my name is todd friel i am your host the wretch the song refers to ain't nothing new under the sun but occasionally an old a bad idea has a bit of a new twist the colossian church battling a heresy known as gnosticism from the greek word gnosis special knowledge that if you are in the inside group you've got the inside scoop you know what's really going on and you know what people are thinking that was 2 000 years ago throughout church history that little heresy known as gnosticism has raised its ugly little head most recently it's been delivered with a bit of a spin dr vody backham helping us to understand an ancient term with a twist a term that he has coined ethnic gnosticism i used that phrase ethnic gnosticism to sort of explain the phenomenon of people believing that somehow because of one's ethnicity that one is able to know when something is racist i remember back in the 90s i think there was a saying it's a black thing you wouldn't understand right and the idea is that you know if i go to a restaurant and i sit down at the restaurant and somebody looks at me a certain way or if i'm shopping in a store and the clerk looks at me a certain way or if i'm pulled over by a police officer and the police officer addresses me in a certain way i know when it's racism and you can't tell me it's not and even if you do or say something to me i know if it's racism and you can't tell me it's not and in fact if you do something or say something to me and i know that it's racism and then you come back and say well no that's not what i meant that's just your privilege speaking because according to the concept of white privilege you don't know what you don't know no doubt you have heard that lingo used either on the streets or on social media you don't know what you don't know but i do know what you don't know about yourself these ideas do not come out of a vacuum they tend to be birthed someplace usually a university setting where they are fostered and they are nurtured and they are refined and then they hit the streets and you and i must deal with a philosophy a worldview that is anti-biblical it is rooted i would argue in cultural marxism that reduces everything to race class sex and gender that excuse me that divides people up not like classical marxism that divides people up into the bourgeois and the proletariat between the haves and the have-nots between those who who control means of production and those who don't control means of production but in cultural marxism you divide the world between those who establish and benefit from the cultural hegemony and everyone else who is oppressed by it because for one reason or another they are not part of that dominant group if you happen to be in a particular group the oppressed minority or even the oppressed majority you have special knowledge that nobody else can possess there is at least one problem with that the bible says my heart is so deceitful and wicked i can't even know what i'm thinking let alone what's going on between your ears second problem it sets up this particular sin of racism as one that is so deep it is so profound it is so unknowable and it is so yikes unforgivable you are a racist bigot homophobic transphobic everything else phobic person that you could possibly believe possibly be whether you're aware of it or not whether you belong to christ or you don't because apparently christ can transform us and deal with all other sorts of sins but this one this one somehow evades the cross and all people whether they're christian or not are still suffering from this one needless to say that would be just a little bit of a problem last time i read first corinthians 6 9 through 11 paul delivers a laundry list o sins for which people have been forgiven nowhere do we see an asterisk that says all of these gone gone gone because of the work of jesus but not racism actually paul very specifically discusses the subject of racism twice and he makes it very very clear that this is a sin that can be overcome because of the unity that we have in jesus christ ethnic gnosticism as a secular worldview will do ultimately undermines the gospel anytime you hear a phrase that hits the street it becomes popularized and then gets imported into the church which it almost always does ask yourself the question from whence did this word come what world view does it represent because when a term is popularized in culture it is almost certain it didn't come from the bible if and you think this particular subject really doesn't have anything to do with you we will test that theory next on wretched growing up in a small village in western ukraine katya was raised by her mother and grandmother because well she didn't know who her father was nor did her five siblings at 14. she and her sister went to a tomorrow club camp she heard about god's love for her for the first time at 16 she got saved at 21 she is now a tomorrow club leader with her four sisters wow please consider supporting your own tomorrow club at tomorrowclub.org wretched welcome back to a wretched be warned you're about to be tricked dr vody backham explaining a term that he has coined ethnic gnosticism the idea that a particular ethnicity because of their oppressed status and skin color can actually know what's going on in the heart of the oppressor group of a different skin color now if you're thinking i don't know that this actually happens and i certainly know that i don't ever think like that don't be so sure with our children the other day and um you know walking with the seven youngest children and my you know looks at them and seeing them before and talking about how big they're getting and you know asked you they they play in sports and uh i said no actually they're they're they're all musicians they're all really concentrating on music right now i'm not doing any sort these videos looks like you ought to have a basketball team now i say that and i see some of you shaking your heads right because you're thinking stereotype right you're thinking it's racist right it was a black family member now let me ask you the next question why is it that a black family member can say that to me and it's not racist but if a white person said it to me do you see what i'm saying ouch did you get tagged by that ethnic gnosticism because of stereotyping perceived or otherwise it actually can infect all of us what are the problems with this ideology which is not biblical well that's obviously the first problem it's not biblical but there are even more problems with the understanding or belief that one people group can know the hearts of an entire other people group this this idea that you don't know what you don't know and and don't tell me because i know don't try to explain yourself because i know i talked about it earlier people who have been for decades serving their communities loving their brothers and sisters who all of a sudden run into the religion of racialism it's like i i don't i don't care about that i don't i don't care about that i don't care that you have been marching at abortion clinics for two decades because of the slaughter of black babies i want to know how sorry you are about the latest issue is racism a sin of course it is a sin is racism an unpardonable sin absolutely not and yet ethnic gnosticism along with other secular ideologies would have us believe no matter how faithful you have been as a christian no matter how much work you have done for the kingdom unless you demonstrate some form of contrition that meets our standard you might not even be a believer essentially what's happening in many circles is that there are people who regardless of what it is that they've done regardless of who it is that they've been if they slip up on one of these issues you quote the wrong person you come down on the wrong side of an issue and all of a sudden the rest of your life doesn't matter you just proved that all of that was a lie because you my friend are a racist and racism is the new unpardonable sin [Music] racism most certainly a sin but it is not unpardonable consider the worldview of secularism contrasted with biblical christianity on this issue alone i would ask which worldview is nicer i'm not even asking which one is true let's just for a second say that both are true which one is nicer secularism says if you commit that sin despite the totality of the rest of your life it counts for nothing and you are cancelled biblical christianity says we understand you're a sinner because you're born in sin in iniquity did your mother conceive you and you are infected with the same sins the rest of us are but there is mercy at the cross and ultimately an individual who has have a past life of sinning even the sin of racism can be forgiven can be restored and can even do good work for the kingdom what does our current cancel culture say nope no matter what you've done if you have committed this one sin remember the bible identifies racism as a sin but not as a sin above all other sins secular humanism says you are absolutely canceled you are out of here and that is why we see so many statues being removed martin luther king a serial adulterer who denied essential tenets of the christian faith we have people who are now arguing no he was okay that edwards though schools unnaming things that were named for jonathan edwards why because he owned slaves and that is an unpardonable sin and that is but one deficiency of ethnic gnosticism but there are more next on wretched herman mutix is the art and science of interpreting scripture when reading the bible begin with these three questions what does it say what does it mean what difference does it make many common mistakes can be avoided with basic per minute is moderate to severe bad theology taking over your life i used to refer to god as daddy making everyone uncomfortable then i discovered wretched.org don't be that guy visit wretched.org today this is a wonderful medishare story of a pastor and his wife who were given the gift of a child who suffered a severe stroke 10 hours after being born was airlifted to a hospital not knowing if she would survive dad called medishare and every time had peace medishare is affordable biblical health sharing mary grace is now two years old she is doing just fine and maybe just maybe it is time for you to join the medishare family [Music] welcome back to our wretched there is much we can learn from the world usually how not to do stuff right now our culture it is dealing with racial issues are we aware of these subjects certainly do we care if people are oppressed obviously we do we're christians but should we allow their ideologies their identifications their monikers and their solutions to what they believe our problems to be imported into the church that should be the preeminent concern of the believer not what is going on in the world oh we care but we care far more about what god cares about he is not building earthly kingdoms he's building a church and you and i are to be those who defend the truth and anytime a secular ideology gets introduced to the church we need to stop and ask um it's knocking at the door but should we open it up and let it in this brand of self-flagellation has become the new form of enlightenment on race issues it qualifies as a kind of worship the parallels with christianity are almost uncannily rich white privilege is the secular white person's original sin present at birth and ultimately inerratical one does one's penance by endlessly attesting to this privilege in hope of some kind of forgiveness this new cult of atonement is less about black people than white people that's the great irony 50 years ago a white person learning about the race problem came away asking how can i help today the same person too often comes away asking how can i show that i'm a moral person another problem is that i'm not sure that today's educated whites quite understand how unattainable the absolution they are seeking is you'll never be sorry enough we have gone from most whites being unaware that racism was a problem for black people at all to whites being chilled to their bones at the possibility of harboring racism in their souls terrified at the prospect of being singled out as a heretic and forgetting that the indulgences they purchase and the praying they do for their souls has more to do with them than with anyone black that is the problem of importing secular ideologies into the church they're contra-biblical the world these days has morality it doesn't come from the bible it comes from experience it comes from academia where we redefine what is right what is good what is just what is cruel and then that secular ideology with their own version of their own ten commandments imposes it on culture and then informs them you're guilty of all of these crimes and sorry boo hoo for you there is no forgiveness that is precisely what we hear in the conversations that are taking place in our culture that people right or wrong that are being identified as being racist because of their skin color and when they try to defend themselves saying no no no that's not what i meant another group of people because of their skin color can say see well that just proves how racist you actually are you don't know you're actually racist what sort of kindness is offered in that worldview what sort of empathy is given what sort of forgiveness is offered answer none none and none and that is why christians need to shut the door on secular ideologies right as i say that somebody said so we're supposed to shut the door on people who are hurting or on people who are genuinely oppressed don't recall saying that i do believe though we need to shut the door on bad thinking on secular ideologies if for no other reason then we're trading in the greater for the lesser should we as a church be engaged in cultural conversations about social issues like racism yeah why wouldn't we be but we need to be doing it biblically and that means we're going to sound different we're not going to talk the same way we won't even have the same tone we won't be on page with what they are writing in scripts in academia we are going to offer something so much what's the word i'm looking for better let us engage on these issues but let us reject secular ideologies that in this instance come from an ancient heresy known as gnosticism reject it not because we want to sound like a cable news show and i'm right and you're wrong and i'm going to sing you and slam you and i'm going to smack you with a slogan proven how right i am no but because we can offer something better are people racist yes and if you don't like the idea that an oppressed people group can be racist because of their status or skin color fine let's remove the word racist what does the bible say about the heart that has animosity towards somebody else for any reason it's called sin don't like racism as a label fine by me but it is sin when we disparage or dislike another person simply because of their skin color what does the bible offer the sinner who thinks that way the bible offers forgiveness in the lord jesus christ who not only wipes the racial slate clean not that we become color blind but brings us together in unity no longer divided among those who have knowledge that is the inside group and you're the outsider the oppressor and the oppressed black and white gone gone gone all gone in christ that is the christian's message that is the christian solution to the subject of racism let us engage but let us reject secular and lesser ideologies and proclaim the greater and the true the gospel surprise next on wretched every day countless women feel pressure from a loved one or from a society that tells them what is in their womb is not their own child until they visit a pre-born center a 28 ultrasound shows a mommy what is in her womb is her own child and 80 percent of the time she chooses life please save a life at preborn.org wretched no sin so affects the body including the mind and the emotions like the sin of sexual sin which is running rampant on university campuses and in teenagers computers is it any wonder so many young people feel a burden of shame and guilt and are ultimately depressed and even considering suicide would you please consider getting as many copies as you can of 13 reasons why you should not commit suicide and 13 reasons why you should live to give it to somebody who is feeling the burden of their own sin at wretched.org 13. for the christian there is no more tragic image than empty pews in empty churches because there are so many empty pulpits the masters academy international is changing that filling pulpits with men who can rightly divide the word of truth which then fills up pews and fills up churches please adopt an international seminary with the masters academy international wretched.org slash pastor welcome back to a wretched surprise oh boy a story from dr vody pockham i went to school at the university of oxford in england some people think i went to oxford because i'm pretentious um but i did the last year of my dman at southeastern as the first year of the d phil at oxford um not i didn't just want to get a second doctoral degree it wasn't that just not a glutton for whatever uh but but why oxford do you know one of the main reasons that i did that is because if i left the united states and went to a school in the uk no one could accuse the institution of granting me my degree because of tokenism or affirmative action i was sick and tired of the assumptions that people make because of this attitude that says your skin color makes you the weaker brother and we have to lower the standard for you ouch have you ever considered affirmative action from his standpoint the idea that a particular people group need help of another people group because why what is the assumption that they can't do it themselves that they aren't smart enough capable enough isn't that ironic don't want to commit the same crime and say that everybody who believes in affirmative action has some form of racism or condescending attitude that says that people group is not qualified or able to help themselves don't want to do that but you kind of can't help but wonder what's behind that ideology until tomorrow go serve your king to stephen aymonds you're the winner of today's free download snatch them from the flames you could win free stuff too if you sign up for the free wretched newsletter at wretched.org wretched amazing grace

Channel: Wretched

Views: 23,410

Keywords: Todd Friel, Wretched TV, Wretched Radio, Evangelism, Gospel, Christian, Jesus, Theology, Bible, Christianmedia, Witnessing, Religion, Preaching, God, Teaching, Media, Openair

Id: 9Vf_Y6DJHxY

Length: 28min 30sec (1710 seconds)

Published: Sat May 29 2021