This morning in a Zoom teleconference, Voddie Baucham addressed about 80 men on matters of race and the Black Lives Matter movement. Most of those in attendance were men in the ministry and residing in South Africa.

What Dr. Baucham said was wise, humble, and insightful, so I want to summarize the main ideas of his talk below. I typed as he spoke and got the crucial points. I’ll follow this with a sentence or two of my own in red.

1. On his testimony – He had a tough upbringing. He grew up unchurched in southern Los Angeles with a single mom that later became a Buddhist, an absentee father that later became a drug addict, and an atmosphere that was permeated with drugs and gangs. Since his conversion he has pastored churches, authored books, and adopted seven black children besides two of his own. For more about Voddie, look here.
2. On his early Christian life –  Even after conversion, for a time he still heavily promoted Malcom X, MLK (who was admittedly a philanderer but also did good for the civil rights movement), etc. Growth in the Christian life takes time. Patience.
3. On Woke Theology – He did his dissertation on the Nation of Islam. The term “woke” actually comes from the Nation of Islam and the Black Power Movement. Even Eric Mason recognizes this in his book Woke Church. To “wake” is to emerge from sleep. To be “woke” is arising from ignorant stupor to realize the systematic racism in America. It says society as a whole has been constructed upon principles that discriminate against blacks. Some pastors boast in their wokeness. Other pastors see this as foolish. 
4. On Marxism – Karl Marx wanted a bloody revolution that pushed for class and economic redistribution. Marx saw everything through power dynamics. Thus, today you can see a Black Power dynamic. Which is why Colin Kaepernick says to George Floyd, not Rest in Peace, but Rest in POWER. 
5. On Cultural Marxism – Gramsci wanted a silent revolution, a cultural revolution. Also known as the “Frankfurt School”, it schemed to promote communism by destroying Western moral principles and traditional institutions. It was Marx + Lenin, or really, Marx + Freud. Gramsci, the Father of Cultural Marxism, wanted to use media and the universities to wage a sexual revolution. 
6. On the Black Lives Matter’s Beliefs Statement – He went line by line through this statement, showing how much of it comes directly from Malcom X and the Black Power Movement. The statement is feminist and 100% Cultural Marxism. Money to BLM goes to Act Blue, which supports leftist, liberal candidates for office. The statement also promotes sodomy, transgenderism, and other abominations. 
7. On the biggest crime cities in America – Each of the largest havens of crime and murder in the US are liberal and democratic. Check out this short video that agrees.
8. On Planned Parenthood – The founder, Margaret Sanger, believed in eugenics. This idea seeks to control the breeding of certain races. For her, it meant blacks. About 80% of PP clinics are in black areas. Abortion is the #1 cause of death among blacks in America. Let’s just call it what it is: black genocide. And yet, BLM and even some Reformed Christians say the phrase “All Lives Matter” is inconsiderate.
9. On “listening” – A godless ideology controls the narrative. It says “you’re not listening” or “it’s racist not to listen to blacks.” But what about black conservatives? Why isn’t it racist not to listen to them? Here are two resources from a black conservative you should start listening to today.
10. On BLM in one sentence – “‘Black Lives Matter’ is antithetical to the Christian message.” That’s a direct quote.
11. On the slam dunk Berkley article – Everyone should read this article. This article deftly shows the absurdity of the BLM and social justice movement. For example, consistency shows the criminal justice system isn’t anti-black, but anti-male.
12. On cop killings – The narrative says white cops are hunting down blacks. Not true. First, the accountability police in America have is amazing. They have dash cams, and body cams and if they shield either one they’re fired. Second, stats don’t support the racist narrative. In 2019, 35 unarmed people were killed by police. Nine were black and every one of the nine were in commission of a felony. “Some things are believed because they are demonstrably true, but many other things are believed simply because they have been asserted repeatedly.” Thomas Sowell
13. On Trayvon Martin – This young man wasn’t killed by the police. George Zimmerman, who was acquitted by a jury, was not white either. His mother was Afro-Peruvian. A thoughtful Christian overview of that case can be found here. 
14. On the first black US president – Obama had a white mother and a Kenyan father. He’s a bi-ethnic president. Why is he considered black and not white? This comes from the old, racist one-drop rule which said whites were pure and if a white person had one drop of black blood in them, they therefore had to be considered black. “And hath made of one blood all nations of men…” (Ac 17:26).
15. On Michael Brown – Though Brown was killed by a white police officer, all the evidence says he was innocent; the jury did not indict the cop. Moreover, the police chief was black and the attorney general was black too. In this case, Thomas Sowell encourages us to distinguish opinions and facts. 
16. On George Floyd – What do people want? The cop was arrested, as he should have been. This is justice. What more can you ask for? The police involved were Asian, black, and white. The police chief is black. The definition of lynching is a mob killing someone for an alleged offense without a trial. 
17. On what Christian compassion should look like – Biblical compassion is saying, “Here I am. Let me walk with you.” It is weeping with those that are weeping. It is listening. But it’s not chasing ghosts. It’s not empathizing with lies or false victims. If I broke my leg but I want my arm fixed, compassion isn’t tending to the arm. Now this doesn’t mean blacks aren’t really scared around cops, when seeing the lights and so forth. But there are many reasons for this fear, and some may not be legitimate.
18. On Social Justice – Biblical justice and social justice are not the same. SJ is about outcome. The 1971 Disparate Impact Statute was different than the Civil Rights Acts of 1964. The former was not real racism but perceived racism. It was stacking the deck. If there is not a racial balance, it is racism. But what about the disparities of short/tall in the NBA? Whites/blacks in the NFL? So this system is very selective. Here’s one Social Justice definition. Incidentally, conservatives differ on the merits of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Walter Williams thinks it was a mistake. Shelby Steele thinks it was among the greatest pieces of legislation ever written. 
19. On stats – The stats say blacks are more likely to be shot. Ok, yes. But blacks are more likely to shoot cops. And blacks commit about 50% of violent crimes. The media is shaping a dishonest narrative. We must teach our children and churches to see the truth here. The gospel can fix real racism, but it cannot change disparate impact. Another helpful video.
20. On unions – The irony is that the liberals that hate cops are the ones that promote unions that make it almost impossible to fire or even charge cops (similar to teacher’s unions as well). Conservatives are the ones that want to break up the unions.
21. On false accusations – Many have claimed to be victims of police brutality that actually weren’t. They felt like a victim. But dash cams have shown the police to be in the right and the accusers had to go back and apologize. Like this and this. 
22. On the consequences of sinful living – Michael Brown and George Floyd lived sinful lives. There are lessons to be learned here. Now we’re putting Floyd on t-shirts.
23. On one-way compassion – What about the unarmed whites that were killed by cops? There were twenty-six in 2019 and no-one knows their names. Everyone knows the names of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown and George Floyd.
24. On black pastors that don’t get enough empathy from their white congregation – Repent! Blacks have to live the Christian life just like everyone else. Forgive. Love. Live for Christ. You don’t need approval from others. Your worth comes from Christ.
25. On how whites can show greater respect to blacks – We need to get away from the white/black divide. Just treat them like your brother and sister in Christ. Sometimes you need to give them empathy and other times a rebuke. “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (Pr 17:17).
26. On addressing just white/black issues – There are  other races and cultures out there being forgotten. I lived in Houston, the most ethnically diverse place in the US. There is pain in other racial groups too. For example, there are over a million Indians in South Africa, Durban being the largest Indian city outside of India. 
27. On how pastors should address these issues – Don’t be simplistic. There are many other factors at play than just race. For example, those that grow up without a father are several times more likely to drop out of school, land in jail, etc. So disparities are not just about race. Moreover, when a group of 13-year-old girls were surveyed, 9% of whites said they have had sex, and 21% of blacks said they have had sex. That is telling. So there are many issues in play. Address them all. See Doug Wilson’s take on Father Hunger and Future Men.
28. On how to fix racism – Blacking out your screen and hash tagging #Black Lives Matter doesn’t do anything to help blacks. Men of God must preach about the dangers of sexual immorality and fatherlessness. Stop preaching about things we can’t change and start preaching where we can help. In the end,, it is the gospel of Jesus Christ that breaks down the dividing wall of hostility (Eph 2:14). Only this can ultimately bring peace between men. 
29. On Ethnic Gnosticism – EG basically says whites need to shut up and listen because there are some things only blacks can understand. Supposedly, blacks have some truths that whites don’t. A black may not be served immediately at a restaurant and he says: “It’s because of racism. I know! Don’t try to understand.” This is nothing more than postmodernism. This says truth is found in the individual and is not objective. The religious mysticism of Gnosticism (a first century heresy) urged a kind of special knowledge by imploring people to find light within one’s soul. Since only some had this form of elevated knowledge, man’s thinking became the judge of Scripture, rather than the other way around.  
30. On the link between racism and Darwinian Evolution – DE is racist. This is the majority position. It teaches different races came by evolution. Blacks came from bigger apes (more athletic, less smart), whites came from smaller chimps (less athletic, smarter), and the Asians and so forth. But if this is the case, then racial differences are real and can’t be changed. Nazism was rooted in racist Darwinian evolution. According to Scripture, only one biological race exists. Ken Ham with Answers in Genesis doesn’t even like the term race. 
31. On the link between racism and government schools – Real racism teaches certain genetics are inferior to others. Faux racism is the victim mentality. Real racism is taught through Darwinian evolution in the public schools. Parents, if you choose to send your kids to a government school, you better know what you’re up against.
32. On how seminaries can better teach their students – So much training is rooted in white guilt today. Since the SBC has a history of racism, they are constantly apologizing and bending over backwards for blacks. What we must do is foster genuine relationships with one another. Logic used to be a staple course in nearly every orthodox seminary of the past. Is its wholesale absence today a reason for such poor thinking among pastors on racial issues?
33. On reliable sources regarding race and social justice – Read Thomas Sowell, John McWhorter, and Douglas Murray’s The Madness of the Crowds. Sowell really is the gold standard when it comes to conservative views on race and culture. Two good introductory books by Sowell are Race and Culture and Black Rednecks and White Liberals. You can also read his articles online here. John Piper wrote a book on racism too. Sovereign Nations is helpful. So are pastors like James White and Doug Wilson.
34. On addressing sins of a culture without sounding racist – Preachers today are too focused on being “helpful” instead of being “truthful”. You’ll be dismissed by the world if you don’t grovel, don’t qualify or do not offer a thousand qualifications. You instead must say something not so truthful but say it as helpful. People will more easily swallow this lie. Men, what are we doing? Don’t you realize you will never satisfy certain people? Be right with the Lord and be honest. Tell the truth. “The fear of man bringeth a snare” (Pr 29:25).
35. On “white privilege” –  We mustn’t allow unbelievers to define justice. We must be wise and serpents and harmless as doves. “Privilege” is used pejoratively today on what Scripture calls a “blessing”. In Whitefield’s biography, Dallimore shows how the great evangelist’s lineage was loaded with highly educated Oxford grads and men and women with extraordinary gifts. “It was manifestly by means of this ancestry that God prepared the man whom He was raising up as a prime instrument in the eighteenth-century Revival.”