By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor
BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – Randy Trahan, a tenured 24-year professor with the Paul M. Hebert Law School at Louisiana State University, has publicly denounced Critical Race Theory as a threat to society at large and warned of the risk it poses to evangelicals.
Trahan, a member of Woodlawn Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, described himself as an active advocate for Black civil rights, especially as a member of the admissions committee for the LSU law school, and, a former supporter of Critical Theory (the foundation for Critical Race Theory).
Trahan decried Critical Race Theory for what he said was its assault on the “sufficiency of Scripture” — a critical doctrine that says “Scripture itself is supposed to be the sole and final authority to which nothing needs to be added nor may be added” in understanding the human condition and God’s desire for moral behavior. He also dismissed criticisms that this doctrine is “too narrow” — that it does not allow for general revelation (learning that can be achieved though nature, specifically by observing human nature). He said that these criticisms simply are strawmen arguments to justify what adherents purport are observations about human society. Trahan argued that in this regard, Critical Race Theory is no different than Marxism and liberation theology, both of which make moral judgments apart from the guidance of Scripture about humanity.
Trahan published his remarks in a six-part video series produced by Travis McNeely, student and college pastor with Woodlawn. The topics cover a general introduction of Trahan and the crisis, the basics of Critical Race Theory, nine problems with Critical Race Theory, where Critical Race Theory is appearing in evangelical circles, Critical Race Theory as a new analytical tool in the Southern Baptist Convention, and, a call for Christians to stand on the doctrine of sufficiency of Scripture.
McNeely said he pursued the project because “in recent years Critical Race Theory has been syncretized, or mixed into evangelicalism” and that he wanted to warn pastors and laypeople about the dangers of this concept that many might not know exists. He said that evangelicals seeking to understand the controversy would benefit from the personal knowledge of Trahan who had been deeply immersed in this ideology.
McNeely told the Baptist Message the videos have garnered 8,500 views since they were posted on YouTube in November. The next phase of the project he plans to pursue is the development of a discussion guide to accompany the videos.
Readers interested in learning more about Critical Race Theory can access the videos via www.youtube.com/TravisMcNeely.
