If you have been on Christian Twitter, you may have noticed a gradual division among believers concerning race and social justice. In the wake of George Floyd’s death and the riots that rocked the US for months, believers have become more and more polarized on these issues. Christians are divided into two major camps, and there seems to be no common ground between the two. So in his new book, Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe, Voddie Baucham tackles the Social Justice Movement and explains why it divides Christians.
This book is not about avoiding catastrophe. It has already happened, and we are already feeling the repercussions in the evangelical world. Rather, the book informs Christians on the ideologies behind the Social Justice Movement, and how it is antithetical to the gospel. Baucham’s wants to equip believers so they can make the right decision.
He says, “The goal of this book is not to avoid the looming trouble. In fact, I believe that to be neither possible nor desirable. The trouble has arrived. It will not go away any time soon, and the division is causing is necessary…I am writing to clearly identify the two sides of the fault line and to urge the reader to choose wisely.”
According to Baucham, the two sides of this fault line comprise those who adhere to the Critical Social Justice view and those who adhere to the biblical justice view. And yes, Baucham doesn’t shy from naming prominent evangelicals and organizations who fall in either camp.
The book has eleven chapters. In the first two chapters, Baucham shares how he was raised by a teenage single mother, how he became a Christian and a big name in the evangelical world. In chapters three to six, Baucham exposes false narratives of the social justice movement and how it is becoming a new religion with its own canon and priesthood. Chapters seven to nine explain the damage and aftereffects of the Social Justice Movement on the church and culture. And chapters ten and eleven show how Christians can combat the Social Justice Movement using biblical principles.
I found Fault Lines fascinating and highly informative. I have wanted to understand the origins of CRT and the Social Justice Movement and Baucham explains it superbly. He also exposes all the underlying anti-biblical ideologies of the social justice movement that unsuspecting Christians may not know. Baucham has done extensive research on the topic, and I appreciated the multitude of references for further studies. Furthermore, the book is easy to read and not heavily academic. I also enjoyed learning more about Voddie Baucham’s life since he is one of my favorite preachers.
With that being said, I had a few minor issues with Fault Lines
First, it had very little biblical exposition. Considering Voddie Baucham’s caliber, I expected his book to be saturated with biblical rebuttals to the social justice movement. Baucham uses Scripture every now and then, but it isn’t as deep as I hoped. This book is more of a critique of the social justice movement with a Christian emphasis rather than a thorough biblical refutation. There is nothing wrong with that; it is just not what I expected.
Second, I thought Baucham was a bit too harsh towards some of the names on the other side of the fault line. And I say this as someone who follows Baucham’s ministry much more than all the other names mentioned.
And third, this book didn’t answer my most pressing question: Why is the Social Justice Movement supposedly the greatest threat to the gospel. I understand why CRT and wokeness are detrimental to the world in general. However, I still don’t get why it is so much more dangerous than other false gospels in existence. The book addresses the effect of CRT and the social justice movement on culture and American politics much more than the church. I would have liked to see more concrete examples of its effect on the church.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading Fault Lines, and I highly recommend it (though I think it is a bit overhyped). It is an excellent book for our time and it will help Christians understand the social justice movement and how to respond to it.
