On Tuesday, May 23, respected Christian thought leaders discussed critical issues facing Christians in the church pews and in the public square today, in a forum titled “CRT/ESG/DEI and Its Impact in the Church and Marketplace.”
The engaging panel was moderated by Adele Malpass, president of the Daily Caller News Foundation, and featured panelists John Cooper (host of “Cooper Stuff” and musician at Skillet), Star Parker (founder and president of Center for Urban Renewal and Education), Jeremy Tedesco (senior vice president of Corporate Engagement at Alliance Defending Freedom), and Dr. Eric Wallace (co-founder and president of Freedom’s Journal Institute).
As pernicious ideologies elevating false ideals for morality and social responsibility continue to grow in popularity, it has become all the more necessary for Christians to learn about their dangerous implications and how to respond to them. Panelists weighed in on how dangerous ideological currents have become mainstream and what Christians can do about it.
Cooper challenged attendees, saying, “We have to return to the moral order of our religious heritage because God’s way works.”
“If we seek Christian leaders, we will change our country and our culture,” said Parker.
“[Martin Luther King] wanted repentance and revival. The social justice movement took hold of that rein and moved us into this arena of revenge and reparations which means that they are going to do everything they can to destroy the original intent of this country which is rooted in Christianity, capitalism, and a rule of law outlined in the Constitution.” ‘
Tedesco reminded, “We’re in the position we’re in because we kind of hit the ‘escape’ button on engaging corporations for decades. We thought businesses would never cede to the demands of political activists on the left—we were wrong. So now it’s very entrenched, but there is a path forward.”
Wallace encouraged listeners to “find out who God has made us to be and go out there and live it” rather than surrendering to secular ideals of “equity.”
“There is no such thing as equity, coming out exactly the same,” Wallace explained. “We just saw this in the basketball game—LeBron James is not Michael Jordan. Not everybody can be the quarterback, not everyone can be the running back. We even have differences in our own home . . . We forget there is a Creator who created us and made us a particular way and gave us some proclivities to do certain things.”
The Forum was sponsored by MyFaithVotes and The Essential Church, and was part of the NRB Forum series presented live at the annual NRB International Christian Media Convention. To learn more about the NRB convention, click here.
