Josh McDowell speaks at Talbot Chapel at Biola University in California
Posted on 09/23/2021 6:20:04 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Josh McDowell speaks at Talbot Chapel at Biola University in California
Prominent Christian author and apologist Josh McDowell announced that he will step away from his ministry work and speaking events for the time being after making controversial remarks about minorities and education.
In a statement posted Wednesday afternoon to his Twitter account, the 82-year-old said that the backlash from his recent comments at the American Association of Christian Counselors conference on Saturday led him to conclude that he had to step away from his ministry efforts for a time.
"It has become clear to me, along with Cru leadership, that I need to step back from my ministry and speaking engagements to enter a season of listening and addressing the growth areas that I have become aware of through this," stated McDowell, who has authored and co-authored over 150 books.
"During this time of meeting with others and learning, I hope to personally grow and better understand how I can help contribute to the reconciliation and unity that God desires for us all."
McDowell added that his organization, Josh McDowell Ministry, will continue to operate, but its daily work will be overseen by CEO Duane Zook.
While speaking at the conference, he criticized critical race theory. McDowell claimed that many African American and other racial minority families do not emphasize the importance of education to their children.
"I do not believe blacks, African Americans, and many other minorities have equal opportunity. Why? Most of them grew up in families where there is not a big emphasis on education," stated McDowell at the weekend gathering.
"You can change the world. If you work hard, you will make it. So many African Americans don't have those privileges like I was brought up with."
In his statement Wednesday, McDowell called his remarks "wrong" and caused "deep pain."
Central Baptist College Professor Aaron New was among those outraged by the comments, taking to Twitter to note that he was "kinda stunned" by McDowell's remarks.
"Apparently he also claims 'social justice is our next epidemic,'" tweeted New. "[McDowell, can] you confirm and/or explain? Because this is […] absolutely horrible."
"I'm not anyone of much significance. So he doesn't owe *me* anything," he added. "But I do think [McDowell] should clarify or explain or apologize - just for starters."
Grove City College Professor Warren Throckmorton wrote in a blog entry Sunday that McDowell "completely ignored the actual reasons for lack of equity in opportunity."
"He spent the first 10 minutes of his AACC speech blasting the concept of structural impediments to equity. So Mr. McDowell, what is the reason for lack of equal opportunity?" stated Throckmorton.
"I hope this incident will be a teachable moment for white evangelicals who have mindlessly accepted the word of their talking heads about CRT."
McDowell issued an apology soon after his Saturday speech in which he admitted that his comments were a "generalized statement that does not reflect reality."
"I apologize and reiterate my Christian love for all races, nationalities and people groups," he stated. "My desire is that we as Christians would deal with both racism and inequality as the sins that they are in order to restore the unity that God desires for all."
Cast off for telling the truth. When the heck will “our side” refuse to kneel and apologize.
Uh, whut ? But what he said is 100% correct. Black kids are accused of “acting White” if they study hard and do well in school.
He said:
“I do not believe blacks, African Americans, and many other minorities have equal opportunity. Why? Most of them grew up in families where there is not a big emphasis on education. You can change the world. If you work hard, you will make it. So many African Americans don’t have those privileges like I was brought up with.”
There does seem to be a subculture within the “black community” that embraces willful ignorance, that celebrates “thug life.” Am I wrong?
If you are not offending your audience, you are not preaching the Truth.
Well, at least he didn’t mention IQ
He’s telling the truth. Oh, I forgot, truth is not allowed since it’d be racist.
I am getting closer and closer to the point that this is not going to end well... and at 74 years of age imprisonment without the possibility of parole is starting to mean very very little...LEX
I apologize that I ever recommended his books.
Wokeism is the new Christian Cult.
Live long enough and you may live to regret it.
Maybe Josh is there.
This is more than stupid. How much more of these incidences can we stand.
“...in our cities and public schools we have 50% drop out. In our own neighborhood, we have men in prison. No longer is a person embarrassed because they’re pregnant without a husband. No longer is a boy considered an embarrassment if he tries to run away from being the father of the unmarried child.
Ladies and gentlemen, the lower economic and lower middle economic people are not holding their end in this deal. In the neighborhood that most of us grew up in, parenting is not going on...
“I’m talking about these people who cry when their son is standing there in an orange suit. Where were you when he was two? Where were you when he was twelve? Where were you when he was eighteen, and how come you don’t know he had a pistol? And where is his father, and why don’t you know where he is?
“Fifty percent drop out rate, I’m telling you, and people in jail, and women having children by five, six different men. Under what excuse? I want somebody to love me. And as soon as you have it, you forget to parent. Grandmother, mother, and great grandmother in the same room, raising children, and the child knows nothing about love or respect of any one of the three of them. All this child knows is “gimme, gimme, gimme.” These people want to buy the friendship of a child, and the child couldn’t care less. Those of us sitting out here who have gone on to some college or whatever we’ve done, we still fear our parents. And these people are not parenting. They’re buying things for the kid — $500 sneakers — for what? They won’t buy or spend $250 on Hooked on Phonics.
“Brown versus the Board of Education is no longer the white person’s problem. We’ve got to take the neighborhood back. We’ve got to go in there. Just forget telling your child to go to the Peace Corps. It’s right around the corner. It’s standing on the corner. It can’t speak English. It doesn’t want to speak English. I can’t even talk the way these people talk: “Why you ain’t where you is go ra?” I don’t know who these people are. And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk. Then I heard the father talk. This is all in the house. You used to talk a certain way on the corner and you got into the house and switched to English. Everybody knows it’s important to speak English except these knuckleheads. You can’t land a plane with, “Why you ain’t…” You can’t be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth. There is no Bible that has that kind of language. Where did these people get the idea that they’re moving ahead on this. Well, they know they’re not; they’re just hanging out in the same place, five or six generations sitting in the projects when you’re just supposed to stay there long enough to get a job and move out.”
https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/billcosbypoundcakespeech.htm
😂. Backing away from that ? If He doesn’t have enough backbone he needs to retire. He didn’t blame whitey, was his sin.
Black conservative Jason Whitlock recently complained that white “liberals” believe that you are “authentically black” if you use street jargon and bad grammar, use the “n” word, are sexually crude and promiscuous, and adopt a general air of insolence and rebellion.
to apologize for ever recommending his books is you having similar “problem” as him apologizing for stating truth that some found offensive.
God takes each person through all sorts of trials and tribulations.
You jump ship instead of realizing you can’t swim by yourself either.
We all need more Jesus every moment.
Yet still, it's not enough.
I'm not familiar with this particular author, but it strikes me that he is having some sort of crisis with pride.
That was hyperbole.
He had a good run.
I fear it’s over. He won’t be writing any more Christian books that I will buy. Apologizing for the Truth is something I would never have expected from him.
He needs to retire. Go golfing. Stay away from the pulpit.
He’s right.... but at 82 it’s about time to ease up on the floor pedal.
I always thought McDowell was a good speaker and writer. I never could get into his young earth version of apologetics. But if you’re the kind of person that doesn’t pause reading long enough to do research on your own, his writing is compelling.
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