Within evangelical circles, Eric Mason is seen as the expert on race issues, having authored a number of books on the issue which have been marketed within church circles, most notably Acts 29. His most known book is the infamous Woke Church, but Mason has authored other books including Urban Apologetics. On June 20, 2023, the day after Juneteenth, Mason will debut his sequel to this book entitled, Urban Apologetics: Cults and Cultural Ideologies.
For whatever reason, the descriptions vary significantly on Amazon and Christian publisher Lifeway’s listings of the book.
On Lifeway, the book is portrayed a guide to threats against the black church. It starts off listing Jehovah Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventist, Prosperity Gospel, and Oneness Pentecostalism—all of which are issues disparately impacting the black community. Then the rest of the issues include Black Liberation Theology, homosexuality, Critical Race Theory, Marxism, and Christian Nationalism. Liberation Theology is Marxist in nature, which is why proto-black liberation theologians of the past, like Howard Thurman, a major influence of MLK, promulgated a universalist gospel in which Jesus came to upend systematic oppression. Nevertheless, the book edited by a cultural Marxist like Eric Mason is hardly a useful source on any Marxist ideology.
Now, what does “Christian Nationalism” mean in this context? That is where Amazon provides more insight.
According to the listing, Christian Nationalism is interchangeable with “White Nationalism.” This is consistent with Mason’s teachings that the black community embraces these cults because they view Christianity as whiteness and destructive to black dignity.
Though it can be expected that the book would cover more topics, the listing on Amazon removes Seventh Day Adventism and Oneness Pentecostalism and adds Faith Deconstruction to the listing. Rather than a “black church” focus on the Lifeway listing, the Amazon broadens it to all followers of Jesus.
Unlike Lifeway, Amazon also lists contributors to the book as Anthony Bradley, Brandon Washington, and Thabiti Anyabwile. Anthony Bradley is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consultant who served as professor at the liberal The King’s College, which is facing closure. He also advocates letting criminals out of jail and calls it criminal justice reform. Brandon Washington is the pastor at Embassy Church in Denver. He is a Critical Race Theorist in denial and a follower of Mason and Jerome Gay, who coined the phrase “evangelical cooning” to describe the “whitewashing” of church history. Thabiti Anyabwile is a known woke evangelical who used Ezra to advocate reparations at The Gospel Coalition. Thabiti and his wife Kristie are also involved in the Revoice affirming Pelican Project. One can only wonder why Lifeway did not include the contributors to this book in their listing.
Listening to race baiters discuss CRT, Black Liberation Theology, Marxism, and “Christian Nationalism” is the equivalent of the blind leading the blind. Nevertheless, at over $25 for hardcover, it is profitable.
