Matt Chandler was on his way to becoming one of Gen X’s most prominent pastors. However, this was gradually undone do to his heavy-handed promotion of Critical Race Theory. Matt Chandler famously declared that he would hire a “Black 7” over an “Anglo 8” while describing his anti-White hiring practices. But an Instagram comment section saw a conciliatory Matt Chandler interacting with Seth Gruber.
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Matt Chandler insists that he sees Critical Theory is “demonic” after years of promoting it both in sermons and through Acts 29 where he is on the board. Chandler claims to have spoken against Critical Theory in multiple public settings and deleted the old clips as best as possible. The internet is forever, after all.
Matt Chandler has been making the news this summer. Earlier this summer the past hiring decision of his father who was a confessed abuser became publicly scrutinized, albeit long after the fact. And just last month, in a podcast with Lecrae, Matt Chandler was promoting a liberal third-way approach to politics, thinking that NT Wright and Michael Bird were wise. Given the recent public statements, it would seem that Matt Chandler’s shift in position is much quieter than the initial error.
But Matt Chandler has a feminism problem, one he fomented for years. In 2022, he was temporarily removed from the pastorate over something that was not even sinful but nonetheless upset some women in the congregation. The perceived failure to address sex abuse has also marred Chandler’s appeal to feminism. Thus, the timing of Chandler’s alleged shift on race coincides with him offending his liberal base. It’s best not to fight a two-front war.
Matt Chandler renouncing his wokeness would be a welcomed sight, but remorse is not the same as repentance.
