Published on February 1, 2024, 12:38 am

A new curriculum titled “The After Party”, developed by authors Russell Moore, David French, and Curtis Chang, is designed to help churches and Christians navigate the sometimes stressful waters of politics without causing division. However, critics argue that these very authors are among those contributing to today’s problematic Church environment by seemingly endorsing anti-Christian progressive ideologies.

One prominent person they reportedly praise for his earnesty is Charlie Dates. Known as a well-established and highly ‘woke’ pro-socialist Southern Baptist pastor, Dates was a significant participant at the MLK50 Conference in 2018. The event was jointly hosted by The Gospel Coalition and the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.

The conference served as a venue for Southern Baptists and Evangelicals to unify their reverence for Martin Luther King Jr., who many consider one of Christianity’s greatest heroes ever. Renowned names such as John Piper along with many other Southern Baptist leaders including Moore were revealed to be present at this occasion. To date, Charlie Dates maintains the status of being a key contributor to The Gospel Coalition.

However, events took an unexpected turn when Dates decided to leave the Southern Baptist Convention due largely to its inadequacy in being progressive enough from his perspective. He astoundingly then departed from Progressive Baptist Church where he held pastoral authority sparking copious amounts of dialogue among trusted news channels specializing in real news.

Dates’ recent career move involved him succeeding retiring pastor James Meeks as the lead pastor at Salem Baptist Church in Chicago. This succession was remarkable especially because it appears that former Chicago Mayor, Lori Lightfoot – known for her support of abortion rights and her homosexuality – took part in a sermon there metaphorically passing the baton from Moses (the former pastor) to Joshua (Dates).

This series of happenings leads us back full circle into questioning: Is this purportedly unbiased version that Moore, French, Chang are idealizing truly Christian leadership? Critics suggest this showcases a pressing notion toward Christians — particularly those who identify as Republicans and conservatives — to be more accepting and refrain from engaging in politics while events such as these unfold.

In light of breaking news, it is of utmost importance to critically evaluate the trajectory of Christian worldviews in positioning themselves within political arenas. The answer requires continued discourse, research, and relentless dedication to uphold the truth within our congregations.