I had never heard of Kristen Howerton before. I have no idea whether she professes to be a Christian or not. If she doesn’t, I can shrug off her recent tweet. Non-Christians can be expected to say the sort of things she said.

If she does profess to know Christ, however, her recent tweet troubles me, as it should trouble any Christian. Beth Moore’s evident endorsement of that tweet also troubles me. Read the tweet for yourself:

The problem with a professing Christian as visible as Beth Moore has little to do with the question of systemic racism. I really don’t want to address that question in this blog, primarily because such a discussion would distract from the purpose of this ministry. But I definitely want to explain why the sentiments Howerton expressed (and Beth Moore endorsed) conflict with the Gospel.

Regardless of whether Christians march alongside the protesters or disapprove of them, we must certainly recognize that the vast majority of them don’t know the Lord. Their concern for justice has merit; all of us should desire for the fair treatment of every ethnic group. The problem with Howerton’s tweet has nothing to do with protesting injustice.

The problem with the tweet is that it elevates the fight against systemic racism over the importance of the Gospel.

The Gospel speaks to something far more consequential than ethnic inequality. It focuses on eternal matters. As a matter of fact, the Gospel speaks of the most important reconciliation humans can experience.

²¹ And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²² he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, ²³ if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. ~~Colossians 1:21-23 (ESV)

Although no one should downplay the necessity of any type of reconciliation, our highest priority as Christians is proclaiming that people can be reconciled to God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. The stakes are infinitely higher than we think.

Apart from Christ, men and women face an eternity in hell much worse than all the brutality they inflict on each other in this life. All of us stand condemned before a holy God, no matter what color skin we have. Many of those protesters, as altruistic as they may be, desperately need to hear that Christ is the way of salvation. He provides a reconciliation much deeper than anything the protesters demand.

Beth Moore was irresponsible in endorsing a tweet demanding that Christians withhold the message of eternal reconciliation from anybody! By endorsing this tweet, she gives us cause to wonder about her spiritual condition. Does she really consider social justice to be a higher priority than the Gospel?

I hope not.

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