When institutions that embrace critical race theory say they are allies with black people, what they really mean is—they are allies with black people they want to use to benefit their own agenda.
This past Monday, Ambrose University—a supposedly Christian university in Calgary—made it known I wasn’t useful for their agenda. They released a public statement suggesting they aren’t allies with black people like me.
The statement was written by their (white) vice-president of student life, their (white) student council president, and their (white) director of social justice as an apology to their students for a talk I did on racism at their school this past February.
The statement was available on their website for three days until social media pushback and national news coverage compelled them to remove it. Ambrose, however, have not pursued my forgiveness and reconciliation. Nevertheless, I have a copy of the original statement. You can read it here.
Their statement of apology said, “in February 2021, a guest speaker at The Well event denied the existence of systemic racism and caused severe harm to those who were in attendance.”
They said I “denigrated” the students and suggested I oppose “Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour.” They also insinuated I didn’t “take racism seriously.”
The entire basis for the statement is cowardly. However, the most cowardly thing about the statement isn’t what they said—it’s actually what they didn’t say.
Ambrose didn’t mention my name. That’s probably because they didn’t want to make it known they were hating a black man while they were virtue signalling about their love for black people. They probably didn’t mention my name because they didn’t want to make it known they were suggesting I was a self-hating black man for choosing to disagree with their agenda.
They didn’t want to make it known that when they say they are allies with black people—they’re lying.
If they were allies with black people, they wouldn’t label me their enemy—they wouldn’t oppose and attack a black man for speaking against real racism. They’re not allies with me and they’re not allies with black people. They’re just allies with lies.
But Ambrose’s statement isn’t merely cowardly, it’s also contradictory to their mission and values. On their website, Ambrose says:
“we encourage our students, faculty, and staff to be intellectually curious. We promote conversations about difficult issues that are marked by both courage and charity.”
And on their statement on Freedom Of Expression Statement, they write:
“In the tradition of the liberal arts, Ambrose upholds the freedom to pursue truth as a valued gift that must be protected. A commitment to advancing truth is a commitment to advancing intellectual excellence rooted in diversity of thought. The search for truth is often difficult and may, at times, give rise to controversy. Ambrose recognizes and encourages diversity of opinion, as well as open and free debate of all aspects of learning, speaking, writing, and listening. Ambrose will not shield students from ideas or opinions with which they disagree; at the same time, Ambrose will cultivate an environment of charity and civility.”
But evidently, that freedom of expression didn’t apply to a (black) man speaking on the biblical definition of racism. That’s the most troubling thing about Ambrose’s reaction to my talk.
The most disturbing thing about Ambrose’s reaction to my talk isn’t that it suggests they’re not allies with black people. No, the most disturbing thing about their reaction to my talk is that it suggests they’re not allies with Christ.
Ambrose didn’t merely attack a black man, they attacked a Christian—for repeating what Christ says about racism. That’s the real controversy here.
A Christian school has become so offended and so ashamed of what Christianity says about racism, they’ve released a public statement apologizing for what the Bible says about racism.
My apparently controversial talk on racism for Ambrose University was titled, “What Is Racism?”. In the talk, I said:
“If I asked you what’s the best book on racism today, what would you say? If I asked you, what’s the best anti-racist book today, what would you say? If we say anything other than the Bible, we’re completely and destructively wrong.
The Bible is the best book on racism.”
Then by referencing 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and James 2: 1-4, I explained that the biblical definition of racism is incompatible with Robin DiAngelo’s and Ibram Kendi’s definition of racism.
I ended my talk with:
“if you assume the worst of a black person because of their skin colour, that’s racism. And if you assume the worst of a white person because of their skin colour, that’s racism.”
Ambrose wanted me to speak on what they believe black people are supposed to say about racism. They didn’t want me to speak on what the Bible says about racism. They wanted me to preach critical race theory—they didn’t want me to preach Christ. That’s why they’re offended.
I don’t deny that my talk is offensive. Biblical truth is offensive to people who disagree with the Bible. But that shouldn’t include a supposedly Christian university like Ambrose. And according to messages I’ve received since their statement, many of Ambrose’s students and their parents agree.
If Ambrose University sincerely wants to be allies with black people, they should align themselves with the Bible. Otherwise, they’ll continue to oppose black Christians who repeat what the Bible says about racism.