Andrew Walker V.S. Matt Walsh: Straining Gnats and Swallowing Camels
Matt Walsh’s new movie “Am I a Racist” has hit theaters and the reviews are coming in. Many in the conservative space have sang praises of the film and hi-lighted the humor behind Walsh going undercover as a liberal academic in order to score interviews with DEI specialists who would otherwise refuse an interview with him. However, there were some who were not thrilled with the undercover journalism.
On Saturday Andrew Walker, the associate Dean in the School of Theology, and Associate Professor of Christian Ethics and Public Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) posted the following on X:
“I just saw [Matt Walsh’s] “Am I Racist?” Entertaining and definitely illuminating on the absurd ideological struggle sessions our culture has gone through in our over-correction on race. Still, much of the film was accomplished through deception. I’m not a fan of that tactic. Outside of legally declared war, deception is enormously difficult to justify—especially deceptions that do not involve immediate questions of life and death or deceptions willfully brought about and not occurring as a result of someone else’s actions. Walsh is right to capture and name the absurdity. The method to do so is highly questionable.”
Ordinarily I would agree that deception is a bad idea and should not be used flippantly. However, what Andrew fails to grasp in this situation is that the individuals Walsh deceives are in fact deceivers. DEI gained traction by preying on the well meaning intentions of ordinary Americans who want to lift up citizens who they view as marginalized and oppressed. These individuals have given millions of dollars to right the wrongs of past generations of Americans who participated in oppressing minorities, or at least that’s what they believe they are doing. Within DEI a cottage industry has developed full of race baiting consultants and experts like Ibram X. Kendi and Robin Diangelo, the former of which fell “victim” to Walsh’s deception in the film. both Kendi and Diangelo have been asked to debate their ideas with folks who hold opposing views such as Larry Elder. In some instances they have even been offered large sums of money to donate to whatever cause they choose if they would simply engage in debate. However, these two charlatans have declined every-time. Instead, they continue to go on friendly media that agrees with their premises and they continue to appear to guilt ridden audiences for live events where they charge tens of thousands of dollars for a single appearance.
Walsh responded to Walker’s post with the following:
“Everyone in the film signed waivers agreeing to let us use the footage. Many of them were paid quite handsomely. They are not victims. But they do have many victims of their own -- all the people who fall into the toxic, evil ideology they espouse. If any of them feel horribly embarrassed right now, they did it to themselves. I have no regrets about the methods we used and would happily do it again.
The real dividing line is between those of us who are willing to do what it takes to win the culture war and those of us who are not”
Walker responded in a final exchange stating:
I appreciate the response, [Matt Walsh]. I’m a fan and subscriber to [The Daily Wire], so my comments are in good faith. My point is that presenting one’s self deceptively is still wrong, even if there were waivers and fees. Scripture warns against a “by any means” necessary ethic (Romans 3:8).
Ultimately, what Walker is arguing here is that deception should only be used in moments of life or death situation or legally declared war. This has been his answer to several individuals in his replies when asked about similar practices being used to expose planned parenthood. The issue ultimately boils down to Walker missing the sign of times: the audience whom Walsh has deceived has declared war.
If we wish to take Walker’s premise that Walsh is using deception, we must look at who he is deceiving to determine whether or not what Walsh did was ethical. After all, scripture says thou shall not murder (Exodus 20:13), but Walker would undoubtedly say that King David did not murder Goliath in the context of war. Similarly, a man who kills a home invader did not commit murder but was instead engaging in self defense. So let’s examine broadly what DEI experts advocate for and the lies they perpetuate in our culture.
For one, DEI experts continually undermine the history of our nation by labeling nearly every major historical figure inconvenient to their narratives as racist. This violates the 9th commandment of not bearing false witness. You could also argue that this violates the 5th commandment if you believe honoring your mother and father extends to your fathers in the faith and history.
Second, DEI experts have pushed on numerous occasions for reparations from their fellow white Americans. I believe this is absurd because the neighbors they desire payment from were not alive during the time of slavery and only a handful were alive during the Jim Crow era and many may have been among the group that fought to end that discrimination. This really boils down to coveting, which breaks the 10th commandment. In the event that these DEI advocates get their way and use the state to enact reparations, I would argue that the 8th commandment of thou shall not steal would also be violated.
Lastly, on the more extreme end you will find some DEI advocates calling for the outright ending of the white race. They will say things like “down with whiteness” and pretend as though “whiteness” is a verb. This is how they disguise their rhetoric in a way where they will not be held liable for calling for violence, but ask yourself this: If there was an entire group of academics calling for the erasure of “blackness” or “the black race” or any other absurd phrase, it would make nightly news every week for months on end. Why? Because the language in genocidal. In a time of rising political tensions, they DEI experts are providing what some may use a justification for breaking the 6th commandment.
In the end, the enemy always wants the church to focus on the exception and not the rule. If the enemy can keep us fixated on straining gnats, they will all too gladly prep our camel up for dinner. Despite his credentials, it appears as though Walker has an inferior read on the ethics surrounding the culture war than Walsh does. To borrow from Lord of the rings, open war is upon us whether we’d risk it or not. The marxist ideology that is beneath all the DEI push will end our country as we know it and send America back to a third world status. Many will be Christian’s and non Christian’s alike will be persecuted and many will die under Marxist policies if we lose this culture war. Walsh spending his efforts deceiving deceivers is akin to a man using force to defend his neighbor from an assailant. Let us pray that our Christian leaders will start to recognize the times we are living in and act accordingly.