2. Racial Reconciliation
Both men found themselves at the center of heated discussions during the previous year.
“Unapologetically” may describe some of those exchanges. “Strategically” may be the more generous word.
Wilson faced renewed criticism over his book Black & Tan, an older work that returned to public attention because of its treatment of slavery, the Civil War and racial reconciliation.
I will not attempt to resolve that larger dispute here. However, the exchange between Wilson and Thabiti Anyabwile is worth examining.
Readers may not leave the discussion agreeing with either man. Still, it offers an example of two people addressing serious disagreements directly rather than reducing one another to screenshots, slogans or opposing teams.
Propaganda also made plenty of theologians uncomfortable with “Precious Puritans.”
The song examined the tension involved in honoring the theological contributions of historical figures while refusing to overlook their participation in, defense of or proximity to racial injustice.
Propaganda holds dual citizenship in the two worlds I described above. Those worlds can sometimes find themselves in conflict.
We have a tendency to turn people into icons. After all, becoming a little Puritan may feel easier than becoming a little Christ.
Christ deserves more honor than we are capable of giving him, and he offers us the power to do it.
What the Conversation Does and Does Not Accomplish
The point is that Wilson and Propaganda entered this conversation carrying different controversies, constituencies and cultural assumptions.
Some critics believed Wilson had minimized or defended racial injustice. Others treated Propaganda’s criticism of revered theologians as an attack on white Christians or the Reformed tradition itself.
Those are not identical accusations, and the video does not magically settle either controversy.
What it does show is two people sitting together and talking instead of allowing everyone else to speak for them.
That may sound like a low bar, but the internet keeps digging.