Sons of Patriarchy "Southern Chattel Slavery Wasn't That Bad"
Nov 10, 2025
Thabiti Anyabwile, a pastor and former Gospel Coalition board member, engages in a thought-provoking dialogue about race and historical narratives in Christianity. He recounts his contentious debates with Doug Wilson regarding Wilson’s portrayal of the antebellum South and its implications for modern racism. Thabiti critiques Wilson’s arguments by examining the Bible’s true stance on slavery and challenges the romanticized views of the South. He encourages listeners to pursue a radical love that acknowledges diversity and seeks genuine community.
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Early Warning From A Church Bookstall
- Thabiti Anyabwile first noticed Doug Wilson through a church carrying his marriage book and later removing it due to concerns about pro-slavery writings.
- That early removal signaled Wilson's longstanding influence in evangelical circles and hinted at deeper controversies.
Christianizing The Lost Cause
- Wilson promotes a Lost Cause view that the antebellum South was highly Christian and benevolent toward slaves.
- Thabiti calls this historical revisionism morally repugnant and contrary to evidence about enslaved people's lives.
Slavery Used As A Political Analogy
- Wilson frames defending slavery as analogous to arguing against violent extremism in abortion protests.
- Thabiti says that analogy requires sanitizing slavery to portray the Civil War as an unnecessary extremism.
