Danny Akin

Background Information:

Full name: Daniel Lowell “Danny” Akin
Born: January 2, 1957, Forest Park, GA
Bachelor of Arts, Biblical Studies, Criswell College, 1980
M.Div., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1983
Ph.D., University of Texas at Arlington, 1989
Former Professor, New Testament, Theology, and Church History, Criswell College (1988-1992)
Former Dean of Students, Criswell College, 1988-1992
Former Associate Professor of Theology, Dean of Students, SEBTS, 1992-1996
Theology Professor, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1996-2004
Former Dean of School of Theology, Senior Vice President, Academic Administration, SBTS
President, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2004 –

Overview:

Danny Akin has served in a number of academic positions at two flagship Southern Baptist seminaries, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Since 2004, he has been the President of Southeastern. He has signed a statement which purports to denounce critical race theory, but which does not meet that description because it fails to define its terms. He has consistently emphasized the ideas of critical race theory, particularly standpoint epistemology, which holds that certain groups of people have priority insights into various subjects on the basis of their intersectional identity. This is evidenced by a video published by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission in 2018, wherein Akin says the following:

“White Christians need to learn above all things, I think, to be good listeners. Over the last several years as I’ve tried to help build a culture for racial reconciliation and kingdom diversity, which is a core value of Southeastern Seminary, I’ve come to understand more and more that my perspective is not the perspective of my African American brothers and sisters, or my Hispanic brothers and sisters or my Asian brother and sisters. They really do see life differently. They’re operating out of a different paradigm, a different context that’s very different than mine. And I didn’t really realize that until I stopped talking and began to listen. So, I think one of the things that white evangelicals, in particular, have got to do is become better listeners. In addition to that, we have got to be willing to surrender power, which is again, not indigenous to our nature. As I often say, not only do we need to invite ethnic minorities in our room and to have a seat at the table, we even need to be willing to surrender leadership at the table if we’re really going to make progress and really help our brothers and sisters understand we see them on an equal plane with ourselves.

A conservative Biblical analysis of Akin’s statement would demonstrate that he believes in several tenets of critical race theory despite his signing of a statement to the contrary. One of those tenets is standpoint epistemology, and another is the primacy of diversity, or the idea that in order for “equality” to be exemplified, priority positions of power or leadership must be given to non-white people automatically. That is the mission of SEBTS’s “Kingdom Diversity Initiative,” presided over by Akin, which has literal quota goals for the demographics of those who are hired by the seminary. “Southeastern strives to raise historically underrepresented demographics on campus by working to be comprised of 20% culturally diverse faculty, staff, and students, and 35% female by 2022.” He appointed Walter Strickland to head the Kingdom Diversity Initiative in August of 2017. Strickland has admitted to being heavily influenced by the theology of James Cone, the late, radical, black liberation preacher.

Danny Akin has also appointed Amber Bowen, a public face of the Docent Group at the center of the “Sermongate” scandal, as the head of SEBTS’s Center for Faith and Culture’s “Intersect Project.” The name is derived from intersectionality, which is staple of woke ideology. Bowen has a track record of catering to woke ideology, promoting the work of neo-Marxist Jacques Derrida, from whose work the social justice concept of “deconstruction” has arisen. Bowen has also referred to Bruce Jenner as “Caitlyn,” and argued that “we [Christians] must be willing to rethink traditional understandings of human nature that are more culturally informed than Biblically taught.” In other words, Daniel Akin has promoted tenets of critical race theory and allowed faculty who promote transgenderism to head projects that are based on CRT– yet he signed a statement, alongside other Presidents of SBC seminaries, denouncing CRT as “incompatible” with Southern Baptist doctrinal statements such as the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.