Dr. Abner Chou, the president of The Master’s University (TMU), explained at Chat with Chou last Friday why he did not sign The Statement on Social Justice & the Gospel. Chat with Chou is an opportunity for students to ask Chou questions about various topics such as himself, the school, and theology.
At the most recent Chat with Chou, one student asked Chou if he signed The Statement on Social Justice & the Gospel, which declares the Gospel and the Biblical view of justice, racism, and sexuality. John MacArthur, pastor of Grace Community Church and former TMU president, signed the statement with other prominent pastors and theologians like Voddie Baucham and Phil Johnson. Chou admitted that he did not sign the statement to be consistent with his policy of not signing statements. However, he acknowledged that he would sign it if required as a TMU faculty member or to bear the brunt of attacks on the school as its president.
“No, I didn’t [sign the statement], and that’s not because I don’t agree with it. I do. In general, I just don’t sign statements. I’d rather live them,” Chou said. “If it was a requirement, I’d happily sign it without hesitation, but just so that I maintain consistency, ’cause there’s so many statements that come out that you could affirm by policy, I just don’t do it.”
Chou then emphasized the importance of living out the truths of a statement over just signing it. “…I am wary of signing statements because sometimes those things just become a form of virtue signaling if you’re not careful, and we don’t need to do that. We just need to do what it says, and that would be my stance… You can sign a statement and not do what it says, and what good is it?”
According to the website’s explanation, the project started with 14 men meeting on June 19, 2018, at Herb’s House, a coffee shop in Dallas, Texas. They met out of concern of the Social Justice movement influencing evangelical churches. At that meeting, they determined to formulate a statement that “express[ed] [their] concern theologically and in a succinct, balanced way.” After several drafts and revisions, the final draft was published on September 4, 2018.
The statement is available to read and sign at https://statementonsocialjustice.com/ .
