At the Turning Point USA's Faith Forward Pastors Summit on Wednesday evening, Pastor John Amanchukwu encouraged pastors and Christians to speak boldly against the increasingly evident evil within American culture.
Amanchukwu, an author of the 2022 book “Eraced: Uncovering the Lies of Critical Race Theory and Abortion,” has been a vocal opponent of abortion, explicit books in schools, and forms of cultural Marxism, including critical race theory and queer theory.
He has frequently gained attention online for challenging public school boards about unsuitable reading material for children. During his speech at the TPUSA event, he mentioned that some have suggested he could gain a larger following if he softened his critique of “the rainbow mafia.”
“Every time I'm told these things, it goes in one ear and out the other,” he stated before rallying the entire audience to join him in declaring, “I will not shut up!”
“They want to take our voice and they want to take our message. And sadly, too many today have surrendered the truth of God's Word just to fit in with the crowd,” Amanchukwu said.
To support his argument, Amanchukwu referred to the Gospel story of Bartimaeus in Mark 10, where Jesus healed the blind beggar who cried out for help despite being told to stop by those around him.
Explaining that he has been criticized by fellow Christians who urge him to be less “inflammatory” when addressing cultural wickedness, Amanchukwu likened such criticism to what Bartimaeus faced.
“They were telling him, 'Hey, beggar, be quiet. We've heard from you enough. Shut up. Tone it down. Don't speak up. Don't say anything. This is not your time to speak,'” Amanchukwu said. “And as a result of that, the Bible says, 'But he cried the more a great deal.' In other words, when they told him to tone it down, he got a little bit louder.”
Amanchukwu asserted that the same determination that motivated Bartimaeus should guide American Christians as their culture increasingly mirrors Sodom and Gomorrah. He suggested that too many pastors prioritize self-preservation over fighting in the spiritual battle manifesting in the culture.
“Too many Christians today want to be nice rather than being faithful,” he said. “Nice Christians see perversion, and they say, 'I'm not going to judge it,' but faithful Christians call a spade a spade,” he stated.
He continued by quoting Romans 13:12: “The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.”
“In other words, we don't have much time left,” Amanchukwu noted, emphasizing, “Now is not the time for the Church to tone it down. Now is not the time for us to shut up. Now is not the time for us to be quiet.”
