Pastor, Author, Dean of Theology at African Christian University

Voddie Baucham | Biography

Baucham Co-Founded Grace Family Baptist Church in Spring, Texas, in 2006

• By Reena Chikanbanjar
• Update : September 29, 2021

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Voddie Baucham Jr. is an African-American pastor, educator, and author of the book 'Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism's Looming Catastrophe.'

Who is Voddie Baucham Jr.?

Born to a Buddhist mother, Voddie Baucham Jr. became Christian in 1987 during his college years. In 1992, he began his career as a Pastor of Missions. After serving as a Pastor at multiple churches for several years, he started giving lectures in churches, colleges, and universities. 

In 2006, he became a Pastor of Preaching at Grace Family Baptist Church, which he co-founded. He then earned the post of Dean of Seminary at African Christian University in 2015. 

Baucham had also authored several books, including 'Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism's Looming Catastrophe' (2021), in which he wrote out against Critical Race Theory.

Early Bio

Voddie T. Baucham Jr. was born on 11 March 1969. He was raised by a single mother, Francis Baucham, in South Central Los Angeles, California.

Early Career Goal

Baucham, in his early years, dreamt of pursuing a career in the National Football League (NFL). He was a student-athlete and played football during his college years. His performance also earned him a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) scholarship to Rice University. But his course of life unexpectedly changed during his freshman year in college after learning the truths of the Gospel from a Campus Crusade for Christ leader, Steve Morgan. 

He then became Christian on 13 November 1987. Baucham eventually did not like to pursue a career in the NFL. He also turned down his NCAA scholarship and transferred to Houston Baptist University to study Christianity.

Education

In 1992, Baucham graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Christianity and Sociology from Houston Baptist University, Houston, Texas. He then graduated with a Master of Divinity in 1996 from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas. He also graduated with a Doctor of Ministry in Evangelism/Apologetics from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2002.

Baucham did an additional postgraduate in Comparative Theology from Regent's Park College at the University of Oxford, England. He also has a Doctor of Divinity degree from Southern California Seminary, El Cajon, California.

Career

Baucham began his career as a Pastor of Missions in Cornerstone Baptist Church in January 1992 and served the church for a year. In 1993, he founded Voddie Baucham Ministries. The same year, he joined Brookhollow Baptist Church and served the church as an Associate Pastor/Pastor of Missions for two years. He then served Sugar Creek Baptist Church as a Pastor of Missions for three years. In January 1997, he joined the College of Biblical Studies in Houston, Texas, serving as an Adjunct Professor for eight years. During that time, he also lectured at Sagemont Church for three years, from 1998 to 2001. Later, he served as an Adjunct Faculty/Visiting Lecturer at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, for a couple of years.

In 2006, Baucham co-founded Grace Family Baptist Church in Spring, Texas, and served as Pastor of Preaching for more than nine months until June 2015. After few months, he became a Dean of Seminary at African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia, in September 2015. He later served the university as the Dean of Theology.

Area of Emphasis

Baucham is a Cultural Apologist. He teaches people to understand the importance of thinking and living biblically in every aspect of life.

Documentaries

Baucham has lent his voice and appeared in a couple of documentaries. In 2010, he narrated a biographical documentary titled George Washington Carver: An Uncommon Way, written by Ken Carpenter and co-directed by Carpenter and Mark Schlicher. He has also lent his voice as a narrator in Ralph Strean's 2017 documentary Genesis: Paradise Lost. 

In 2019, he appeared in Brandon Kimber's documentary American Gospel: Christ Crucified, a sequel to the 2018 documentary American Gospel Christ Alone. American Gospel: Christ Crucified featured the debate between progressive and conservative theologians about the meaning of the cross and the most intricate parts of the Christian gospel. The documentary covered various topics, including Christ, hell, God's attributes, LGBT issues, penal substitutionary view of the atonement, and more.

The following year, he appeared in the documentary, The Church: Pillar and Ground of the Truth, written by Barry Cooper and directed by Stephen McCaskell.

'Uncle Tom: Part II'

Baucham will be starring in the upcoming documentary, Uncle Tom: Part II, a sequel to the acclaimed and well-received 2020 American political documentary, Uncle Tom: An Oral History of the American Black Conservative. The original documentary examined the black conservative movement. It chronicled how the movement rejected the victim mentality while promoting self-empowerment. It further showed how house negros and "Uncle Toms" were condemned as sell-outs by the black community and the media.

Uncle Tom: Part II has been directed by Justin Malone and co-written by Ryder Ansell, Chad Jackson, and Justin Malone. It is in the post-production phase and is expected to release in the fall of 2021.

'The Gorka Reality Check'

Baucham has appeared in one episode of Sebastian Gorka's news/talk show, The Gorka Reality Check, on 20 June 2021. 

Publications

Baucham's first book titled 'The Ever-Loving Truth' was published in 2004. He then published 'Family Driven Faith' in 2007. Baucham was also a contributor to the book 'The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World' (2007), co-written by John Piper and Justin Taylor. 

In 2009, Baucham published 'What He Must Be.' He then published 'Family Shepherds' in 2011. His next book, 'Joseph and the Gospel of Many Colors,' was published in 2013. Later, he published 'Expository Apologetics: Answering Objections with the Power of the Word' in 2015. 

'Fault Line' and Critical Race Theory

In April 2021, Baucham published his new book, 'Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism's Looming Catastrophe.' He spoke out against the social justice movement and Critical Race Theory (CRT) in the book. 

CRT is an academic concept, which states racism is not only the by-product of individual bias and prejudice but is also rooted in legal systems and policies.

Denying the core idea of CRT, Baucham said, "Critical race theory is at odds with Christianity because it takes the problem of racism out of the individual heart and puts it out there somewhere in systems and structures." He added, "Christ came to redeem us from our sin and our sin is in here, not out there."

Baucham has even considered CRT and critical social justice as sinister. "Social justice is not about the outworking of Biblical justice. ... Social justice is rooted in these ideas of equity, not equality. ... Equality is about equal opportunities. Equity is about equal outcomes," Baucham told Fox News in May 2021.

In an interview with CBN News' Faithwire on 6 April 2021, Baucham talked about his concern regarding the possible backlash from adherence to CRT and the liberation theology it promotes. According to him, he published the book hoping to help ignite much-needed conversations about CRT. 

In his book, Baucham has also described the social justice movement as a pseudo-religion. During the interview, he also shared that the movement has the "trappings of religion," noting that even atheists and non-Christians have referred to the movement as a religion. He noted the movement has its own cosmology, saints, liturgy, and law. 

Sermons

Baucham had given sermons in many churches and conferences on various topics, including worldview and apologetics, the law of worship, expository apologetics, and great protestant reformation. He also gave sermons on social issues, including gay rights, pornographic culture, adoption, and fatherhood.

He had preached sermons at Grace Family Baptist Church, Kabwata Baptist Church, Lusaka Baptist Church, Mount Zion Bible Church, Heritage Baptist Church, Pray's Mill Baptist Church, Killian Hill Baptist Church, among many others. He had also preached Farsi Persian sermons at the Providence Baptist Chapel and about defending the faith at Central Africa Baptist College.

Wife and Children

Baucham married Bridget in 1989. They have nine children, and all are homeschooled.

Health Problems

Baucham began his weight loss journey to improve his fitness when he was around 42 years old, owing to his kidney problem. According to The Christian Post, Baucham revealed details about his health and fitness regimen through a social media post dated 5 October 2018 after gaining wide attention online for losing a whopping 60 pounds. In his social media post, he noted that his weight loss does not indicate his sickness. He also wrote that his health was good, and his kidney issues were under control. 

However, tragedy struck his life in February 2021 when he suffered heart failure. He was taken to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, for treatment. A GoFundMe campaign set up for his medical expenses raised nearly 1.3 million dollars in just five days. The collected fund surpassed the estimated one million dollar cost of his treatment. 

Baucham underwent a successful heart surgery by the end of the month. However, doctors discovered another blockage, and open-heart surgery was scheduled on 5 April 2021, according to the Twitter posts by Pastor Tom Ascol. On 6 April 2021, Ascol, through his post, informed that Baucham came through successful quadruple bypass surgery.

Net Worth

There has been no authorized data about Baucham's net worth. However, according to various online sources, his net worth is estimated to be between $500 thousand and $1 million.