Denial and Affirmation Three

We are not adherents of “Critical Race Theory” that reduces all racial inequities to a struggle between oppressor and oppressed and presents a worldview that is contrary to the Scriptures, but we do believe that the questions and challenges it raises stir us to recall critical biblical truths that we may have neglected and require our attention.  

Commentary 

“Critical Race Theory” (CRT), a development of the broader Critical Theory, follows Karl Marx in his view that human societies must be analyzed in terms of the power imbalance between oppressors and the oppressed. Marxism saw this power imbalance purely in economic terms, but proponents of Critical Theory broaden this to include the entirety of cultural ideas and values. Those in power control what is considered normal, true, valuable, and good in every aspect of culture. In so doing, they oppress those who don’t belong or measure up as abnormal, deviant, or worthless. This biblical notion of sympathetic care for the outcast, like Jesus’ concern for the leper (Matt. 8:2-3; 11:5; Mk. 1:40-42; Lk. 7:22), becomes a central driving force in the proponents of Critical Theory, and that is part of what has made it so attractive. 

Critical Race Theory asserts that American society is dominated by a “White culture” in which those who are White are in a position of power and privilege over people of color. Thus, not only all who are White, but also the very structures of American society, are inherently racist. Only a total reconstruction of our culture transforming the balance of cultural power can alleviate the problem that racism has created in this country. 

It is sadly true that those in positions of power can (and do) oppress those who are socially weaker. The Bible gives us plenty of illustrations of that sin, and the prophets often spoke against it (e.g., Amos 5:21-24; 8:5). It is also true that social structures and institutions can reinforce and perpetuate forms of oppression. Slavery itself was one such institution, and the racist legacy of slavery has hindered the economic and social prospering of African Americans. 

It is also reflective of our experience that, as the saying goes, “Where you stand is determined by where you sit.”² Perspective matters in how we view the world. And because of the pervasive influence of human depravity, power can corrupt our perception of reality, leading to self-deception and self-justification in support of unjust structures. It is also why God and his Word, outside of but speaking to where we stand, are essential to reveal truth to us (Ps. 119:60; Jn. 14:6; 17:17). Because of sin, we all have blind spots—especially in those areas where we have some vested interest. The support of slavery by White Christians in the South is a shameful example. 

On a superficial level, then, much of what Critical Race Theory espouses sounds reasonable and could be helpful. But at a deeper level, it contains ideas that a Christian must reject (1 Tim. 1:10b-11; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 4:1-5). In the end, we are confronted with two contrasting views of the world, with different assessments both of the problem and of the solution, resulting in two eternal destinies: the way of life and the way of death (Ps. 1; Jn. 3:36; 5:24). 

In denying the reality of God and condemning the biblical story as an oppressive “meta-narrative,” Critical Race Theory has created its own counter narrative. In contrastive parallel to the Bible's redemptive story (creation, fall, redemption, transformation, and consummation), Critical Theory's story consists of oppression, activism, revolution, and liberation. Through this framework, society is reduced to two ever-opposing groups—the oppressors and the oppressed, and the one is evil and the other good. In so doing, they have negated both individual responsibility (cf. Dt. 24:16; Jer. 31:10; Ezek. 18:20) and anything that unites all humanity (Acts 17:26), either in Adam or in Christ (Rom. 5:12-21; 1 Cor. 15:21-22). 

In contrast, the Bible affirms that all human beings are created in God’s image (Gen. 1:26-27) and are worthy of respect, and that all human beings have turned from God (Isa. 53:6) and are sinful (Rom. 3:23; Eph. 2:1-3) and in need of redemption in Christ (Rom. 3:24; 1 Cor. 1:30; Heb. 9:12). And each of us is a responsible moral agent, under the judgement of God (Rom. 1:18; 3:19-20; 14:10-12). 

Critical Theory’s insistence on various group identities also denies the possibility of a new identity in Christ (Jn. 3:3, 5; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 2:14-16) where “there is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female” (Gal. 3:28). 

We can acknowledge that structural racism exists, in the sense that social structures can reinforce and perpetuate the effects of racism, but Critical Theory must see all present inequities between White and Black populations through the single lens of racism, and, therefore, as evidence of present racism. This is reductionistic, denying the complexity of human society. Some of the real racial inequalities may be the result of blatant racism, while some may be the legacy of past racism, some may be the result of unconscious bias that is common in all social groupings, some may be the result of racially neutral economic policies that disproportionately affect the poor, and some may be the result of negative values within non-majority communities. To label all Whites as racists and all instances of inequality as evidence of racism is untrue and thus unhelpful. 

It is important to listen to a variety of voices and experiences, but respecting those voices must not mean that those voices can’t be challenged, for God establishes norms for human behavior that apply to all (Ex. 20; Dt. 5; Matt. 5-7; Gal. 5:22-23; 2 Tim. 3:16-17). 

Critical Theory fails to address the root of the human problem—our own sin in turning from God (Eph. 2:1-3). It tries to deal with symptoms without addressing the cause—the deadly cancer within all our hearts (Jer. 17:9; Ezek. 36:26-27). All it offers is a never-ending conflict between the oppressors and the oppressed, for some group will always and necessarily use their power in oppressive ways. 

In contrast, Jesus says those who abide in his Word “will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (Jn. 8:31-32; Jn. 14:6). The gospel offers the hope of forgiveness (Ps. 130:4; Acts 10:43; 13:38-39; Eph. 1:7), the hope of moral transformation (Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 3:20-21), and ultimately the hope of a divine renewal and reconciliation (Rom. 5:11; 2 Cor. 5:18-21), in which God’s just kingdom (cf. Isa. 29:20-21; Jer. 22:15-16; Isa. 11:1-9; Rev. 15:3; 16:5, 7; 19:2) will be found on earth as it is in heaven (Matt. 6:10; Lk. 11:2). Critical Theory points to some real dynamics in our fallen world. But the partial truths of Critical Theory become untruths when they are perceived as the whole truth.  

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[2] Known as “Mile’s Law,” this was first used with reference to perspectives within government bureaucracy.