Critical Race Theory (CRT) is one of the most controversial issues today in not only the academic world but in our politics and personal conversations. Last fall, a presidential executive order banned CRT in diversity training in federal agencies. Just this past week, the state of Idaho cut off funding for the teaching of CRT at Boise State. At the same time, many other colleges and universities require CRT to be taught in various forums and classes.
So, the familiar battle lines are drawn. Conservatives see CRTas an un-American Marxist insurgency against our democracy while liberals see CRTas a way to better understand our racial tensions so we can improve our democracy. Which is it? Or is there a way to examine CRT that takes into account both its value and its weaknesses—and leads us back to God’s call to love one another?
What is Critical Race Theory?
CRT is an application of Critical Theory developed in the Frankfurt School of social research nearly 100 years ago. Since then, Critical Theory has been used in a variety of disciplines such as law and history. In 1989, it was appropriated in the study of racism as Critical Race Theory.
CRT views our history and political judgments through a lens of race. It opens our eyes to how systemic racism from our country’s past affects the lives of people of color every day—from centuries of slavery, to the Homestead Act in 1862, to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, to Jim Crow laws in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, to Roosevelt’s New Deal in the 1930s. CRT helps us see that while we might not have had a personal part in systemic racism in our past, we can be aware of how such laws have had a ripple effect throughout generations.
What Is Valuable about Critical Race Theory?
- Provides Valuable Research: A foundational value of CRT is its sympathetic research into the role of race in the laws and societal norms that invariably favor the majority culture. For instance, hundreds of studies show tremendous disparities between Whites and Blacks in health, education, hiring, income, criminal justice issues, and housing. Some might argue that these disparities are the result of more intact families, a stronger work ethic, or better money management skills among Whites. But suggesting that Whites are simply superior in these ways only furthers the assumptions that have led to these disparities over the centuries while ignoring the historical and present reasons for the inequalities. It also leads to a racist addiction to White Supremacy.
- Authenticates the Experience of People of Color: A second value of CRT is that it gives people of color an objective understanding of what they experience. They do not have to depend on “politically correct” sensitivities of others to establish that they are in fact being underrepresented and under-resourced in so many dimensions of our society. Just last week, for instance, it was reported that Black farmers received only 0.1 percent of the money from the economic stimulus bill known as the CARES Act last year, while White farmers received 99 percent of the funds even though they didn’t own 99 percent of the farms either by size or number. Whether this was intentional or not is not known but the result is the same. Race evidently made a huge difference in the amount of money our government distributed to White farmers versus Black farmers.
- Identifies Institutional as well as Individual Racism: CRT also shows us that racism is not just a matter of “a few bad apples,” but it has and continues to be systematized in many of our laws and organizational structures. We see in the current murder trials of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, for instance, how policing practices for Blacks are often different than for Whites. The efforts of so many Republican state legislatures to restrict or hamper voting among minorities (such as having fewer ballot boxes and voting locations in minority districts) is further evidence of institutional racism.
What Is Controversial about CRT?
- Marxist Influences: The most politically charged accusations against CRT are those of guilt by association. Some claim CRT is Marxist and contrary to capitalism and democratic principles. Others see it as just an academic justification for the excesses of the Black Lives Matter movement. Still others decry it as lacking and even contradicting a Christian philosophical foundation. There is some truth to all of these concerns. The original Critical Theorists were indeed engaged with Marxism but not without critique. They understood that although the Marxist view of life as a struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoise was too simplistic, much of the political life of a culture could be understood as a battle between majority and minority peoples. As Winston Churchill and others have said, “history is written by the victors,” but the same could be said of the present while history is being made.
- Misused to Create Divisions: Some of the more radical CRT proponents (and some in the Black Lives Matter organization) have been involved in weaponizing CRT to create destructive power conflicts between racial minorities and a White majority. It too easily can attribute everything to White privilege or focus on microaggressions that can quickly repel Whites from a deeper understanding of the issues. CRT as an ideology can be threatening and counterproductive in effectively dealing with racism.
- Avoids Spiritual Truths: It is also true that CRT does not have explicit Christian underpinnings. CRT does not deal with inherent or individual sin but focuses primarily on institutional racism as being the cause of many social problems. CRT is also not nearly as helpful in a prescriptive way as it is in a descriptive way. It has no spiritual framework of reconciliation through confession and forgiveness. Nor does it reflect the limitations of a completely racialized view of life. It is a sophisticated but at times very blunt instrument that cannot solve our great racial and political divisions.
The Bible and CRT
CRT is a divisive concept but not nearly as divisive as the racial realities it addresses. So how do we take what is valuable from this imperfect theory to love one another better?
The Old Testament prophet Isaiah quotes the Lord saying, “Come let us reason together” (Isaiah 1:18). This welcoming invitation has often been used as a prelude to negotiations and conflict resolutions—it recognizes that there is a conflict but that there is also a possibility of reconciliation through reason and mutual respect.
This openness to resolution rather than resignation to continued enmity suggests a relational posture for us to take as we seek to heal the tremendous racial tensions in our country. We need all of the insight we can learn through CRT without idolizing or misconstruing any biases that might be part of it. We can recognize CRT’s limitations while also recognizing it as a resource that provides the opportunity to develop greater understanding and compassion.
With humility and reason, we can also acknowledge the many good things about the United States, our Founding Fathers, and our democracy, while simultaneously recognizing racism in past and current laws and attitudes. Awareness of our country’s weaknesses makes us no less American or patriotic; it can make us even more eager to see the United States truly offer “liberty and justice for all.”
It is also significant that in the context of Isaiah’s prophecy quoted above, the Lord is angry about the hypocrisy of the Jewish people on matters of social justice. He tells them that he hates their worship services and won’t listen to their prayers because of their “evil deeds” (Isaiah 1:16). Then, between his words of anger and his call to reconciliation, he urges his people to “seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow” (Isaiah 1:17). Pursuing social justice is a biblical mandate.
Responding to CRT
One of the common arguments against CRT or the idea of systemic racism in general is, “I wasn’t around at the time of slavery and had nothing to do with making these racist laws. Why should I feel guilty?” This may be a natural question to ask, but it’s also a question that consciously or unconsciously reveals an individualistic and inadequate approach to sin.
Although the Lord does not hold us personally accountable for the sins of others, we are affected by them—often for generations. God instructed Moses to make a provision of both sacrifice and forgiveness for unintentional communal sins (Numbers 15:22-26). Nehemiah obediently prayed in confession for the sins of his ancestral family (Nehemiah 1:6).
We also need to be aware of the sin of omission. The Apostle James says that if you know what to do and don’t do it, that is sin (James 4:17). Racism is an overt sin against all people created in the image of God. Ignoring racism is similar to what the two religious leaders did who walked by the desperate man in the story of the Good Samaritan. They did not beat the man themselves but they avoided or omitted doing anything about his condition. The primary issue then is not whether or not we are personally responsible for social injustices, but whether or not we recognize those injustices and engage with doing something about them.
Consequently, instead of either rejecting CRT carte blanche or using it as a cudgel against every racial injustice no matter how big nor how slight, we would do better to urgently reason together about what is racially unjust in our country and work to remedy those injustices with both individual and collective resolve. In other words, to make CRT a political football only relegates it to being a game. But to use CRT as even an imperfect prompt to respond to God’s command to seek justice is a way of loving others as ourselves.
Thank you for this, Bob. I appreciate your perspective, as always.
Thanks, Rachel!
Bob, this is one of the best and easiest to understand explanations for CRT I have read. Thank you. I’ll definitely be sharing this with others.
Trevecca, thanks for your encouraging response. It’s nice to reconnect!
Thank you, Bob. I have been attempting to state the same ideas – though far less articulately than you have just done. I appreciate your balanced expression of CRT. Gillian
Gillian, thanks for your kind comment. Good to connect again!
Thank you Bob for this clear and Biblical approach to a divisive topic.
I will use this in a Small Group at Church as we talk about issues of Justice and race.
Tom, thanks and may your church grou go well.
Thank you Bob for your review of CRT. One of my concerns with the approach of reasoning together is how that has often been the path of the white majority without being willing to really listen, accept, and work toward reconciliation with black and brown people. Brenda Salter McNeils book, Becoming Brave, has been a helpful read. My concern is that for many white folks the desire is to ignore the past 400 years, just get along. Systemic racism and white privilege are realities and must be addressed on a path to racial healing.
Blessings to you and Alice
Steve, thanks. I agree with you in terms of the need to understand and accept systemic racism and white privilege. So I don’t mean to imply that “reasoning together” means avoiding these issues or not listening to black and brown people. Rather I think that there is a need to “reason together” in a posture of humility to get to that point of understanding. The alternative of not reasoning together is not very attractive as it is what so often is the case and just ends up in a power conflict without progress.
Bob, I haven’t read a lot of your blogs — yet. But I so appreciate your thoughtful, balanced, not overly nuanced assessment of this cultural challenge. Racism is real. The Bible is relevant. I am encouraged and challenged. Thank you!
Bob, thanks for the encouraging comments!
Bob…. This is excellent. Thank you for doing the work of reading and studying this issue to provide a well balanced document. I think you should send it to CT. I found it so helpful as all I have heard are emotional reactions from both sides rather than the thoughtful commentary you have provided. Again thank you so very much. I will read this again and share it. Blessings to you and Alice. Grateful for the work and writing that both of you provide to a weary and opinion besieged people.
Robert, thanks so much for your gracious and generous comments. I’m glad it was helpful. May you and Sara have a blessed Easter!
One concern that I wish to express is that the demonization of the entire white race, which is being carried on in many quarters, fairly invites those so accused to fight back in a way that will only increase racial divisions. This is especially true in a period of dramatic and frightening increases in violent crime. How can anyone be expected to ignore the stark fact that among cross-racial crimes, the incidence of black against white far exceeds white against black. In my assessment, whites as a whole have exercised remarkable restraint in avoiding such angry denunciations, but how long can that restraint continue? The conundrum that our nation faces is that while liberals urge various forms of social engineering as the cure for virtually everything that ails our populace, our problems have advanced to the point that there are no easy fixes left. We pay farmers crop subsidies to leave their fields fallow, but the goal is to stabilize crop prices. It would make sense for the government to pay individual men and women to undergo sterilization procedures to facilitate more responsible family planning decisions, yet both Republicans and Democrats would brand any such proposal as murder, genocide and other inflammatory labels—although not for the same reasons across party lines. Those who need to limit the number of children they bear or sire are often the same ones who exercise the least responsibility in that regard. I was in court recently where one case involved a father who had 13 children from 9 different women! What are the odds that any of those children will get the co-parenting that only he can provide, let alone the level of financial support that an underclass mother can rarely deliver?
John, I’m afraid the greatest immorality of socil engineering in hisatory has been in slavery and in practices of sterilization. I agree that some recently have made racial conflict more dangerous by demonizing the white race but demonization of the black race has been going on for centuries. Our best hope is to affirm all peoples as made in the image of God and seek to create a society that is just and fair for all.
Bob, thank you so much for sharing this concise, helpful analysis of CRT and the Christian response. It’s so well-done and I particularly appreciate the call to remember the value places on our corporate life. It seems American Christians are too often thinking just of individual faith and action, which is incomplete.
correction: “the value God places on our corporate life.”
Thank you! I’m glad you found it helpful.
Thank you, Uncle Bob, for demonstrating through your blogs that there are higher ways for thinking, compassionate Christians to interact with crucial issues and to lead. You are a lighthouse to Truth.
Thank you!
Bob, I was on IV staff in the ’70-’80s when you were in leadership. I just happened upon this blog through Facebook. I appreciate your thoughtfulness. As a fifth generation Texan and tenth generation southerner, I started facing and dealing with my own underlying latent racism as a college student over 50 years ago. There is nothing explicitly racist about how I have lived my life toward blacks or other persons of color, but this is to a good extent dealt with by my recognizing this latent piece within, so I can recognize, embrace and deal with it when I sense it bubbling up. I sometimes wonder if many of the conservative Christians who are so sweet against CRT owe some of this to the fact that they’ve never been able to recognize this piece hidden within?
Tom, I remember you and appreciate your honest self-reflection. I think the answer to your last question is yes!