The protests and the rioting and looting that have broken out in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of a group of police officers have once again brought the issue of racism to the fore in American society. It is clear that racism is a sin; in fact, I would argue it is akin to idolatry and amounts to a direct insult to God himself. But what does that mean for Christians today, in the current cultural climate? There are different definitions of racism and different ways to oppose it; are the current movements compatible with biblical truth? What are the ideas that inform organizations like Black Lives Matter that lead the anti-racism movement, and how do we evaluate them from a biblical perspective?
Next Wednesday, I will be doing a webinar addressing these questions. We will look at the development of Critical Theory, the worldview held by the protest leaders along with many feminists, LGBTQIA+ advocates, and other “allies,” and the ideas about identity, race, and racism that it espouses. We will then evaluate Critical Theory from the perspective of biblical teachings about human nature and society and propose an alternate, biblically informed way of dealing with the very real problems of race in America.
The webinar is free but space is limited. To register, follow this link.
I value that this will be helpful in informing me in a much better and grounded way.
I think it’s fair to also assess not only theories but history. Because the church tends to fall back on theories and “doctrines” that validate silence, we still live in a world of systemic racism today. Instead, we need to examine ourselves humbly and have compassion for those who suffer. Why are love and compassion not the response to the hurt of a people who feel invalidated, oppressed and literally hunted down? It was not too long ago that lynching a black man in America for little more than looking at a white woman was acceptable (and often a community-wide event). Where was the church? We need to be on the right side of history on this issue or the world will only see us as those who really only care about theories and doctrines-not people. Also, please remember that some of us Colson Fellows are also black, and we are hurting.
I understand and appreciate what you are saying. The question is, in the face of racism and injustice, what is the appropriate (read biblical) response? Although Critical Race Theory presents itself as the only alternative, the only solution to racism, it isn’t. In many important ways it is antithetical to the principles that led the Civil Rights Movement in the ’60s, which was anchored far more in the historic Christian tradition than what we’re seeing today.
Yes, history counts, and I’m not convinced that white evangelicalism has any moral high ground here from which to critique other people’s reasoning. In 58 years I never heard a sermon against racism till I found the Episcopalians. Silence. No study groups, no prayer meetings, no conferences, no action plans, no raising of funds, no nothing. Abortion was the only thing we opposed and really worked on.
As for world view, protesters don’t have to be theistic, and even within Christian theism we don’t need thought conformity.
The truth is, I cringed at your description of racism as a form of idolatry and an insult to God. How do you skip over the human piece? Anti black racism is abusive and cruel. It wrecks human lives. It is crudely proud and superior. It kills people. I agree with Johanna that there is a weird tendency in conservative theological circles to address it as if it were a just a false doctrine. Just a thought error. If there were no deity, racism would still be abusive, cruel, and wrong.
Considering how seriously God takes idolatry, I’d think the comparison would show just how serious racism is as a sin, particularly since I’m addressing an overwhelmingly Christian audience. When I’ve made that comment to black pastors, their response has been “That’ll preach.” They understood that making that point doesn’t lessen the evil of racism, it highlights just how bad it really is.