What does CRT have to do with Christianity?

Faith & Science Conversation
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It seems that ‘marxism’ is a bit of a boogeyman man tactic in this conversation… especially in the US. How exactly is CRT neo-Marxist? And given that Marxism is not monolithic, which form Marxism is it reviving?

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On an aside, you might find that people are more likely to engage with your video if you provide a summary of the key point(s) or a couple of important quotes. Simply saying ‘hey watch this video’ doesn’t get one very far here. That’s not a criticism, but an observation to help increase your chance of constructive engagement.

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107

Agree to disagree. Who we choose to listen to on controversial topics that bring out biases is important. I don’t really trust Jordan Peterson.

That’s stupid, frankly. It doesn’t get any more brilliant the more often the alt-right repeats it.

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The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.
Who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9

They lie awake at night to hatch their evil plots, always planning their schemes of darkness, and never once do they consider the evil of their ways Psalm 36:4

For they cannot rest until they do evil;
they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble. Proverbs 4:16

We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 1 John 5:19

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44

Evil can be brilliant, respectable, well spoken and lauded. And according to scripture, evil is systemic, and there are some who live to promote it. Yet often we claim not to see it.

But evil is not an academic issue; it is an existential and spiritual issue. It can’t be studied in a lab or researched by a PhD scientist—“science says” or “research shows.” It can best be understood through scripture and those who honor it. Many go into academia to shield themselves from the absolute nature of reality, including the evil in the world. Yet we go to academics for their wisdom on spiritual issues.

So while we discuss the various kinds of CRT and Marxism vs. communism, the question still remains— what does the Bible say about what our children are taught in school? “We argue over tweedle dee and tweedle dum, while the world goes to hell in a handbasket.”—Leonard Ravenhill Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. 2 Timothy 2:14

When “anti-racism” was identified as actually racism, that was dismissed out of hand. But Satan and his followers do lie through the way they pervert words. Speaking in lies is their native tongue: Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Isaiah 5:20. So the concern raised needs to be given serious consideration.

Bottom line is that many of our children are being sexualized and racialized (taught that the color of their skin is the most important thing about them; oppressors and oppressed) in our schools. These children are being spiritually and emotionally abused in our schools. The nature of the unregenerate man is focused toward evil. So why deny it, or ignore it and close our eyes?

What we must do is to call on the living God through prayer and repentance, and ask him to intervene on our behalf and particularly on behalf of our nation’s children— and then act as the Holy Spirit prompts us.

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Why is that stupid? The devil lies all the time and perverts the meaning of words. And he has lots of followers. When they lie, they are speaking their native language. They change evil for good and good for evil.

So the issue is not “stupid.” It is whether someone has actually relabeled racism as anti racism.

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I would like to add that this is well poisoning and guilt by association. For starters, it isn’t only alt-right morons saying this; Bret Weinstein, Jordan Peterson, James Linsday, Helen Pluckrose, and Gad Saad are nowhere near far-right yet have made this point. It is also important to keep in mind that just because alt-righters (hypocritically) say this and someone could agree with them (and only on this point), this neither means that they are wrong, nor does it mean that anyone who agrees with this one point would agree with anything else these people espouse; for example, I would agree with Slavoj Zizek that American Imperialism is a plague on this Earth, but that does not mean for a second that I am a Communist.

To address you Craig, what is important to remember is that many of the people you will encounter online and on the street that are sympathetic toward CRT are just normal people like you and me, simply wishing to address very real problems with this country (I’m assuming you’re American), and if you want to engage in conversations with them about this, always be sure to come from a place of love.

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Because it intentionally ignores or misconstrues the motivations behind anti-racism (justice and a more equitable society) and pivots the conversation to white grievances.

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This quote popped up in my email summary and i wanted to respond… This is the height of a “begging the question” fallacy, and entails an implicit straw man as well, I’m afraid. Defining the position you are defending in such terms as to automatically win any debate, with the obvious implication that those who oppose your position are “against” justice and equity?

I could just as easily say, “I see no reason why Christians should have voted against Donald Trump’s re-election… why would Christians oppose the idea that we should be working for justice and equity for all as Mr. Trump’s position entailed?”

But if I offered it that way, many would be quick to point out that the very dispute or debate was as to whether voting for Mr. Trump was or was not supporting or hindering such justice and equity, and they would see my choice of words as an blatantly obvious question begging attempt to define the terms of the debate.

the question isn’t whether we should or should not be “working for justice for all”, as if opponents of CRT have explicitly written on their position papers, “we only want to work for justice and equity for some”.

The very concern that opponents of CRT are proffering is that CRT is inherently unjust, and in fact remains an obstacle to achieving a more equitable society. trying to frame the debate by claiming that one’s own position “is” the position that supports justice and equity, with the obvious implication that opposing your position means that you must be against “working for justice and equity for all”, seems unhelpful in the extreme, and rather uncharitable toward those who hold opposing views.

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I believe that the vast majority of the people “holding opposing views” are parroting people who are not good faith actors, people who are intentionally mispresenting things to serve their own political agendas, and people who themselves are engaged in strawmanship of the worst kinds. I do not feel one bit charitable toward the anti-antiracist crowd. I think they are harmful and that when they spout their “anti-racism is the real racism” nonsense in connection with their Christianity, they do damage to the church’s witness and the cause of the gospel.

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Satan often changes labels–good for evil and evil for good. How do you know he hasn’t in this case, using “anti-racism” for actual racism? And of course the “not good faith actors” is a sword that cuts both ways, doesn’t it?

How do you know it is misrepresentation? Thousands of parents who had an opportunity to listen in during the pandemic say it isn’t. Dividing children into oppressor and oppressed classes is wrong. Teaching that the melanin content of one’s skin is the most important way to identify a child is divisive and evil. Do you disagree?

Tell the grandma whose 10 year old granddaughter who threatened suicide when her friends with different skin color told her they couldn’t be friends anymore after racial identity classes–that her concerns are just a “strawman.” Tell her and other parents whose children have been seriously injured that it’s just political partisanship to oppose this. To demean people who are concerned about what is actually happening is unjustifiable.

It’s a question of truth. And it seems that in many schools, what the parents are justifiably concerned about is really happening. Avoiding the truth is a very dangerous act.

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Fair enough, but I believe that the vast majority of the people “holding pro-CRT views” are parroting people who are not good faith actors, people who are intentionally mispresenting things to serve their own political agendas, and people who themselves are engaged in strawmanship of the worst kinds. I do not feel one bit charitable toward the pro-CRT crowd. I think they are harmful and that when they spout their “anti-CRT is the real racism” nonsense in connection with their Christianity, they do damage to the church’s witness and the cause of the gospel.

See how unproductive it is to utilize ad-hominem arguments rather than discussing the actual points of debate?

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118

Truly, Truly–Amen, Amen.

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Lets consider critical theory and intersectionality as larger in scale but also understanding CRT.

There are serious and generational abuses of power towards multiple transsectional groups.

Telling elementary school children that they are an oppressor class is weird, inappropriate, and not really following the systemic approach.

Teaching the brutality and shittiness of human history according to development is appropriate. By high school, understanding systems and multiple ideas on sociological forces is appropriate and helps build critical thought and understand the nuanced nature of life.

Understanding through an intersectional approach allows for incorporation of culture, family, and a whole matrix of factors and can be done in extremely positive ways. It is not evil nor a lie.

As for societal issues, it has been clear that simple non-discrimination is insufficient to deal with many issues. These are not single sided and equity may need some dynamic distributio s just as inequity persists in different levels. First pass the post system which largely leads to two overly dominant parties is unjust and not representative. This effects all and those with less overall power the most.

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Because I am a smart person with reading comprehension in the 99th percentile who has done grad school level course work in critical theory and I have read many pages of commentary from informed people with doctorates on critical race theory and the current cultural pheomenon. I am an informed person on this issue.

This is an example of the Chris Rufo strategy of finding the craziest thing you can (probably not even portraying it accurately), slapping a CRT label on it, and using it to foment fear and anger among ignorant people. It’s stupid culture war stuff, I’m not going to even engage. I heard a pastor tell a congregation people needed to get on school boards because the Illinois curriculum included teaching consent to kindergartners. He said that meant they were teaching kindergartners to be sexually active as long as they had consent. I don’t know what ignorant culture warrior told him that or if it was his own misguided assumption, but it’s not even close to what teaching consent to kindergartners actually means. What is actually part of the curriculum is basic bodily autonomy and good touch/bad touch child abuse prevention. I frankly do not believe that these horror stories shared on conservative media are actually correctly representing what goes on in schools most of the time. And there are an equal number of anecdotes of banning Rosa Parks books because it hurt a white kid’s feelings.

It’s not an ad hominen argument, it’s me flat out dismissing people as not worth listening to at all. I put the anti-woke crowd in the same box as white nationalists, patriarchy proponents, slavery apologists, and neo-fascists. Their ideas are toxic and I am not obligated to “listen charitably” to them. I can decide they aren’t credible or worth listening to at all. What I consider discernment is what you consider closed-mindedness. I don’t care. I’m not interested in discussing their points because I have already decided they are informed by manipulative liars and I don’t accept their assessment of reality. I trust my own judgment (in all senses of that word.)

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121

I suppose you have the right to feel this way, but might I humbly offer a few suggestions when discussing this topic with those who hold an opposing viewpoint…

  • Focus on discussing other people’s ideas, not on evaluating their character, faith, communication style, or perceived “tone.” Please avoid attributing beliefs, motivations, or attitudes to others.

  • Be willing to learn from the perspectives and expertise of others and respect the diversity of your conversation partners. This includes being sensitive to differences in educational backgrounds, faith traditions, cultural contexts, and levels of English language fluency.

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For those acting as though there are two equally-valid sides to this conversation, this is no exaggeration. This is exactly what Rufo set out to do.

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We need a rational dialogue in the USA. Rufo seems to be committed to block this. Shame on him.

We need to listen to each other and to condemn those politicians and others who hinder this process. They do not act out of faith in God. What are they afraid of?

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What does CRT have to do with Christianity?

That depends. Does Christianity have anything to do with atonement for transgressions, concern for the wellness of all or basic fairness? If not, then nothing at all.

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125

I was thinking of almost the same thing.

Christ spoke up against needless suffering. So anything about abuse has to do with societal problems.

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