Critical Theory vs. Christianity 3/4

The Struggle to Maintain White Male Privilege

There is a “resentment against those who might take their relatively privileged place in society.”

We have been exploring a christian website called Abounding Joy. Steve, its author, is a white, heterosexual, evangelical christian male living in the South. Although he’s on the top of the social totem pole and bathed in white, male privilege, he claims that he is the one being oppressed and attacked.

In a 2005 online article, Steve’s expressed his distrust and distain for secular humanism. In that article, in order to support his evangelical agenda, he grossly misrepresented what secular humanists actually believe. Now, he’s at it again. This time he’s attacking something called Critical Theory. The subject of his distain has changed but his simplistic misrepresentations have not.

In his 2005 article, Steve played the Persecuted Person of Privilege card. As we will see, in his 2020 blog he continues to play the PPP card. The word “oppress” occurs 35 times in Steve’s article. This section of Steve’s blog is titled,

How would Christians answer these questions and how would critical theorists answer them?

I have several issues with Steve’s blog.

1. Steve transfers the discussion of Critical Theory from the social sciences arena (where it belongs) to the spiritual or supernatural realm (where it does not). This might be okay during bible studies, but by comparing Critical Theory with Christianity, he has completely nullified any meaningful and reliable comparison between the two.
2. Being supernatural by nature, his “christian views” are based on unverifiable beliefs that must be taken entirely on faith. On the other hand, the tenets of Critical Theory have a historical basis and are verifiable. Unlike his christian POV, which must be accepted without question (by christians) and is not subject to change, the tenets of Critical Theory can be acted upon, prompting social change.
3. Steve is not exactly playing fair. Just as he did with secular humanism, Steve, more times than not, completely misrepresents what Critical Theory stands for. He’s playing a game of chess with himself and setting up the board, and making moves for both sides, so the white pieces win.
4. He plays the PPP card. Notice how many times he says that Critical Theory calls him the oppressor and wants to overthrow him personally.
5. He paints christianity as the noble protagonists in this melodrama and Critical Theory as the bad guy, who is painting him as the bad guy.

Steve’s words are italicized, and my comments are in parentheses. Steve’s blog continues…

How would Christians answer these questions and how would critical theorists answer them?

Who am I? 

• Christian view: A person created in the image of God. Christians are new creations in Christ. (unverifiable)
• Critical theory view: A member of a group, or groups competing with other groups for power. (Historically verifiable.)

What is my primary problem?

• Christian view: Sin (unverifiable)
• Critical theory view: Groups of people oppress other groups of people. (Historically verifiable.)

What is the solution to our problem?

• Christian view: Trusting Jesus. (unverifiable)
• Critical theory view: Activism. Overthrowing oppressors.  (Which includes him.)

What is my goal in life?

• Christian view: To Glorify God and spend eternity with Him. (Pie in the sky belief that is unverifiable)
• Critical theory view: To overthrow oppressors. (PPPC)

What must I confess?

• Christian view: That I have sinned. (What exactly is his sin?)
• Critical theory view: That I am a homophobe, racist, sexist, etc., because I’m a member of an oppressing group (PPPC)

(Boy, Steve really made this one personal, didn’t he? Why would anyone call Steve homophobic, racist, or sexist? Hmmm, let’s see. Have we mentioned that he’s a white, heterosexual, evangelical, male living in the South? It’s a mystery, isn’t it? Steve is playing the PPP card here. He’s claiming that he’s being judged simply because he’s a member of a couple of oppressive groups”. He fails to realize that his beliefs and actions are also a part of the equation.)

How can I be redeemed?

• Christian view: By the blood of Jesus, by repenting of my sin and trusting Him. (unverifiable)
• Critical theory view: There is no redemption. I can only confess my guilt as part of an oppressing group.

(Here we go again. Poor persecuted Steve.)

What is my primary duty?

• Christian view: Love, serve, and glorify God and love others. (Extremely pious, but also unverifiable)
• Critical theory view: Overthrow the oppressors. (which includes him- PPP)

What is truth?

• Christian view: God is truth. (unverifiable) Truth is what corresponds to reality. (True statement, but christians quite often deny reality). Evidence and reasoning can help us find truth.

(Another true statement, “evidence and reasoning can help us find truth” but christians have a history of ignoring evidence, using fallacious reasoning, and relying on blind faith to conclude that God is truth.)

• Critical theory view: Whatever the oppressed say it is. Scripture, evidence, reasoning are all irrelevant.

(Here we go again. Poor persecuted Steve. The “oppressed” reject his claims that he and his evangelical buddies have the only key to truth. He seems unaware that historically, oppressors have nefariously used scripture as a means to maintain their privileged status for millennia.)

What is the relationship between different groups?

• Christian view: We are all created in the image of God. We can all become new Creatures in Christ. (unverifiable) We love each other regardless of our group identities.

(How pious of Steve, “We (christians) love each other regardless…” I’m sure this is what christians want to believe about themselves, and what they want us to believe about them. Unfortunately, it does not correspond with reality. Do christians unconditionally love members of the LGBTQ community or for that matter, do they love liberals like me? I have my doubts!)

• Critical theory view: Groups are always pitted against each other. Some are oppressed. Others are oppressors.

(This is an historically accurate thing to say, but Steve grossly oversimplifies it.)

How should I think about Christians who are in minority groups but who reject critical theory?

• Christian view: We are all created in the image of God and brothers and sisters in Christ. (unverifiable)

(Once again, how noble of Steve. “We’re all brothers and sisters in Christ”. This simplistic statement allows him to ignore that black christians might have lives that are very different from his.)

• Critical theory view: He’s acting like an oppressor. – e.g., He’s “white” even if his skin is black.

(So, according to Steve, if a black person rejects Critical Theory, he or she is seen as an Oreo by other blacks! Seems to me that this is a black issue, and Steve, as a white man, lacks both firsthand experience and the cultural awareness to adequately address it.)

What if I find that the Bible teaches something I have not believed?

• Christian view: The Bible is God’s Word. (unverifiable) If I’ve been wrong, I need to change. (This is also a true statement, but we don’t see much changing.)
• Critical theory view: The Bible is merely a tool being used by oppressors.

(Historically, this is verifiable. Once again, we must point out that people have been weaponizing scripture as a means to maintain their privileged status for millennia. Antebellum Christians used scripture to support slavery.)

What should I believe about God?

• Christian view: What the Bible says about Him. He exists. He created all things. He is all-powerful, all-wise, all-loving, etc. (All of this is unverifiable.)
• Critical theory view: There is no supreme God. We have to exert our own power by overthrowing the oppressor.   

(First off, God’s existence can neither be proven nor disproven. The second part of this statement is true. Disenfranchised and marginalized groups do need to “exert their own power” but there are other ways to exert one’s power other than working to “overthrow the oppressor”. One can resist or stand up to bullies. Marginalized groups, such as the LGBTQ community, the BLM movement, and women, are not looking to overthrow Steve’s group of privileged white, males. They are seeking equality. As we will see in the next blog, equality is something that Steve completely fails to address anywhere in his discussion of Critical Theory.)

After thought

It’s highly probable that Steve was a member of the Tea Party. Francis Fitzgearld in her book “The Evangelicals” wrote this about Tea Party politics.

“What they (the Tea Party) vehemently opposed were programs, such as Obama’s Affordable Care Act, which helped the young and the poor. The distinction they made was between government programs they perceived as going to hardworking, productive members of society, such as themselves, and “handouts” that went to undeserving “freeloaders”—a category that seemed largely to be made up of African Americans, Hispanic immigrants, and the young. The context, in the view of the scholars, was an anxiety about racial, ethnic, and generational changes. Apparently, the Tea Party was yet another flare-up of resistance to change—along with resentment against those who might take their relatively privileged place in society.”

To be continued…

 

From Where I Stand

Dale Crum