Brian’s Reviews > Engaging Critical Theory and the Social Justice Movement > Status Update

Contemporary critical theory is highly influential on college campuses and among progressives, and is also moving into the church. Identifying unbiblical ideologies like contemporary critical theory helps us not only to evangelize non-Christians, but to equip Christians to recognize and repudiate false ideas, so that we can remain rooted and grounded in Scripture.

Unlike Christianity, “salvation” in contemporary critical theory is achieved not by grace, but by works. And that is one of the appeals of contemporary critical theory. We can achieve a right moral standing within the social justice community if we try hard enough.

Christianity teaches that we must confess and repent of our sin, so CT teaches that we must confess and repent of our participation in structures of power and privilege. Christianity teaches that sin must be atoned for, so CT teaches that our privilege must be atoned for. Christianity looks forward to a kingdom of perfect justice and righteousness, CT looks forward to a utopian society of perfect justice and equity.

We believe the allure of contemporary critical theory is best explained by its appeal to humanity’s innate religious impulses. Many people have noted the similarities between CT and the doctrines of Christianity. Just as Christianity teaches that all human beings are stained by original sin, so contemporary CT teaches that all people (or almost all people) are stained by their membership in oppressor groups.

It is sometimes incorrectly assumed that contemporary CT’s are relativists, given their indebtedness to postmodernism. However, contemporary CT is unavoidably realist in its moral outlook. CT’s writings are suffused with normative statements: “we ought,” “we must,” “we should.” These imperatives are taken to be universal and absolute, binding on all human beings at all times and in all cultures.

To say “all truth-claims are bids for power which can therefore be rejected” is itself a truth-claim. On its own terms, it is a bid for power which can also be rejected. Similarly, the idea that “hegemonic narratives should be ignored because they are stories that groups tell to justify their own authority” is also an attempted hegemonic narrative being told by a group (CT) to justify their own authority.

Contemporary critical theory and Christianity conflict not merely with respect to a few minor details, but with respect to basic questions of epistemology, identity, morality, and authority. To the extent that we accept and embrace fully the core principles of contemporary critical theory, we will have to abandon Christianity. And vice versa.

It is important to understand that while ethnic, social, or gender location, or a certain life experience, may aid in the understanding of an application of a certain text of Scripture, they are never critical to the accurate interpretation of any text of Scripture, that is, to the understanding of the accurate meaning of any text of Scripture.

Moreover, it unashamedly declares that God has all the power in the universe, is completely sovereign over our lives, and answers to no one. To CT, these totalizing, comprehensive, exclusive claims are utterly unacceptable. From the perspective of contemporary critical theory, God is the Ultimate Oppressor.

The Bible tells one narrative about God, about mankind, and about redemption. It provides us with one standard of morality by which all values and norms in every culture will be judged. It offers us one true story about gender, sexuality, and religion.