CRT: The Works-Based Gospel

This week I was confronted with yet another news article aimed at defaming the POTUS, but this time the content was personal enough to warrant a response. This one was from Forbes.com and the headline read "Trump Bans Diversity Training, Claiming It's Divisive, Anti-American Propaganda" and I am going to do my clumsy best to explain why this headline is not only misleading, but a flat out lie.

Before I begin, I want to make it perfectly clear that I know individual racism still exists in the hearts of certain white people (and all the other colors as well, but we'll get into that later). This post isn't here to refute that in the least. This post is here to dispel the lies purported by an ideology that says ALL white people are racists because they are simply born that way. I ask you to dig deep with me into the core of this theory and if we come out on different sides, that's okay! I love a cheerful debate and welcome your insights into this as we all navigate these turbulent waters together.

A few key quotes from the article mentioned above are as follows:

"Diversity trainings that focus on educating participants about white privilege, critical race theory and the racist origins of the United States apparently create “division and resentment” amongst federal employees."

"In June of 2020, America was finally willing to look in the mirror, acknowledge the past and start the long process to make amends in order to move to a point of racial reconciliation and healing. The momentum was building and setting the stage for progress to be made. But with the Trump administration’s recent announcement, the racial equity that the country has been striving for will be stalled."

"Failure to acknowledge the impact of slavery and recognize how race, privilege and power work simultaneously to impact access and opportunity will cause racial equity to elude us."

"The memorandum states that the Trump administration is “fully committed to the fair and equal treatment of all individuals in the United States.”

It’s important to note that the goal is not equality but rather equity."1

First of all, is anyone else scratching their heads at this mystical time in June when the nation was poised to make amends and move toward racial reconciliation and healing? What did I miss? Apparently Trump is now to blame for ruining a (potentially fictional?) period of time when the country was about to kiss and make up. Someone help me out.

Second, I continue to be completely baffled by statements like, "Failure to acknowledge the impact of slavery...". I firmly believe that the vast majority of citizens in this country unequivocally acknowledge that it was a reprehensible, dark, sinful, disgusting mess of a time in our country's history. Also, I do know from my personal reading that white politicians did a dismal job of reconstructing the country in the years immediately following emancipation. That is absolute fact and maybe I'll blog all about that too one of these days. So, yes, there are certainly many things that our country has gotten wrong in the past, but there have also been too many great advancements and opportunities implemented in this country for ALL it's citizens to continue this narrative. It's just painting with too broad a brush and there are too many success stories being ignored.

Lastly, the goal isn't equality now. It's equity. I'll just say this and leave this one be. I am not a believer in socialist ideas and do not uphold those to be a viable option for bringing lasting happiness to anyone. Ever. 

Now, to be fair, President Trump did order federal agencies to stop funding trainings on Critical Race Theory (CRT). After this acknowledgement, however, the truth starts to breaks down. To be certain, CRT is not to be confused with actual diversity training. "Diversity Training" is defined as "any program designed to facilitate positive intergroup interaction, reduce prejudice and discrimination, and generally teach individuals who are different from others how to work together effectively."2 Who wouldn't be all for that?! Positive intergroup interaction? Yes, please!

Problem is, CRT has nothing in the slightest to do with promoting positive interaction, reducing prejudice and discrimination or teaching individuals who are different from others how to work together effectively. How is that possible? I mean the word "race" is right there in the name!? Well, the unfortunate answer is, in CRT if you are a shade of anything other than brown or black, you don't really fit into the narrative except in the area of accepting blame.

Let's dig deeper and really define what CRT is all about. I'll begin with two sources, one more conservative and one more liberal so as not to skew the truth.

First, in her essay entitled "Critical Race Theory's Destructive Impact on America," Dr. Carol Swain, the brilliant African American former professor of Princeton and Vanderbilt Universities and former Mayoral candidate of Nashville, states the following:

"Critical race theory is an analytical framework to analyze institutions and culture. Its purpose is to divide the world into white oppressors and non-white victims. Instead of traditional forms of knowledge, it uses personal narratives of marginalized minority “victim” groups (blacks, Hispanics, Asians) as irrefutable “evidence” of the dishonesty of their mostly white heterosexual oppressors. The ultimate goal of this theory’s proponents is to remake society so that the victim class eventually displaces the oppressors and becomes the new ruling class."

"It advances a narrative of blame that declares white America guilty for the plight of blacks."

"There is no way out for whites when it comes to race. Critical race theory assumes that racism is permanent and affects every aspect of our society, including political, economic, social and religious institutions. The theory further advances the belief that being born with white skin, in itself, gives unearned privileges."3

Second, in an article published by Distractify.com, whose "About" section on their site states "Distractify powers culturally relevant conversations by creating, covering, and curating what’s trending on the Internet. We tell stories with passion and purpose in a relatable and familiar voice, and believe distractions can be insightful and inspiring.", CRT is defined as follows:

"The UCLA School of Public Affairs also posted a definition: “CRT recognizes that racism is engrained in the fabric and system of the American society. The individual racist need not exist to note that institutional racism is pervasive in the dominant culture. This is the analytical lens that CRT uses in examining existing power structures. CRT identifies that these power structures are based on white privilege and white supremacy, which perpetuates the marginalization of people of color."4

To summarize Dr. Swain, in CRT only two categories exist: white oppressor and non-white victims which serves to advance a narrative of blame. This theory was developed, not with traditional forms of knowledge, but strictly by personal narratives of the victim group (the "lived experience"). The goal is to remake society where oppressors become oppressed and victims become the new ruling class. There is no way out for whites when it comes to race as CRT assumes racism is permanent.

To summarize Distractify, racism is engrained into the very fabric of America. The individual racist need not exist. All power structures are based on white privilege and supremacy, which in turn marginalizes all people of color.

Dr. Voddie Baucham, Dean of Theology at African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia, sums up the major problem with this idea that "the individual racist need not exist" in these terms: "You now have racism without racists simply because a person is a part of the cultural hegemony (more on this later) which is inherently racist against people who are not in the cultural hegemony."5

In other words, if you have white skin, you are part of the "dominant culture" and simply because of that, racism is in your DNA. It makes no difference if you actually hold racist ideas (which the vast majority of us do not), it only matters that you are white. However, according to Patricia Bidol, this wouldn't qualify as racism against white skinned people because that possibility doesn't even exist. Racism isn't possible unless one possesses both "prejudice and institutional power."6 This is the very definition of a no win situation for anyone other than a person of color.

It is a sad reality that I can be treated with all manner of disrespect by a person whose skin color is different than my own for no other reason besides my white skin tone, but the offender would never be called out for overt racism like I would be in reverse. Before you say, "Well, that rarely ever happens to white people." let me remind you of the "Karen" phenomenon sweeping through the nation. While I understand the origin of it and yes, I admit, it's hilarious at times, the deeper truth is that at the heart of the term is a visceral, race-based hatred that many times isn't justified or deserved by the white woman on the receiving end.

Let's define some other key facets of CRT.

"A major part of CRT is its presuppositions—which it demands you accept. These include:

• Racism is engrained in the fabric & system of the American society
• Power structures based on white privilege & white supremacy exist & must be overthrown.

These presuppositions are not to be questioned. They are asserted and acceptance is required."

"The only hope you can ever have of being (partially) justified in the CRT worldview is to:

1) accept its presuppositions, admit the inherent if unconscious racism of all white people & black people who disagree because of “internalized whiteness,” and

2) give yourself to lifelong penance by becoming an “anti-racist,” which means far more than you probably think when you hear the term. It is not consciously avoiding sinful partiality. Rather, it is a commitment to seeing racism everywhere in all people, rebuking it (& them), calling attention to it, & dismantling it. This form of atonement is lifelong."7

A quick overview. Again, racism seems to be engrained in the very fabric of American society along with all white people individually as well as black people who disagree with CRT (don't miss that important point), furthering the narrative that there's no way out. Lifelong atonement must then be made in the form of seeing racism everywhere in all people, rebuking it and dismantling it.

Several problems here. Not that I actually believe racism is engrained in the very fabric of America with no way to atone for it other than to just accept it along with your lifetime penance (which I emphatically do not), but there has ALWAYS been a way to atone for individual sin that has absolutely nothing to do with CRT. His name is Jesus Christ and He and He alone offers lifetime atonement and that through the shedding of His blood on a cross. It requires no work on our part to obtain this atonement, simply belief. There is no card carrying CRT membership requirement. There is no reparation to be made. It's just belief in Him because He alone is sufficient.

"The gospel teaches us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. It makes no exceptions based on one’s melanin count or adherence to certain ideologies. CRT divides sinners into those who buy into its skewed view of the world and those who do not, and who are therefore racists."

"The gospel provides full atonement in the once-for-all-death of Jesus on the cross. All who turn from sin and trust Him are justified instantly and completely. There is no need to do works—anti-racist or any other kind—in hopes of making oneself acceptable to some unknowable standard. Justification is by grace, through faith in Christ, without any works at all mixed into the foundation."7

So now that we're starting to understand what CRT really is (and that, in my opinion, President Trump was exactly right when he called it divisive propaganda), let's explore the origins of this ideology by examining the men who contributed to the development of Critical Theory in the first place along with the school in which it was birthed. Fair warning: this is some dark and evil stuff and I'm only going to scratch the surface. Ever heard of Karl Marx? Yep, that exact one. His ideas are in the very DNA of Critical Theory, of which CRT is of course a spin-off.

Wikipedia notes that CRT "developed out of postmodern philosophy, it is based on critical theory, a social philosophy that argues that social problems are influenced and created more by societal structures and cultural assumptions than by individual and psychological factors."8

Don't miss this. In Critical Theory, social problems are created more by societal structures than by individual factors. Critical Theory set up the perfect environment to birth the victimhood-laden ideas that define CRT.

Without further ado, let's meet Antonio Gramsci. Gramsci was an Italian Marxist who can be credited with birthing the idea of the "Cultural Hegemony." While Marx himself was an economist (i.e. "working class" vs. "capitalist class"), his theories were reshaped by Gramsci (and an additional group of men at The Frankfurt School which I'll discuss in a sec) and are now the very essence of CRT.

Cultural Hegemony is defined as "a Marxist philosophy" regarding "the domination of a culturally diverse society by the ruling class who manipulate the culture of that society — the beliefs and explanations, perceptions, values, and mores — so that the imposed, ruling-class worldview becomes the accepted cultural norm."9.

In today's world of CRT, the cultural hegemony generally refers to able-bodied, native-born, heterosexual, white men. Okay, but how does CRT relate back to Marxist ideology again? Simple. Just replace Marx's "working class" with "oppressed minorities" and "capitalist class" with "cultural hegemony" and voila! Classical Marxism has just morphed into Cultural Marxism and CRT is taking it's direct cues from this line of thinking.

While Marx was a proponent of physical (and violent) revolution of the working class over the capitalist class, CRT is a proponent of cultural revolution of marginalized minorities over the cultural hegemony. The hegemony must die, if you will.

"What will this mean in practice? Gramsci was clear that it will necessarily involve the destruction of all hierarchies. As one of his biographers has put it, the marginalized must “rouse themselves to bring down the entire hierarchical system that has prevailed in various forms from the beginning of civilization.” But the goal here is not merely a flattening of the system, but a flipping of the system; the creation of what Gramsci called a “periphery-centred society.” In other words, insiders must be turned into outsiders and underdogs into overlords. Likewise, oppressors must now be oppressed and those formerly privileged must have their privileges taken away."10

Are you hearing this correctly? You may need to re-read that a couple of times like I did. Underdogs into overlords. Formerly privileged must have their privileges taken away. Sheesh. Here's a couple other winners from our pal Gramsci:

"As Gramsci put it, “In the new order, Socialism will triumph by first capturing the culture via infiltration of schools, universities, churches and the media by transforming the consciousness of society.” The larger goal, however, is control of all the major institutions of political society as well (e.g., the police, law courts, civil service, local councils). Gramsci referred to this process as “becoming State.”"

"The only way to do this is by cutting the roots of Western civilization—in particular, its Judeo-Christian values, for these (supposedly) are what provide the capitalist root-system. In short, unless and until Western culture is dechristianized, Western society will never be decapitalized."10

Now let's meet the men behind The Frankfurt School. Briefly, The Frankfurt School was a Marxist think-tank and research center that was born out of a week long symposium that was chaired by the radical Hungarian Marxist, György Lukacs, in 1923. This Institute, and specifically a man named Max Horkheimer, can be credited with the birth of Critical Theory. A few key players and their contributions are briefly noted below.

György Lukacs

• Chaired the symposium that led to the birth of The Frankfurt School (which was originally to be called "The Institute for Marxism," but for PR purposes was toned down).
• Held a brief stint as the People's Commissar for Education and Culture under the Bolshevik regime in Hungary.
• While in this role, he launched a program with a very particular purpose called "Cultural Terrorism" whose purpose was “the annihilation of the old [cultural] values and the creation of new ones by the revolutionaries.” For Lukács, “the revolutionary destruction of society” was “the one and only solution to the cultural contradictions of the epoch."10
• "One of the chief goals of Lukács’s short-lived campaign was the destruction of Judeo-Christian sexual ethics and the weakening the bourgeois family."10

Eric Fromm

• Declared himself an avowed atheist at the age of 26.
• Wrote Escape From Freedom in 1941 where he "argued that early capitalism created a social order that bred a sadomasochistic and authoritarian character of which Luther and Hitler were prime examples. He also claimed that the authoritarian character experiences only domination or submission and sees all differences, whether of sex or race, in term of either superiority or inferiority."10

Theodor Adorno

• Co-authored The Authoritarian Personality in 1950 in which Adorno "claimed to have identified (what Adorno called) “a new anthropological type”—the authoritarian character. This character was a product of capitalism, Christianity, conservatism, the patriarchal family and sexual repression."10

Herbert Marcuse

• Redefined tolerance in his 1965 essay, "Repressive Tolerance" which states "Tolerance cannot be indiscriminate and equal with respect to the contents of expression, neither in word nor in deed;" and "But society cannot be indiscriminate where the pacification of existence, where freedom and happiness themselves are at stake: here, certain things cannot be said, certain ideas cannot be expressed, certain policies cannot be proposed, certain behaviour cannot be permitted without making tolerance an instrument for the continuation of servitude."10 
• "In other words, “liberating tolerance” means (and Marcuse is completely candid about this) “intolerance against movements from the Right and toleration of movements from the Left.”"10
• Marcuse is also attributed with saying, "One can rightfully speak of a cultural revolution, since the protest is directed toward the whole cultural establishment, including the morality of existing society … there is one thing we can say with complete assurance: the traditional idea of revolution and the traditional strategy of revolution has ended … What we must undertake is a type of diffuse and dispersed disintegration of the system."10

Is any of this raising any alarm bells? Does any of this seem like it might have had an influence on what we see unfolding right before our very eyes? Does any of this sound like the beginnings of what would eventually birth CRT? It should, because it did.

Annihilation of old cultural values. Revolutionary destruction of society. Destruction of Judeo-Christian morals and values. Take down of capitalism. Viewing all differences through a lens of either superiority or inferiority. The "authoritarian character" created by capitalism, Christianity, conservatism, the patriarchal family and sexual repression. Redefining tolerance to silence groups primarily from the Right. Dispersed disintegration of the system. Yikes.

A quick review of what we've covered so far:

1. Start with Karl Marx's classical economic theory of "working class" vs. "capitalist class" and his hope for violent uprising of the former over the latter
2. Birth the idea of the Cultural Hegemony which is now deemed responsible for the ills of the remainder of society
3. Create Critical Theory with the aim of identifying the societal structures that are to blame for individual social problems
4. Reshape Marx's classical economic theory into a cultural theory by replacing "working class" with "oppressed minorities" and "capitalist class" with "cultural hegemony" and create a cultural uprising by infiltrating all systems and institutions that the cultural hegemony is deemed to control
5. Take Critical Theory a step further by creating Critical Race Theory and further reduce individuals into two groups, "oppressed" and "oppressor," and espouse that there will never be a way to change your status because it is a part of your DNA, demand lifetime atonement and reparation from the latter to the former

If the hairs on the back of your neck aren't standing up, your desensitising is all but complete.

"Critical Theory was also indebted to Marx in that it took its starting point from his injunction to engage in a “ruthless critique of everything existing.” Like Marx, Horkheimer had no idea what kind of a world such criticism would produce. Yet he was convinced that it would “liberate human beings from the circumstances that enslave them.” Critical Theory was thus avowedly utopian, aimed at creating “a world which satisfies the needs and powers” of all people."10

In all honesty, a ruthless critique of everything existing sometimes feels like it's not a terrible idea. Leaders need to be held accountable to reduce corruption. Businesses needs scrutiny to reduce careless oversight. Even we as individuals need our family and friends to truthfully call us out when we are towing the line. But as we well know, Marx's comments weren't benign like those I just made. His philosophy was a malignancy that spread across his country leading to much bloodshed and pain. I fear that if left unchecked, CRT has the capability to spin out of control just like the Marxist ideology that birthed it.

On a more personal note, I ardently refuse to look at my husband, father, father-in-law, brothers-in-law, sons, nephews, pastors, co-workers and friends who are white men and unapologetically heap blame on them for being white men. Remember, it's the able-bodied, native-born, heterosexual, white male that makes up today's cultural hegemony and, according to CRT, they cause all of the hardships for the rest of the people groups that are not in the cultural hegemony. All personal choice is pushed to the wayside. Nope. This is blatantly wrong. These men also have "lived experiences" that are worthy of hearing and worthy of respect. Their positions in life were worked hard for and no one gets to tell them they are undeserving of them. 

Fellow white women who may tend to lean politically Left, this is just a reminder that the cultural hegemony also includes your white husbands, fathers, fathers-in-law, brothers-in-law, sons, nephews, pastors, co-workers and friends too. Just because a white man may be a more liberal thinker, he isn't excused from the hegemony group. According to CRT, he is still innately racist and oppressive and therefore must be silenced. Think about the repercussions of this before you throw your hat into the ring of a sinful ideology that you don't fully understand yet.

If I may, I'd like to offer an alternative to the severely flawed CRT way of picking apart society. Please check out the 1776 Unites project founded by the Woodson Center in Washington, DC. I found this group while on the Center For Biblical Unity's Facebook page and I was instantly impressed with their vision. They are a group of scholars and achievers, including Dr. Carol Swain mentioned above, whose aim is to dispel the false narrative that the American Dream is unattainable for those in minority groups because of their oppressed status. According to the Woodson Center's founder, Bob Woodson, who is himself an American civil rights activist, "No one or nation should be defined by what it used to be in the past, but the promise it holds for the future." According to their website, www.1776unites.com:

"“1776” is an assembly of independent voices who uphold our country’s authentic founding virtues and values and challenge those who assert America is forever defined by its past failures, such as slavery. We seek to offer alternative perspectives that celebrate the progress America has made on delivering its promise of equality and opportunity and highlight the resilience of its people.

Our focus is on solving problems."

Once again, Dr. Carol Swain states the following in her fascinating essay on CRT's destructive impact. I encourage you to read her full essay for yourself as you decide which camp you belong to in this debate that isn't going away any time soon.

"This flawed theory suggests that race and ethnicity will always taint and pollute every decision, and, as a result, racial minorities will consistently lose out to whites because of structural racism. The message is clear: If you are unfortunate enough to be born with black skin, you are forever a second-class citizen who pays a race penalty. Under this rationale, the most affluent blacks rank below the poorest whites when it comes to privilege and opportunities. We are asked to believe that more than 50 years of affirmative action programs and race consciousness have done nothing to change the trajectory or opportunities of people born without white skin. Critical race theory says every dysfunctional condition in black, urban communities can be traced to slavery and its aftermath. There is no place for the individual-choice initiative."

"What critical race theory actually “accomplishes” is to create anger, frustration, and despondency among persons in the victim categories who internalize the destructive message."11

In conclusion, CRT doesn't get to define you or me. It doesn't get to say I am stained from birth because of my skin color and it doesn't get to say you will never be more than a casualty because of yours. We HAVE to rise above this sinful way of defining one another! We are defined once and for all eternity by our Heavenly Father who created us in His image. Everyone sins! Every people group, every color, every nationality, every ethnicity. CRT would have us believe, though, that only one color is culpable. And the irony is, believing that lie is in itself a grievous sin! CRT is not the caped crusader that will save the souls of it's willing disciples as it disguises itself to be. It is a wolf in sheep's clothing ready to devour it's subjects down to the bone and marrow.

No one learns true love of their neighbor when they believe themselves to be without sin. No, it is the recognition of our sin that separates us from our Savior and subsequent repentance of it that fills our hearts with the desire to love others well, press into their needs, listen to their heart stories, etc.

Please do not be fooled, you are TOO important to me and to your Savior!

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1 (Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2020/09/05/trump-bans-diversity-training-claiming-its-divisive-anti-american-propaganda/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Valerie%2F&fbclid=IwAR1p5WEtDGlErnxshZKn1MSiE0dVU9g2g4BUpWqmWJ1E5nh1s1ApOBRT398#4890caa765ce)

2 (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity_training)

3 (Source: https://1776unites.com/featured-essays/critical-race-theorys-destructive-impact-on-america/)

4 (Source: https://www.distractify.com/p/trump-bans-critical-race-theory)

5 (Source: https://founders.org/sermons/cultural-marxism/)

6 (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prejudice_plus_power)

7 (Source: https://founders.org/2020/09/07/a-brief-critique-of-critical-race-theory/)

8 (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_race_theory)

9 (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_hegemony)

10 (Source: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/article/cultural-marxism-imaginary-conspiracy-or-revolutionary-reality/)

11 (Source: https://1776unites.com/featured-essays/critical-race-theorys-destructive-impact-on-america/)