Curated content for the church
All of the resources that address racism. Visit our racism guided learning paths page to download our guides.
White men have had a monopoly on Biblical interpretation in the west and the United States for hundreds of years. The voices of women and minorities have not been allowed to bring their valuable insight into Biblical analysis. Dr. Esau McCaulley's Reading While Black is his attempt to add to the cannon of Black Biblical interpretation in the steps of James Cone, Dr. Martin Luther King, W.E.B Duboise and countless others.
Big Brown Army host DeCruz and critical race theory expert Bradly Mason have an in-depth conversation where DeCruz asks several honest, poignant questions about CRT. Mason has clearly done a lot of research on CRT and we appreciated his nuanced answers. We particularly liked when he pointed out that as Christians we don't have to accept or reject CRT part and parcel as we rarely do that with other issues. We also liked that he recognizes that before starting a conversation terms must be defined because the uses and definitions of certain terms can be very different to another individual.
Although the podcast starts off a little goofy, Phil Vischer, Skye Jethani and Kaitlyn Schiess discuss the wholesale rejection of critical race theory in a meeting between six southern Baptist presidents. The real meat though is in the interview ( where we recommend you start -- skip to 43:19) with David Fitch who says that critical race theory, and all critical theories for that matter, are good diagnostic tools, but they must not be divorced from a Christian view of justice. The interview provides a succinct, nuanced history of critical theory that does not throw the baby out with the bath water.
In easy to understand, straightforward language, Relevant Magazine's Tyler Huckabee details the incarnation of the war against critical race theory, the varying definitions and key tenets of CRT, and how Christians should respond.
Although the anti-critical race theory rhetoric didn't really begin in earnest until 2020 (hint: an election year), the groundwork was being laid back in 2018 by evangelicals on blogs, speeches, and sermons. Reporter Andre E. Johnson traces the roots and motivation of white evangelicalism becoming obsessed with opposing CRT.
Oak Cliff Bible (Dallas, TX) pastor Tony Evans looks at three aspects of critical race theory (CRT): the original definition of the theory, the crisis and confusion over it today, and how Christians should respond to CRT. Evans is a master at taking the complicated, layered, and fluid history of CRT and breaking it down into easily understandable terms. This is the best resource on CRT from a Christian perspective thus far.
In clear and concise prose, the editors of Faithfully Magazine list the core concepts and roots of critical race theory in addition to the inception and current iteration of the backlash against critical race theory. With plenty of opportunity to dig deeper, this article is an excellent starting point to learn about CRT.
Co-editor of Critical Race Theory: The Key Writings That Formed the Movement Gary Peller says that the vehement backlash against critical race theory makes is readily apparent why critical race theory is needed. Using simple, real world examples Peller details how CRT can help analyze social practices (policing, education) and how they are affected by racism.
Christian apologist Neil Shenvi and pastor of The Bridge Church (Brooklyn, NY) Rasool Berry debate the many definitions of critical race theory - what it is, what it isn't, the nuances, and the sticking points. Shenvi and Berry role model what is it like to have a conversation with a fellow Christian, but disagree about aspects of a certain subject. Skip to 2:45 to get to the interview.
Critical race theory is being used by many people as a weapon and many people are not taking the time to dig into what CRT actually is. Is critical race theory a tool that Christians can use? Absolutely. Is it a tool that Christians will use to direct church doctrine? No. As Christians we must be nuanced and distinct in our response to CRT.
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