Among Christians (even many of my friends) there are different definitions of the term “social justice.” That’s one of the reasons the debate about social justice can be tricky.
Whether you like the term “social justice” or not, Bible-believing Christians can agree that God is a God of justice who calls us to act justly (Micah 6:8). At the same time, in a complex social and political world, we need to weigh what people are actually advocating for when using the term “social justice”, because it can act as a Trojan Horse that unloads unbiblical and anti-gospel ideas.
One such way social justice can go off the biblical rails is when it deals with Critical Race Theory (CRT). I’m convinced CRT is blatantly anti-gospel and a poison that can infect the church. That’s why I’m glad Andy Naselli tweeted a few helpful resources in thinking through CRT through a biblical lens (I’ve also added a couple):
Romans and Critical Theory Sermon Series by Ryan Fullerton at Immanuel Louisville (listen below)
https://immanuelky.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2020-01-19_ryan-fullerton_romans_critical-theory.mp3
https://immanuelky.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2020-01-26_ryan-fullerton_romans_critical-theory-2.mp3
Social Justice, Critical Theory, and Christianity: Are They Compatible? By Neil Shenvi (notes from a talk he shared at The NOBTS Defend ’20 Apologetics Conference.
- Part I – Introduction
- Part II – What is critical theory?
- Part III – Conflicts between critical theory and Christianity?
- Part IV – Logical implications
- Part V – Critical theory in the church
- Part VI – Advice for dialogue
Dr. Owen Strachan’s Series on Critical Race Theory
- Critical Race Theory: Is it Christian? First Principles (Part 1)
- Critical Race Theory: What Does It Teach? (Part 2)
- Critical Race Theory: Four Problems with CRT (Part 3)
- Critical Race Theory: Three Final Problems with CRT (Part 4)
Also worth checking out, Dr. Carl Ellis Jr’s article and The Incompatibility of Critical Theory and Christianity at TGC.