Let's talk about racism and what idealogies are being taught in the culture today.
God teaches us that we are all equal in value and all created in His image.
John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Genesis 1:27
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
God sees the heart and soul not the color of skin or the race of the individual.
So how does the Christian respond to racism or the use of race in a discussion or debate. In order to achieve this we must understand the teachings that have emerged to what we see today.
I will first define my terms:
Critical theory- Critical theory as it is known today can be traced to Karl Marx's critique of the economy and society put forth in his many works. It is inspired greatly by Marx's theoretical formulation of the relationship between economic base and ideological superstructure and tends to focus on how power and domination operate, in particular, in the realm of the superstructure.
Critical theory is a social theory oriented toward critiquing and changing society as a whole, in contrast to traditional theory oriented only to understanding or explaining it. Critical theories aim to dig beneath the surface of social life and uncover the assumptions that keep us from a full and true understanding of how the world works.
Marxism: the system of economic and political thought developed by Karl Marx, along with Friedrich Engels, especially the doctrine that the state throughout history has been a device for the exploitation of the masses by a dominant class, that class struggle has been the main agency of historical change, and that the capitalist system, containing from the first the seeds of its own decay, will inevitably, after the period of the dictatorship of the laborer, be superseded by a socialist order and a classless society.
Critical Race Theory- the view that race, instead of being biologically grounded and natural, is socially constructed and that race, as a socially constructed concept, functions as a means to maintain the interests of the white population that constructed it. According to CRT, racial inequality emerges from the social, economic, and legal differences that white people create between “races” to maintain elite white interest in labour markets and politics and as such create the circumstances that give rise to poverty and criminality in many minority communities.
Race Card: race card is idiomatic phrase that refers to the exploitation of either racist or anti-racist attitudes in the audience.
Intersectionality: the complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, or intersect especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups.
Crenshaw introduced the theory of intersectionality, the idea that when it comes to thinking about how inequalities persist, categories like gender, race, and class are best understood as overlapping and mutually constitutive rather than isolated and distinct.
Identity Politics: politics in which groups of people having a particular racial, religious, ethnic, social, or cultural identity tend to promote their own specific interests or concerns without regard to the interests or concerns of any larger political group
Deconstructionism: a critical dismantling of tradition and traditional modes of thought.
Reparations for slavery: is the idea that some form of compensatory payment needs to be made to the descendants of Africans who had been enslaved as part of the Atlantic Slave Trade.
Ad Hominem: This occurs when someone attacks a person instead of responding to the argument.
Critical theory can find its roots in Karl Marx's theory that we have called Marxism. Basically in a simple explanation it is the idea that one group of people will in history struggle with another group of people. Whoever's ideas win becomes the dominant class. And this dominate class uses its dominance to control the minorities.
Critical race theory came out of the civil rights movement by more radical groups like the Black Panthers or Malcom X. This theory has impacted our colleges, politics, entertainment, social media, and news outlets. This is where the idea for reparations of slavery to its descendants comes from.
Intersectionality is what gives the race card its power. The race card will have a immaterial value system connected to it that gives the individual more credibility when speaking on different issues or a more sympathetic value.
Where as if the race card is played against you then your being judged on your immaterial value of credibility to speak, to judge, or if you deserve a sympathetic response.
Notice critical race theory is connected to other theories like the Latino or Female critical theories. Each have their own card under the Intersectionality score system.
Here is a fun example below. To see your intersectionality value take the quick tally survey.
https://intersectionalityscore.com/
Me being a white, straight, male, Christian I score a 11 making me more privileged than 90% of others.
Your intersectionality score: 11
You are more privileged than 90% of others.
Please give more to those less fortunate.
So I receive the ad Hominem fallacy all the time. For example on social media when I defend the unborn the radical feminists will use the Gender card and because I am a Male then this somehow affects my credibility to speak on such issues.
Or if I was to speak against social welfare programs and how they actually hurt the minority groups. The minority will use the race card against me.
Or vice versa if the minority wants to gain a political or social advantage in the debate they will play on their race, gender, LGBTQ status etc. Knowing they have more value than me and try to use that idea to ignore my actual argument.
You see this idealogy play out in politics all the time called Identity politics. Where the politician will play their card to gain votes or use the card to devalue other candidates while using the ad Hominem fallacy.
These are methods to help deconstructionism move forward as each group tries to degrade the system they disagree with. Rather it be race, religion, gender, laws, philosophical issues and so on.
Conclusion:
How does the church respond to such issues? Well first is to learn the idealogy behind such issues. Second would be not to adopt the destructive ideology into the church.
( example Southern Baptist Convention Resolution promotes Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality as ‘analytical tools that can aid’ Christians. http://capstonereport.com/2019/06/1...tical-race-theory-and-intersectionality/32583)
Ignore the denomination but focus on the idealogy being included in any church. As explained above these ideas are not Biblical and are rooted in destructive elements that if given space to mix they explode.
Once learned, defended against and thirdly now put the knowledge gained into action and begin to spot such fallacies and illogical ideas. And using this knowledge to stand more boldly for truth.
Learn, defend and act.
Stand bold
Hold the line
We are stronger together as one race, the human race and one body the body of Christ.
God teaches us that we are all equal in value and all created in His image.
John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Genesis 1:27
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
God sees the heart and soul not the color of skin or the race of the individual.
So how does the Christian respond to racism or the use of race in a discussion or debate. In order to achieve this we must understand the teachings that have emerged to what we see today.
I will first define my terms:
Critical theory- Critical theory as it is known today can be traced to Karl Marx's critique of the economy and society put forth in his many works. It is inspired greatly by Marx's theoretical formulation of the relationship between economic base and ideological superstructure and tends to focus on how power and domination operate, in particular, in the realm of the superstructure.
Critical theory is a social theory oriented toward critiquing and changing society as a whole, in contrast to traditional theory oriented only to understanding or explaining it. Critical theories aim to dig beneath the surface of social life and uncover the assumptions that keep us from a full and true understanding of how the world works.
Marxism: the system of economic and political thought developed by Karl Marx, along with Friedrich Engels, especially the doctrine that the state throughout history has been a device for the exploitation of the masses by a dominant class, that class struggle has been the main agency of historical change, and that the capitalist system, containing from the first the seeds of its own decay, will inevitably, after the period of the dictatorship of the laborer, be superseded by a socialist order and a classless society.
Critical Race Theory- the view that race, instead of being biologically grounded and natural, is socially constructed and that race, as a socially constructed concept, functions as a means to maintain the interests of the white population that constructed it. According to CRT, racial inequality emerges from the social, economic, and legal differences that white people create between “races” to maintain elite white interest in labour markets and politics and as such create the circumstances that give rise to poverty and criminality in many minority communities.
Race Card: race card is idiomatic phrase that refers to the exploitation of either racist or anti-racist attitudes in the audience.
Intersectionality: the complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, or intersect especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups.
Crenshaw introduced the theory of intersectionality, the idea that when it comes to thinking about how inequalities persist, categories like gender, race, and class are best understood as overlapping and mutually constitutive rather than isolated and distinct.
Identity Politics: politics in which groups of people having a particular racial, religious, ethnic, social, or cultural identity tend to promote their own specific interests or concerns without regard to the interests or concerns of any larger political group
Deconstructionism: a critical dismantling of tradition and traditional modes of thought.
Reparations for slavery: is the idea that some form of compensatory payment needs to be made to the descendants of Africans who had been enslaved as part of the Atlantic Slave Trade.
Ad Hominem: This occurs when someone attacks a person instead of responding to the argument.
Critical theory can find its roots in Karl Marx's theory that we have called Marxism. Basically in a simple explanation it is the idea that one group of people will in history struggle with another group of people. Whoever's ideas win becomes the dominant class. And this dominate class uses its dominance to control the minorities.
Critical race theory came out of the civil rights movement by more radical groups like the Black Panthers or Malcom X. This theory has impacted our colleges, politics, entertainment, social media, and news outlets. This is where the idea for reparations of slavery to its descendants comes from.
Intersectionality is what gives the race card its power. The race card will have a immaterial value system connected to it that gives the individual more credibility when speaking on different issues or a more sympathetic value.
Where as if the race card is played against you then your being judged on your immaterial value of credibility to speak, to judge, or if you deserve a sympathetic response.
Notice critical race theory is connected to other theories like the Latino or Female critical theories. Each have their own card under the Intersectionality score system.
Here is a fun example below. To see your intersectionality value take the quick tally survey.
https://intersectionalityscore.com/
Me being a white, straight, male, Christian I score a 11 making me more privileged than 90% of others.
Your intersectionality score: 11
You are more privileged than 90% of others.
Please give more to those less fortunate.
So I receive the ad Hominem fallacy all the time. For example on social media when I defend the unborn the radical feminists will use the Gender card and because I am a Male then this somehow affects my credibility to speak on such issues.
Or if I was to speak against social welfare programs and how they actually hurt the minority groups. The minority will use the race card against me.
Or vice versa if the minority wants to gain a political or social advantage in the debate they will play on their race, gender, LGBTQ status etc. Knowing they have more value than me and try to use that idea to ignore my actual argument.
You see this idealogy play out in politics all the time called Identity politics. Where the politician will play their card to gain votes or use the card to devalue other candidates while using the ad Hominem fallacy.
These are methods to help deconstructionism move forward as each group tries to degrade the system they disagree with. Rather it be race, religion, gender, laws, philosophical issues and so on.
Conclusion:
How does the church respond to such issues? Well first is to learn the idealogy behind such issues. Second would be not to adopt the destructive ideology into the church.
( example Southern Baptist Convention Resolution promotes Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality as ‘analytical tools that can aid’ Christians. http://capstonereport.com/2019/06/1...tical-race-theory-and-intersectionality/32583)
Ignore the denomination but focus on the idealogy being included in any church. As explained above these ideas are not Biblical and are rooted in destructive elements that if given space to mix they explode.
Once learned, defended against and thirdly now put the knowledge gained into action and begin to spot such fallacies and illogical ideas. And using this knowledge to stand more boldly for truth.
Learn, defend and act.
Stand bold
Hold the line
We are stronger together as one race, the human race and one body the body of Christ.
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