In contrast to critical theory, Christianity offers an identity as children of God that transcends our differences. It is thus that the sons of slaves and the sons of slaveowners can be brothers. //

Everyone is condemning racism. There is no overt pro-racism side to speak of, and most accusations of racism are denied with apparent sincerity. But we do not all mean the same thing by it.

We may agree that racism is a perennial poison in our nation, as evidenced by persistent racial disparities, particularly between black and white Americans, but we disagree over what racism is, what sustains it, and how to respond to it.

Not all anti-racism is created equal, and the differences between approaches are more than questions of tactics. It is not just that radicals and crooks have used protests as cover for rioting and looting, or that people are bitter at experts and officials who promoted coronavirus lockdowns only to encourage protesters to flout the rules. Rather, fundamental philosophical and even religious differences are at work.

This is in large part because the anti-racism promoted by critical race theory and related social justice approaches has become increasingly religious, even cult-like. From iconoclasm to rituals of penance and humiliation, this anti-racism includes strong religious elements. These arise from a pseudo-theology that opposes Christianity. Thus, it is imperative that Christians fight the sin of racism both personally and socially, while also ensuring that when we address racism, we do so from a Christian perspective.

From a Christian perspective, racist ideas are heretical because they deny the brotherhood of man and therefore the fatherhood of God. Racism thus implicitly rejects the redeeming work of Jesus that restores us as children of God.

Furthermore, it repudiates the fellowship of believers through the Holy Spirit, in which we see a glimpse of a heavenly home that includes those from every tribe and tongue and nation. Racism is a heresy directed at each person of the Trinity and against God’s work in the human race from creation to eschaton. It lies about who we are, who God is, and how we relate to each other and to God.