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Wake Up: Critical Race Theory & Sin

CRT is not about justice, but vengeance; not about establishing unity, but sowing division; not about forgiveness, but retribution; not about impartiality, but inconsistent standards; not about peace, but strife; not about love, but hate; not about grace, but race; not about sin, but skin. 
 
 
This is Part 2 in our series “Wake Up!” on Critical Race Theory. Click below to view the others:
 
In our last blog, we began to look at Critical Race Theory (CRT) and pointed out how this ideology actually has a distinct underlying theology. The focus of this series is to explore the very spiritual nature of CRT (under the umbrella of which fall groups such as Black Lives Matter and related social justice movements), and how it mimics many aspects of Christianity by borrowing key elements of its philosophy from the Christian worldview. It borrows and then twists these elements in order to further its own unbiblical and destructive agenda. CRT contains distinct concepts of sin, salvation, and sanctification, all of which we will be examining. We will compare and contrast their distorted view of these things with the truths that are actually derived from Scripture.
 

Sin Defined

The first category we will consider is that of sin . . . yes, sin. Although CRT would never come out and state it plainly, it does have a distinct doctrine of sin. We as Christians understand what the Bible teaches about sin and seek to clearly define it. The Westminster Shorter Catechism defines sin as “the want of conformity unto or transgression of the Law of God” (WSC #14). In the case of CRT, they would consider sin to be any want of conformity unto or transgression of their dogma, assumptions, or beliefs. Their doctrine of sin calls for confession (owning your sin), repentance (renouncing and turning away), and contrition (ongoing sorrow for sin), with the hope of absolution and acceptance from those who have placed themselves in the seat of God (you read that correctly).
 
For CRT, chief sins include “whiteness” . . . yes, being born white; more specifically, being born into a world of privilege. As a group, the advantage of whites over others include cultural affirmations of worth, higher social status, greater ability to purchase, better quality jobs, and more opportunity to advance in society over people of color (especially African Americans). From this flows what is referred to as systemic racism: that is, racism is simply built into the structure of [white] society.
 
We don’t think about it, it’s not action taken or prejudices held, but is simply the way our society exists and functions by nature. So while aspects of racism are taught and learned, it is mostly inherited. If you are white, then you are born in sin, whether you acknowledge it or not; by virtue of having white skin, you are a racist—a sinner—by nature. You may profess to not be racist or have privilege, you may try to prove these things with empirical facts, but do not waste your time; personal attitudes, actions, and experiences do not matter according to CRT.
 
You may have grown up in an inner city neighborhood. Your best friend may be black. Your spouse may be non-white. It does not matter. Nothing short of “conversion” (i.e. being “woke”) is able to (hopefully) save you from the stain of privilege and racism. And by the way, if you’re a person of color and reject CRT dogma, then you are labeled an “Uncle Tom,” a sell out, a traitor worthy of scorn (i.e. Candace Owens, Thomas Sowell, Clarence Thomas, Brandon Tatum, Larry Elder, Carol Swain, Voddie Baucham, Samuel Sey, etc). Their voices carry no weight, their perspectives and experiences are rejected out of hand as being just another cog in the inherently racist system, only too blind to see it.
 

We Are All Born In Sin

From a biblical perspective this is fascinating because there is a scintilla of truth contained in their concept of sin, and that is that sin is inherent—we are born with it. The fatal flaw in their theology is that it is confined to only one group (whites) and that group alone can be guilty of the capital offenses of privilege and racism. CRT borrows just enough from the Christian worldview in order to justify its teachings and actions, all the while vehemently and ironically rejecting the biblical view of sin.
 
The Bible does indeed explicitly and emphatically teach that sin is inherent, that all of us are born in sin.
“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Ps. 51:5).
 
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).
 
“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12).
 
All of us, every single person ever born (save Jesus) is born in sin and that sin nature is extensive—it affects every aspect of our being, our heart, mind, body, and will. We desire sin. We seek it. We think sinful thoughts and say sinful things without ever having to be taught or trained to do so. We just sin. We act consistently with the sinful nature that the Bible says we all share. As has been so aptly stated, “we are not sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners” (RC Sproul).
 

Redefining Racism

The idea that a specific sin is contained to a certain group of people while others are exempt from it is patently absurd! The reason why CRT claims that racism is a whites-only sin is because they redefine the sin of racism. No longer does it mean hatred of another because of their skin color; now, racism has everything to do with power—power to implement and be a part of systems which are designed to put people of color at a disadvantage. And only those (all those) in the powerful group are sharers in the advantages of the system; therefore, only they are guilty of the new racism, regardless of what prejudices they may or may not have in their hearts.
 
The idea is that minority groups do not have the necessary power or tools to be actual racists. But what happens if and when they do gain power and are provided with the tools? Are they still incapable? Also, wouldn’t this make every majority group inherently racist, depending upon the makeup of a particular nation’s population? Or is this confined to only Western nations? But I digress.
 
The Bible teaches that all sin is a heart issue, a fallen nature issue, a sinful person issue:
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9)
 
“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Mt. 15:19)
 
“All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirit” (Prov. 16:2).
 
No human being is exempt from committing sin. Given the right circumstances and opportunity, we are capable of committing any kind of sin at any moment. To say that it is impossible for a person or people group to commit a specific sin is foolishness.
 

Guilty By Association

So let’s take a closer look at the two big CRT sins of privilege and racism. When it comes to privilege, CRT is not concerned with individual situations, hearts, minds, attitudes, motives, intentions, or actions. As a group, whites are guilty. Sin is not personal, but corporate; guilt is not by action, but by association. And as a group—because of privilege—whites ought to feel shame, embarrassment, guilt, and a sense of unworthiness for being born into such privilege (so much for self-esteem).
 
Biblically, what CRT espouses is rooted in the sin of covetousness; that is to say, discontentment with God’s provision, not finding satisfaction in Him, regardless of circumstance. And it is not only coveting something that another person possesses, but ultimately resenting and even despising that person. At the root of all sin is a violation of God’s moral law, and CRT is an entire system built on the sin of covetousness. Envy of what another person has (or what he is perceived to have), and hating him because you do not have it is the result of this way of thinking. Even if that person has worked for what he has, CRT will delegitimize it as being merely a byproduct of a racist system.
 
This is where the bait and switch happens, as covetousness is disguised as social justice; the white majority only has what they have because of a racist system that favors them, thereby making it illegitimate, and giving others the right to not only demean, but also demand retribution. This narrative of systemic racism coddles and encourages envy; and when the evil of covetousness is called good, the redistribution by theft is subsequently justified. It is not about equality of opportunity—which is well worth fighting for—but about a twisted sense of retributive justice.
 
For CRT, privilege is a cloak in order to justify the underlying sin of covetousness. It manifests itself in moral indignation, self-righteous demands for “justice,” and in maligning entire groups of people. It shows malice, contempt, and hatred towards them. It promotes intolerance, censorship of any and all opposing points of view, while at the same time demanding unquestioned fidelity to its own teachings. It legitimizes intimidation, violence, theft, destruction of property, and unequal application of the law. It causes division, strife, oppression, all in the name of justice. But it is counterfeit justice, unbiblical at its core and devoid of any virtue, nobility, or true justice.
 

The Partiality of Racism

As for racism, biblically it involves the sin of partiality. That is, favoring an individual or group over another, primarily over such things as skin color, ethnicity, or cultural stereotypes. It is pre-judgment and hatred of people based merely on assumptions of who they are, accurate or not. Ultimately, racism fails to consider the image of God—the Imago Dei—and sees people as sub-human, valuing them based on something other than their bearing the image of the Creator. It is a heart attitude expressed in actions of bias, exclusion, unfair treatment, intolerance, and outright hatred. Partiality is treating others with less dignity, honor, value, worth, respect, equity, charity, and love that being an image-bearer of God demands.
 
Ironically, this is exactly what CRT does to those who do not adhere to its dogma, making it no different than the worst of racist thinking. By assigning partiality (racism) to a particular group (whites), it actually justifies the open acceptance and exercise of partiality towards whites in the name of justice and fairness. So according to CRT, it’s okay to show partiality when it comes to whites, since their privilege and racism forfeits their claim to impartiality. By assigning these massive sins to an entire group, what CRT says is that whites deserve to be mistreated and hated, and that these things are even necessary for justice to prevail.
 
Once again, their own sin is justified, even though the clear testimony of Scripture is that God always hates all partiality.
“And I charged your judges at that time, ‘Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien who is with him. You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God’s. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it’” (Deut. 1:16-17).
 
“You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of righteousness” (Deut. 16:19).
 
“A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is his delight“ (Prov. 11:1).
 
“My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory” (James. 2:1).
 
Sin is not relegated to a particular group, but it encompasses the entire human race, and that means all of us. To say that one group is not capable of any sin is simply unbiblical. The Bible calls us inventors of evil—if there is a way to rebel against God, every one of us is capable of finding it. Sin is about our inclination to disobey our Creator, to transgress His law, to depose Him as our God and place ourselves on the throne, that we may justify our sin, even as we attempt to place a veneer of righteousness over it. But God is not fooled. He is truly just, and all counterfeit justice will be found out and exposed for the wickedness that it is. No one will escape the judgment seat of Christ, where each one of us will have to give an account.
 

What Is CRT Truly About?

CRT is not about justice, but vengeance; not about establishing unity, but sowing division; not about forgiveness, but retribution; not about impartiality, but inconsistent standards; not about peace, but strife; not about love, but hate; not about grace, but race; not about sin, but skin. Look at the damage it has already caused and the toll it is taking on relationships within the church, among family members, friends, and neighbors. CRT demands adherence and is simply not open to honest, rational, reasonable discussion. Nothing, including facts, statistics, and evidence are allowed to upset the narrative.
 
We can’t talk about the minuscule percentage of fatal action taken by white police officers against unarmed black men in 2019 (9 total cases). We can’t talk about the fact that over 90% of homicides committed against black men are perpetrated by other black men. We can’t talk about the fact that one third of the unborn babies killed in this country are black babies aborted by black parents. Yet these are the facts.
 
Make no mistake, CRT is absolutely antithetical to Scripture and is hostile to the Christian faith; yet for those who have become “woke,” it is the rest of us who remain in the dark.
 
Joe Griffo is Pastor of Redeemer Church of South Hills in West Mifflin, PA. Learn more about him here
 
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2 Responses to “Wake Up: Critical Race Theory & Sin”

  1. Curt Day says:

    I hope that the writer of the above article is familiar with all of the implications of commandment that bears false witness. Because if he does, he needs to rewrite the above article.

  2. Curt Day says:

    To Pastor Griffo,
    Below is my review of the above article. It helps explain my first comment:

    https://flamingfundamentalist.blogspot.com/2020/11/why-many-conservative-christians-oppose.html

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