Commentary
For Christians wanting to understand political issues of today from a Biblical perspective, check out the EpochTV series, “Church and State” presented by Lucas Miles. Miles is an ordained minister and best-selling author. In episode three, “Pastor takes CRT to Church,” Miles talks about how Critical Race Theory and the Black Lives Matter movement has influenced the Church and what Christians should do about it.
Loving Others Doesn’t Mean Sacrificing the Gospel
Miles says that loving Christ means we love everyone because they are made in God’s image, not because of the color of their skin. However, loving people does not mean we throw truth or the gospel out the window. Miles claims that when George Floyd died during the summer of 2020, it threw the Church off guard. “With the world watching, many pastors immediately endorsed the mission of Black Lives Matter, without questioning their larger agenda,” says Miles, citing the black squares posted on Instagram for “blackout Tuesday” and even incorporating BLM propaganda and talking points into their Sunday sermons. Miles says it was only later that Americans began waking up to BLM Inc.’s real mission: to dismantle the nuclear family and the western way of life (these goals are all stated on BLM’s own website).What is Critical Race Theory?
Many pastors share elements of Critical Race Theory from the pulpit, which Miles believes is a problem because CRT is antithetical to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Miles references the second-century book “Against Heresies” written by Irenaeus of Lyons. The book was a manifesto against the heretical belief of Gnosticism, which emphasized personal spiritual knowledge above the orthodox teaching of religious institutions. The first-century church struggled to defeat Gnosticism because they didn’t understand it. Miles believes we need to understand CRT to protect and defend the gospel against it.Key Elements of CRT
Race is a Social Construct
CRT teaches that race is a social construct, and American society was formed and structured to oppress people of color and keep them from succeeding. That is simply not true, as the concepts of American rights and freedom are founded on equality, liberty, and inalienable rights that come from God, not from government. It’s important to note that the American founding documents are built on the premise that all people are created in the image of God. It is this concept that bestows all humans with inalienable rights, not their race or skin color.Neo-Marxism
Critical Race Theory is another form of Critical Theory, which is a Marxist concept used to advance the communist agenda. Critical Theory is a tactic that criticizes everything in order to cause strife and conflict and ultimately tear down society. This has manifested itself throughout history with the bourgeois vs. the proletariat, the rich vs. poor, men vs. women, Christians vs. secularism, black vs. white, and so on. Of course, there are real conflicts at times throughout history. However, this type of conflict is manufactured: exploiting circumstances that will advance the agenda at best, or orchestrating and lying to create a conflict at worst.Black Liberation Theology is a way CT has manifested itself in the African American community. Miles explains that according to BLT, there are only two sins an oppressed person can commit. The first is not realizing their oppression, which is why Black Liberation Theology attacks any person of color who doesn’t go along with a victim mentality. The second sin is to be nice to your oppressors. This goes against Biblical principles where Christians are commanded to love and pray for those who persecute them.
Systemic Racism, Equity vs Equality
CRT holds the idea of the permanence of racism, calling for a massive upheaval of society, or else racism will always exist. Systemic racism is the belief that racism exists in every aspect of American culture and every institution. CRT also believes in white privilege: that whites are born with an unearned privilege that is unavailable to people of color. CRT calls for equity over equality. Equity is equal outcomes, equality is equal opportunity. Equality believes that all people are equal before God, and American citizens also have equal opportunity under the law. Equity, however, says people must have equal outcomes, through spreading wealth, reparations, etc. CRT also promotes the concept of race superiority, urging society to deny whiteness as an acceptable form of existence and confirm blackness.What is Wrong with CRT?
Miles says that although these ideologies sound like they will help people, the reality is that Marxism, socialism, and communism have never worked, and “they will never work because they are based on faulty premises. Deconstructing the Constitution, deconstructing scripture, deconstructing the family is not going to do anything to help those who are truly struggling in society.”He also points out that there are plenty of white people in America who are experiencing poverty, homelessness, etc. as well. Poverty and oppression have nothing to do with the color of one’s skin. There are people of all races, backgrounds, etc. who have experienced setbacks in life. “This has nothing to do with race. Race is only a distraction to try to divide this country, to get us to fight about something in order to demolish this western way of living.” Miles says.
What Does the Bible Say About CRT?
The EpochTV episode also explains how Marxism and CRT beliefs are anti-gospel. Miles notes that the early church never made an effort to make Romans deny their roman-ness or anything of that sort. Jesus’ message was extremely inclusive, especially given the historical context he lived in. Jesus’ ministry was to include Gentiles into the family of God and make them equal to Jews. Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”Since the summer of 2020, BLM Inc. has been exposed for what it truly is: an openly Marxist organization attempting to destroy the nuclear family and usher in the trans-agenda seen today. Whether people understand Marxist roots, intentions, or tactics, by aligning themselves with Marxism, they are advancing the agenda. Marxism is anti-religion, anti-freedom, and has anti-biblical views on sexuality, family, society, and human rights.
Miles also notes that proponents of CRT have forgotten one essential aspect of the gospel: forgiveness. Where is forgiveness in a belief system that requires holding someone accountable for something someone of the same skin color did? Why doesn’t CRT offer white people in America an opportunity for redemption in society? CRT says white people just have to do the work to become anti-racist, even though there is no clarity on what that work is or a timeline on how long it must be done. The reason for this is that it is perpetual. “This is one of the many ways that CRT creates division. There is no opportunity for reconciliation ever to take place,” says Miles.
What If You Have Been Promoting CRT?
When George Floyd died, the left was poised and ready to perpetuate the narrative with propaganda campaigns. However, the church seemed unprepared. Many Christians were marching alongside BLM, posting black squares, or repeating BLM taglines. Most people did it because they feared coming across as racists or not empathetic. Yet years later, Miles says he hasn’t seen any pastors repent for promoting an openly anti-Biblical narrative. He thinks it would be appropriate for pastors to recognize and apologize that, while they attempted to come alongside their fellow Americans in support and love, in doing so, they unknowingly formed an allegiance with a Marxist organization.Miles says that if you stood in solidarity with BLM after you realized that the organization was anti-gospel, anti-family, anti-America, and was responsible for bringing down cities and creating division, then it’s time to recant and apologize. “It’s time to say, ‘Guys I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I rushed to a conclusion. I was wrong, although I do stand in support of people of color. If they’re experiencing oppression in any situation, I’m there for them. But this isn’t the way to solve the problem. Marxism is not the solution. An anti-gospel agenda is not the solution and it never will be, and it’s not going to stand in my church.”
Keep the Gospel Central
According to scripture, there is another form of oppression: the one Jesus came to save us from, which is sin. The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Jesus Christ became sin for us, and those who put their faith in God can be free from the oppression caused by sin and death. Vengeance belongs to the Lord, but the cross defines Christianity, which brings grace and forgiveness. Without grace and forgiveness, it’s not Christianity. The church is meant to preach the gospel and never compromise God’s truth or perpetuate a narrative that hates God.Miles concludes the EpochTV episode by urging Christians to stand against integrating CRT and Marxist ideas into the church. “Don’t go along with it. Don’t bow to the woke mob,” he says, reminding his viewers that “truth always wins in the end.”
Watch “Pastor Takes CRT to Church” on Epoch Cinema here.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
