A Note from Ed Stetzer: We are launching a series on Critical Race Theory. It’s an important conversation today, since many are using the description and meaning different things. At the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center, we are committed to help Christians know and engage the culture with biblical discernment, so we are launching a conversation with, well, different views. As Christians, we want to think through these things together, and the series will include not just one opinion, but several.
We started with a positive framing, and will include others who are more negative, and some in the middle. All will come from evangelicals. And, it is important that we hear from people of color, and, in this series, not all people of color will agree. It’s a conversation— mature, Christ-like, and God-honoring. We hope it serves you and your church well.
To start it off, I asked Sitara Roden from my team to give us a framing article. Now, we are dropping articles, pro, con, and others on a continuum, modeling Christian dialogue and learning. Our first contributor, who will be sharing a three-part article, was Dr. Pat Sawyer, with references to be shared at the conclusion. You can read part one here, part two here, and part three here. Now, we will be hearing from D.A. Horton, as he shares a four-part article of his examination of CRT. You can read part one here, part two here, and part three here. Pastor Horton is a latino missiologist, academic and author, and his latest book Intensional, delves into ethnic reconciliation. I will share my thoughts at the endof the series.
A Missiological Assessment of IV
by D.A. Horton
In the final part of my series, I answer the five most frequently asked questions I receive about CRT. Before doing this, I want to unpack two nuances about my work. First, I view CRT as an available tool I, a Christian missiologist, can use when performing cultural exegesis.[1] My conscious is clear when saying I’m not compromising my assured salvation in Christ (John 1:12; 10:27-29; Rom 5:8; 2 Cor 5:21; 1 John 5:11-13) or Christian worldview when I engage CRT. CRT gives me opportunities to interact as a missionary in the field of education where Jesus has placed me (Psalm 25:4-5; 37:23-24; Acts 17:26-27). CRT gives me a platform to share gospel-infused solutions to its insightful questions, and calls me to address pressing social issues impacting the lives and communities I serve while developing resources Christian urbanites can use in their evangelism and discipleship work. I also acknowledge there have been times when CRT has called out ‘racism’ in society that’s been either ignored or practiced by Christians. To me, this is an opportunity to redeem our witness.
Now I’ll share answers to the FAQ’s I’ve placed in two categories: blessings and burdens.