THE EQUATION IN THE MODERN NARRATIVE IS THAT ALL FORMS OF CRITICAL THEORY MUST BE UNQUESTIONABLY ACCEPTED AND THAT NON COMPLIANCE = CONSPIRACY THEORY FOR CHOOSING TO ENGAGE CRITICAL THINKING.
Rev Thomas Littleton
7/15/2022
The last five years have provided shocking revelations of change in global culture, national identity, and human existence. Change is in the air BECAUSE change- social change is the business of Critical Theories and the normal -well paying employment of change agents. What the world is losing by a willingness to embrace the tools of the trade for social change is something it will not easily regain . And the church ,who seems well contented to go along for the ride, is losing something far far more precious …it’s grasp on the eternal nature of its calling and transformational hope only the Gospel has to offer as HOPE FOR A LOST WORLD and a tried and true alternative.
For those in the culture who are part of the growing hatred and contempt for Christians and the Church- the blame rest not only on normal demonic hostility but also lies with a compromised generation of church leaders who have aided and abetted the deception of the church with the same errors deconstructing the culture .
The WORLD has the RIGHT to HATE the CHURCH which DISPLAYS NO DISTINCTION FROM IT. Lost people rightly know that such a Church has betrayed it -as it has betrayed itself and its GOD.
CRITICAL THEORY VS CONSPIRACY THEORY
Talk is cheap and never more so than it is today. Critical Theories are the sounds which resonate from Marx and Darwin and Freud and the Frankfurt School thinkers down through the “hallowed halls” of academia and into the public sphere. Once saturated, public discourse can no longer thrive and free speech is simply a relic of the past. BUT far worse is that free thinking is also evaporated in the process and such ideals have vanished from those places they once flourished and were celebrated. ANYONE WHO DARES to indulge such outdated actions as critical thinking and “reaching one’s own conclusions is simply labeled a “CONSPIRACY THEORIST ” and a danger and a threat.
Christians have always suffered at the hands false accusation from when Jesus miracles and teaching made rumors abound in New Testament times -to their being accused by Nero of setting fire to Rome, to today as the Biden administration blames Christians who supported Donald Trump of “Issurection ” on January 6th 2021. But the damning accusation against many believers and their leaders is that they are no longer part of the accused but have become co-conspirators in the narrative.And some actually ARE THE ACCUSER of the brethren who commit to the Gospel instead of the narrative.
SOME DEFINITIONS AND HOW THEY ARE APPLIED
What Is Critical Theory?
“Critical Theory is a social theory that aims to critique and change society as a whole. Critical theories attempt to find the underlying assumptions in social life that keep people from fully and truly understanding how the world works.”
“These underlying assumptions, in the view of critical theories, create a “False consciousness” that actively undermines people’s progress toward a true democracy.”
“While Critical Theory is most associated with the Frankfurt School beginning with Horkheimer and Adorno and ending at Marcuse and Habermas.Critical Theory has extended to many other disciplines, such as feminism, critical race theory, and critiques of colonialism.”
WHAT IS CRITICAL RACE THEORY?
The Theory.
“Critical Race Theory was developed out of legal scholarship. It provides a critical analysis of race and racism from a legal point of view. Since its inception within legal scholarship CRT has spread to many disciplines. CRT has basic tenets that guide its framework. These tenets are interdisciplinary and can be approached from different branches of learning.”
“CRT recognizes that racism is engrained in the fabric and system of the American society. The individual racist need not exist to note that institutional racism is pervasive in the dominant culture. This is the analytical lens that CRT uses in examining existing power structures. CRT identifies that these power structures are based on white privilege and white supremacy, which perpetuates the marginalization of people of color. CRT also rejects the traditions of liberalism and meritocracy. Legal discourse says that the law is neutral and colorblind, however, CRT challenges this legal “truth” by examining liberalism and meritocracy as a vehicle for self-interest, power, and privilege. CRT also recognizes that liberalism and meritocracy are often stories heard from those with wealth, power, and privilege. These stories paint a false picture of meritocracy; everyone who works hard can attain wealth, power, and privilege while ignoring the systemic inequalities that institutional racism provides.”
“Intersectionality within CRT points to the multidimensionality of oppressions and recognizes that race alone cannot account for disempowerment. “Intersectionality means the examination of race, sex, class, national origin, and sexual orientation, and how their combination plays out in various settings.”[1] This is an important tenet in pointing out that CRT is critical of the many oppressions facing people of color and does not allow for a one–dimensional approach of the complexities of our world.”
“Narratives or counterstories, as mentioned before, contribute to the centrality of the experiences of people of color. These stories challenge the story of white supremacy and continue to give a voice to those that have been silenced by white supremacy.[2] Counterstories take their cue from larger cultural traditions of oral histories, cuentos, family histories and parables.[3] This is very important in preserving the history of marginalized groups whose experiences have never been legitimized within the master narrative. It challenges the notion of liberalism and meritocracy as colorblind or “value-neutral” within society while exposing racism as a main thread in the fabric of the American foundation.”
“Another component to CRT is the commitment to Social justice and active role scholars take in working toward “eliminating racial oppression as a broad goal of ending all forms of oppression”. [4] This is the eventual goal of CRT and the work that most CRT scholars pursue as academics and activists.”
The Movement.
“The Critical Race Theory movement can be seen as a group of interdisciplinary scholars and activists interested in studying and changing the relationship between race, racism and power. [5] This is crucial to understand in order to fully realize the goals of CRS in SPA. CRT is an amalgamation of concepts that have been derived from the Civil Rights and ethnic studies discourses. In the 1970s, a number of lawyers, activists, and scholars saw the work of the Civil Rights as being stalled and in many instances negated. They also saw the liberal and positivist views of laws as being colorblind and ignorant of the racism that is pervasive in the law.”
HOW RELIGIOUS MEDIA PORTRAYS THE THINKING CHRISTIAN
On July 5th 2022 Religion News Service provided yet another accusatory article on Conspiracy Theories and their dangers to society and the church.
(NOTE-The following article provides the perfect view of how the equation works – here is the narrative interlaced in the article- AGREE OR ELSE you are being taken in by the very dangers the article is attempting to warn you about. POOR you- the author is just trying to think this through for you …right? Which is exactly what is WRONG )
“Buying into conspiracy theories can be exciting – that’s what makes them dangerous.”
“Overcoming conspiracy theories isn’t just about information. A scholar of religion explains that the emotions they inspire are part of their appeal.”
(The Conversation) — “Conspiracy theories have been around for centuries, from witch trials and antisemitic campaigns to beliefs that Freemasons were trying to topple European monarchies. In the mid-20th century, historian Richard Hofstadter described a “paranoid style” that he observed in right-wing U.S. politics and culture: a blend of “heated exaggeration, suspiciousness, and conspiratorial fantasy.”…
“So how does conspiracy theory feel? First of all, it lets you feel like you’re smarter than everyone. Political scientist Michael Barkun points out that conspiracy theory devotees love what he calls “stigmatized knowledge,” sources that are obscure or even looked down upon.”…
“One of the most exciting parts of a conspiracy theory is that it makes everything make sense. We all know the pleasure of solving a puzzle: the “click” of satisfaction when you complete a Wordle, crossword or sudoku. But of course, the whole point of games is that they simplify things. Detective shows are the same: All the clues are right there on the screen.”…
RNS BLAMES CONSPIRACY THEORIES FOR THE ILLS “ANSWERED BY” CRITICAL THEORIES AND THE JUSTICE THEY DEMAND.
“It’s important to remember that conspiracy theory very often goes hand in hand with racism – anti-Black racism, anti-immigrant racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia. People who craft conspiracies – or are willing to exploit them – know how emotionally powerful these racist beliefs are.”…
“Conspiracy theories encourage their followers to see themselves as the only ones with their eyes open, and everyone else as “sheeple.” But paradoxically, this fantasy leads to self-delusion – and helping followers recognize that can be a first step. Unraveling their beliefs requires the patient work of persuading devotees that the world is just a more boring, more random, less interesting place than one might have hoped.”…
“Part of why conspiracy theories have such a strong hold is that they have flashes of truth: There really are elites who hold themselves above the law; there really is exploitation, violence and inequality. But the best way to unmask abuses of power isn’t to take shortcuts – a critical point in “Conspiracy Theory Handbook,” a guide to combating them that was written by experts on climate change denial.”
TO INTERPRET THE ASSERTIONS IN THE ABOVE NARRATIVE -JUST TRACE THEM BACKWARD FROM NARRATIVE TO CRITICAL THEORY INVOLVED
Narrative
Witch Trials- Antisemitism – Freemasons
Presumption of avoiding appearances of guilt- you don’t want to fall into this kind of thinking and be thought of like that …right?
Narrative
Paranoid Style or Right Wing
Presumption of mental isolation and paranoia – and right wing political extremist views
Narrative
Getting to “Feel Smarter”- by loving “Stigmatized Knowledge”
Presumption of being led to fill a “felt need and hold unique knowledge or insider understanding.
Narrative – (HERE COMES THE FULL ARRAY OF CRITICAL THEORY PERPETUAL VICTIMS)
“RACISM, ANTI-BLACK RACISM, ANTI-IMMIGRANT RACISM, ANTI-SEMITISM, ISLAMOPHOBIA, ( OF COURSE HOMOPHOBIA IMPLIED BUT NOT INCLUDED HERE) and of course a far reaching dangerous gang of conspiracy theorist- the “climate change deniers”.
So one clue for those new to tracking these accusations and plays on Critical Theories is that ALL occupy their place in the narrative because of the POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AGENDA which they serve. All the narratives drawn from the activist playbook of Frankfurt School theorist HAVE A CLEAR CUT role in advancing Global “equity and Justice and one of the 17 Sustainability Goals – and other progressive politicized agendas.
And you can always follow the MONEY TRAIL for those who have something to gain by spreading them like Socially Transmitted Diseases .
CRITICAL THEORY AND THE CHURCH –LOVE POTION NUMBER NINE?
In 2019 even the once socially, morally and biblical conservative movement of the Southern Baptist Convention bought into Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality by adopting a Resolution (number 9) “affirming ” these tools of the trade from Cultural Marxist Change Agents as “useful analytical tools along with the Gospel. Baptist Messengers voted IN the Resolution not really even fully knowing what these terms mean or how and why they were being added to the Gospel for Southern Baptist.
The Resolution had originally condemned these tools but was ALTERED BY THE RESOLUTION COMMITTEE TO affirm them – after they had been in use WHOLESALE in Baptist and other conservative institution/universities /seminaries and missions organizations for over a decade. The altered /affirming Resolution 9 just brought Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality into the RETAIL spaces of Baptist life. In fact Southern Baptist leadership had been priming the movement for CRT for some time .
BAPTIST ADOPT DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION -THE SOUGHT AFTER OUTCOMES OF CRITICAL THEORIES /INTERSECTIONALITY
This was 2019 and just in time for the SBC to take the next step and fully engage the Critical Feminine / Gender Theory driven #MeToo movement into its BOSOM. This five year plus process has proven a shameless display of using a trail of critical theory bread crumbs to move the SBC toward compliance with DE&I reforms and from a traditional /biblical faith / church / family roles for men and women .
- “Diversity is where everyone is invited to the party”
- “Inclusion means that everyone gets to contribute to the playlist”
- “Equity means that everyone has the opportunity to dance”
NOW LETS LOOK AT A CHRISTIAN LEADER CONSPIRING WITH A GLOBAL THINK TANK TO ACCUSE CRITICALLY AND BIBLICALLY THINKING CHRISTIANS OF MISINFORMATION AND CONSPIRACY THEORY
ENTER ED STETZER -BAPTIST “RESEARCHER ” TURNED CFR ACCUSER OF THE BRETHREN
Excerpt of Stetzer Accusations-
STETZER AT COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS WEBINAR
“So real quickly, and then I’ll close, half of U.S. Protestant pastors, in a survey that we did, hear conspiracy theories in their churches. Around one in eight strongly agree their congregations, or congregants are sharing conspiracy theories. We’ve defined it using Merriam-Webster here. So this is a widespread issue among congregations as well. They hear these things on a consistent basis. More larger churches are more likely to hear, older churches are more likely to hear as well. And I think one of the things we’ve got to remember is that people who are Evangelical, already have a suspicion, that the Trump administration tapped into and QAnon tapped into, and others, they already have a substantive suspicion, you’ll see non-Evangelical in yellow, Evangelical by belief, I won’t explain all that, but it’s a series of four things called the Bebbington Quadrilateral. They have a higher belief that the mainstream media puts out a lot of fake news. So we step into a situation where QAnon uses religious language, has engaged different people. When I explain to Christian pastors and leaders, I talk about different kinds of them. Some are attracted, some are advocates, some are apostles of these conspiracy theories…”
STETZER WAS ASKED ABOUT IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEES -WHICH EVANGELICAL ORGANIZATIONS AND MISSIONS MINISTRIES LIKE NAMB AND NAE/WORLD RELIEF HAVE PROFITED MILLIONS FROM OFFERING AID TO AND PROCESSING .
AN CONFLICT OF INTEREST OR INABILITY TO SPEAK OBJECTIVELY HERE?
STETZER:
“Yeah, happy to. And thank you for your work among immigrants and refugees, so essential right now. And there is a correlation, but not a complete correlation between nationalistic, anti-immigrant, anti-refugee mentality. And I don’t know the full answer to your question in the sense that, for me, on the morning of the 2018 midterms, this is the article that I ran in Vox magazine, “Fellow Evangelicals Stop Falling for Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric.” And I started the first sentence, “President Trump is trying to fool Evangelicals like me,” this time, it’s using the false that an evasion of a caravan of poor people marching through Mexico. So I don’t know, I share your concern. And I’ve tried to be a vocal advocate.”…. “we do need Christian leaders and pastors to speak up and out on immigrants and refugees. But I would tell you, that the National Association of Evangelicals has been consistently speaking in that space, and has not been listened to by many of the rank and file Evangelicals, who are being discipled thirty hours a week by their cable news choices, not by their pastors on Sunday morning. So I don’t know. I don’t know the answer. But I bemoan with you the situation.”…
ASK YOURSELF THE QUESTION
WHO IS CONSPIRING HERE ? iS IT ED STETZER WHO IS WORKING WITH THE OLDEST AMERICAN GLOBALIST THINK TANK OF DAVID ROCKEFELLER OR THE THINKING CHRISTIAN HE IS ACCUSING?
EVANGELICALS AND COVID RESPONSE
Stetzer, Francis Collins, Rick Warren ,NAE President Walter Kim and now defrocked Baptist Russell Moore joined the Global Pandemic Complex to promote the full spectrum of Covid propaganda and some have since been exposed , like Collins and key players in the Wuhan plot for a Global Pandemic .
CONCLUSION
So those in the church using Critical Theories in and upon the church have reasons to do so. It can be understood and calculated in political alignment- cultural compliance, non discrimination metrics to grant programs they are or wish to participate in , and in plain old dollars and cents. $$$$$.
Critical Theories are about accusation- guilt – systemic guilt -and about recounting convicting and prosecuting that guilt in the public sphere for political and cultural gain. Their application is about sweeping social change – reform -and culture chift.They are about compliance and a shift in the perceived balance of power- about empowerment of the underclass. Critical Theories have NOTHING TO DO WITH true repentance and faith toward God or hope in Jesus or forgiveness or the GOSPEL .Rather they are born out of the ATHEISTIC and God HATING SYSTEMS OF Marx and Darwinian evolution and Freud.
The Gospel and these systems cannot mingle.They have opposite origins and opposed outcomes and they run along parallel lines in opposite directions.
Never do the twain meet except in the modern sphere of a rotting culture influencing a dead or dying church which has nothing left to offer it …least of all the Gospel.
Believers Are Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”
14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
thirtypiecesofsilverdotorg 