Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Christianity

Learning Christian love with and from Dr. Nathan Luis Cartagena

As a pastor I want to make sure I love my neighbors (Mark 12:31) of different ethnicities, who have been racialized into different groups, with discernment (Philippians 1:9). I also want to equip my Bethany Baptist Church family for their work of Christian ministry and discipling and teaching others to obey all that Christ commanded us, which includes loving others with discernment. I’ve preached against racism and ethnocentrism every year since 2015 at our church and have posted many resources on the issue here.

Many Christians in my circles debate the utility or threat of Critical Race Theory (CRT). Many have sounded the alarm, for example, the presidents of the seminaries in the Southern Baptist Convention, Kevin Deyoung on the T4G panel, John MacArthur and the Conservative Baptist Network. I think the SBC did a better job not being as unhelpfully alarmist, but I’m still learning about CRT enough to shepherd my people well, be a better neighbor, and follow Jesus in faithfulness to the faith once for all delivered to the saints.

Picture from Dr. Cartagena’s blog.

I have found brother and professor Dr. Nathan Cartagena to be an edifying and insightful guide as I’ve read, heard, or watched some of his teaching on this. I haven’t worked through all of this yet but I want to bookmark it here and post it for your consideration as you seek to live toward and for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Listen:

Four part- podcast series, Critical Race Theory with Brother Dr. Nathan Cartagena:

1. What IS it, actually?

2. White Supremacy in the US

3. White Supremacy in the US continued

4. Why it Matters for the Church

Read:

A series of essays by Nathan Cartagena on “What Christians get wrong about Critical Race Theory” (PDF) by Faithfully Magazine.

Article: Why Nathan Cartagena teaches CRT to Evangelicals

A Christian Chop Sesh on CRT:

1. Part 1

2. Part 2

3. Part 3

A four part series, “What is CRT?”

1. Part 1

2. Part 2

3. Part 3

4. Part 4

On Christianity and Racism:

1. The Church Invented Race and Spread Structural Racism

2. Christianity and Indigenous Dispossession

3. MLK on the White Church

On “Whiteness”:

1. Two Competing Visions of “Whiteness”

2. “Whiteness”

3. MLK on the White Church

Watch:

Faithfully Magazine’s video interview with Dr. Cartagena.

Nathan Cartagena on KB’s podcast: