Few modern philosophies are as debated as Critical Race Theory (CRT). On one side of the issue, it is seen as a helpful tool for undoing systemic racial injustice and bringing equity and inclusion to minorities. While on the other it is seen as a weapon playing races against one another and causing further division. Regardless of where you land on the spectrum, it is clear that CRT is influential in the discussion of race and justice. But when we take CRT, and the conclusions therein, a different problem arises. It is not a black, or white problem. It isn’t even a problem of race. The conclusions of CRT ultimately undermine, distort, and undo the person and works of Jesus Christ.

What is CRT?

CRT is hard to define. But Gary Peller, A law professor at Georgetown and CRT proponent, argues that CRT is the continuation of the Civil Rights Movement. He states that when the “white only” signs went down, racism did not cease and that CRT is a theory aimed at deconstructing the power dynamics dominated by whites in an effort “to understand how those subtler racial power structures work, how they often pose as “neutral” institutions in law and society, and how to undo the injustices they’ve been causing.” [1] Effectively, it is seen as a way to deconstruct racist institutions (government, law, church, etc.) and critically examine our society's understanding of race and power.

That doesn’t sound bad on the surface. It is good to examine areas of weakness and injustice in our nation and in our own hearts. However, according to CRT, all white people contribute to the racist system because it benefits them. And since, according to CRT, every white individual in the USA benefits from, and contributes to the systemic racism, they are all inherently racist. In the words of Robin DeAngelo all “white people raised in Western society are conditioned into a white supremacist worldview because it is the bedrock of our society and its institutions.” [2] The logical conclusion of CRT is the universal racism of white individuals in the USA and the West.

That statement is ultimately ontological, (it makes a claim about the nature of all white people). In this system, there is more to being white than being racist, but not less. For the consistent proponent of CRT to be white is to be a racist. And that’s a problem.

The Christological Problem With CRT

At the incarnation, there came to be a personal union between the divine and human natures in the person of Christ. Christ is 1 Divine Person with 2 natures, He is truly God and truly Man now and forever. This is necessary for the salvation of all people. Because for Christ to represent us, He must be truly human (Heb. 2:14-18) so He could undo the curse of Adam’s failure as humanity’s representative (1 Cor 15:22, 45-49). Because he is human in every way we are (but without sin!) he could take on our sins and credit us his flawless obedience (2 Cor 5:21). Because of this, He could die as the perfect, once and for all sacrifice (Heb 9:11-28) and rise from the dead (Rom 8:10-11). In other words, if Christ did not actually become like us, then he could not die for us. The Gospel hinges on the fact that Christ took on true human nature.

Now, both the nature and purpose of Christ have been denied by false teachers throughout history. The Apostles dealt with heresies right out of the gate and the early church was rocked by several. Following the Arian heresy in the 4th century was the Apollinarian heresy. This heresy taught that humans are made up of 3 parts, body, soul, and spirit, and that Jesus assumed a true body and soul, but that He had a divine mind (spirit) instead of a human one (Or, Jesus had a human body/shell, but his mind and thoughts were not actually human). This was officially denounced as heretical in 381 at the Council of Constantinople.

At this point, you may be wondering what this has to do with CRT and the modern understanding of human nature. Stick with me! Gregory of Nazianzus, who would be the first to preside over the Council of Constantinople in 381, wrote against Apollinarianism fervently. And his conclusion to the issue, and the last nail in the coffin for the heretics, was his statement that “The unassumed is the unhealed.” [3] If Christ did not take on a full, complete, real human nature, then humans couldn’t be saved. Whatever Christ did not take on, could not be redeemed. The unassumed is the unhealed.

Now, back to CRT. If only white people are racist due to their nature, then white people cannot be saved, full stop. The sin of racism would be, by nature, only connected to being white. For Christ to redeem white individuals, He would have to be white or else He could not represent white people. The unassumed is unhealed. Jesus is clearly not a white male being born to Jewish parents in occupied Israel under the authority of the Palestinian province of Rome (regardless of really bad art depictions!)

If we are going to make statements that “only white people can be racist” and that “all white people are racist” (because of their nature) then no white person can ever be saved because Jesus himself was not white. The unassumed is unhealed.

We cannot make ethical claims about human nature based on the color of our skin. All humans are made in God's image and are, therefore, due to dignity and respect. Racism is a wicked sin because it denies, distorts, and destroys the image of God in humanity based on sinful human prejudices. The answer to racism is not blanket statements applied to individual races, but rather the person and works of Jesus Christ. The Son of God took on human nature so that we could be made right with God! That fact alone breaks down all manmade barriers to true fellowship. Christ came to live and die for people of every tribe, tongue, nation, and race, and in Him there “neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal 3:28). Let’s not build walls where Christ has made paths.

Ultimately, there is no Gospel found in CRT, only perpetual guilt and shame. CRT is not a mere inconsequential theory, its logical conclusions strike at the very core of the Gospel of redemption and freedom in Christ. Thankfully God doesn’t deal with His people according to skin color (even when we so wrongly do), but rather according to the Person and works of Jesus Christ. The unassumed is unhealed, but praise be to God that Christ has made all things new!

1. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/06/30/critical-race-theory-lightning-rod-opinion-497046

2. Robin DiAngelo, White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism

3. Gregory of Nazianzus Letter 101.5