Abstract
White supremacy and racism are some of the original sins of the United States, and coming to terms with this legacy follows a rather predictable cycle of progress and regression. In the most recent iteration of this racial reckoning, critical race theory (CRT) has been at the forefront of the backlash in response to advances in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts around the country. Notably, politicians have sought to forbid discussions of racism by condemning CRT as un-American and legislating its exclusion from the educational system. Some Christians have followed suit, with several pastors and Christian scholars arguing that CRT is incompatible with Christianity and should be rejected by believers. Some Christian denominations and Christian institutions of higher learning have taken similar stances, with several news outlets documenting instances of these organizations denouncing CRT and reprimanding—and potentially dismissing—community members who are perceived as embracing CRT or other ideas related to racial justice.
Romero and Liou assert that CRT—which they define as an academic discipline that examines how “US law and public policy have been manipulated and constructed over the years to preserve privilege for those considered ‘white’ at the expense of those who are people of color” (p. 7)—has many overlapping themes with Christian theology. In fact, Romero and Liou contend that “Christians can view some of the key ideas within CRT through traditional biblical and theological lenses and themes” (p. 17), and, thus, CRT is a helpful “bridge for Christian witness, theological reflection, and pastoral ministry” (p. 7). To that end, they call for “faithful and constructive engagement” (p. 21) and the book models this posture by highlighting the parallels between Christian theology and CRT. The authors center their argument around two examples—focusing on the similarities between (a) hamartiology and CRT’s tenet of the ordinariness of racism and (b) the doctrine of imago Dei and the eschatological vision of “the glory and honor of the nations” of Revelation 21:26 with CRT's concept of community cultural wealth.
The book is not without its shortcomings. One notable weakness is the minimal interaction with opposing interlocutors. Further engagement with Christian scholarship that argues CRT is incompatible with Christian theology would strengthen the book’s overarching argument and more fully model the faithful and constructive dialogue that the authors seek to embody. Romero and Liou appropriately respond to Paradise’s work on how CRT marginalizes some Christian Black Americans by failing to incorporate normative Christian frameworks (see “How Critical Race Theory Marginalizes the African American Christian Tradition,” Michigan Journal of Race and Law, 2014). However, Romero and Liou do not incorporate concerns raised in more popular work such as Baucham’s Fault Lines (Salem Books, 2021) or Strachan’s Christianity and Wokeness (Salem Books, 2021)—an omission some readers might think attenuates their current effort. Additionally, although framing the book around the Christian narrative of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation is ingenious, some readers may be disoriented because the content in some chapters could have been placed in other chapters. Yet the writing is so moving that readers may find this minimally distracting.
Critiques aside, Romero and Liou offer a significant resource to Christian educators. The book introduces readers to some of the foundational themes and tenets of CRT and makes novel connections to Christian theology, offering a much-needed contribution to scholarship on CRT and Christian ministry. Like the authors, students, faculty, and staff of color may find that CRT provides exceptionally useful tools and concepts to understand and talk about some of their racialized experiences. Faculty teaching courses on theology, sociology, contemporary social issues, and the Christian life will find the book ready-made for their syllabi. Staff personnel—especially in student development, chapel, and DEI centers—will benefit from including it in bookclubs, trainings, and discipleship groups. Similarly, board members would benefit from reading and incorporating the material in discussions of strategic direction and vision, especially before making claims of mission drift or establishing institutional statements against CRT or DEI more broadly. The authors challenge readers to avoid uncritical dismissals of CRT by presenting foundational content that is to be not only read but applied.
Given the growing polarization across the United States, the book may or may not be the apologetic treatise some desire or need to convince those within their Christian community who oppose CRT, but Romero and Liou offer an insightful resource that lives up to its goal of sparking more faithful and constructive reflection and conversation.