Critical Race Theory (CRT) has been the subject of much criticism over the past decade or so, especially among North American evangelical Christians. Robert Chao Romero and Jeff Liou’s Christianity and Critical Race Theory: A Faithful and Constructive Conversation, as the subtitle indicates, engages the topic in faithful and constructive ways. The work seeks to facilitate a fruitful dialogue between CRT, Scripture, and Christian theology, and does not require any prior knowledge of CRT.
Beginning with an introduction to CRT, the authors follow Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic’s classic definition of the movement, explaining that CRT “examines the intersection of race, racism, and US law and policy. In other words, it looks at how US laws 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” (7). The posture the authors take is that CRT can be a helpful framework for theological discourse and Christian ministry. Nonetheless, Romero and Liou are also at times critical, pointing out the limits of CRT, and explaining where it is incongruent with the (evangelical) Christian tradition. To this end, the authors employ the biblical metanarrative of “creation,” “fall,” “redemption,” and “consummation” as a useful map to assess the four main tenets of CRT: 1) “Racism is ordinary”; 2) “Interest convergence or material determinism”; 3) “The social construction thesis”; and 4) “The voice of color thesis” (9-10).
Since the book is a collaborative effort, Romero and Liu each take chapters to engage one tenet of CRT. In the book’s first chapter (“Creation”) Romero maintains that the CRT vision of community cultural wealth is in continuity with the vision of redemptive diversity in the book of Revelation. He argues that each ethnic group reflects “the glory of God” and “[brings] distinct cultural glory and honor to the body of Christ” (43). In chapter 2 (“Fall”), Liou demonstrates that the CRT claim that “racism is ordinary” corresponds to the doctrine of the universality of sin. From such a vantage point, the scope of sin is not merely individual, but also systematic and structural. Romero turns in chapter 3 (“Redemption”) to CRT’s “voice of color thesis” (108). Drawing of ecclesiology, Romero and Liou contend that people of color are uniquely positioned to communicate matters pertaining to racial issues. The final chapter (“Consummation”) explores the concept of “beloved community” in CRT. This chapter, which focuses on Christian eschatology, is by far the most critical portion of the book. Liou asserts that while CRT offers a framework for critical analysis, it only presents a despairing, cynical worldview. Only the Christian message can remedy this devastating mistake with a vision of “an eschatological hope for change,” rooted in a beloved community “composed of people of every nation, language, tribe, and tongue” (130).
Romero and Liou provide a good (although not comprehensive) introduction to CRT that leaves readers wanting to know more. First, while Romero and Liou feature a multitude of voices, the main supporting theorists cited are Richard Delgado, Jean Stefancic, Tara Yosso, and Derrick Bell. The authors acknowledge that CRT is a diverse intellectual movement (8), encompassing other disciplines such as education and history, and including groups such as Latina/o Critical Legal Theory. It would have been helpful if the book incorporated and weaved together other voices, such as those of Asian and indigenous theorists, to enrich the volume. Similarly, the philosophical and ideological underpinnings of CRT could have been more explicitly identified as the background of the movement. Second, neither author hesitates to state the exciting potential of CRT for Christian ministry, church practices, and so on. And yet the book does not specify at length or in detail how such a theory might be applied in the context of North American (evangelical) Christianity, the focus of the book. For instance, Liou repeatedly mentions his decade-long experience as a campus minister in various contexts; the volume would have been strengthened if the authors—two minority practitioners of CRT, Asian-Latino American (Romero) and Asian-American (Liou)—had offered certain principles and strategies to illustrate the practicality of CRT in a Christian context.
On the whole, however, with a general (evangelical) Christian audience in mind, Romero and Liou have written an accessible book that achieves what it sets out to do. The authors often employ personal stories as points of illustration, which is especially effective. For example, Romero uses his experience being recruited for a job at a Christian higher education institution to explain the blind spots of reactionary color blindness. For readers who are less familiar with the main CRT jargon will find a glossary of key terms at the end. The broader significance, and major strength, of this book is its explicit insistence that elements of CRT might be used helpfully “as a bridge for Christian witness, theological reflection, and pastoral ministry” (7). As such, Christianity and Critical Race Theory will be beneficial to (evangelical) Christians and theological students who seek introductory guidance in navigating the vast and complex discipline of CRT.
Jonam Wang is a PhD student in theological studies at Saint Louis University.
Jonam Wang
Date Of Review:
January 31, 2024
