The Overview (Monday, August 2)
Critical race theory and racial justice, an interesting insight into Christian-Muslim relationships, and Pitchfork reviews a legendary Christian rock album
The semester is upon us here at John Brown University, where I’ll be teaching classes on research methods, politics and race in America, and misinformation and conspiracy theories, as well as a section of our university’s course for first-year students. I’m also trying my best to put a bow on my summer research goals (including making progress on my Uneasy Citizenship book manuscript). So, let’s get down to business.
Here’s the Monday, August 2 edition of The Overview:
1) Writing for Christianity Today, Wheaton College professor Esau McCaulley argues that the heated discourse over critical race theory among Christians distracts from the importance of racial justice, which is an element of God’s justice. Specifically, McCaulley laments the call to “just preach the gospel” when it comes to race issues, writing,
Only in the context of racial injustice are we told to articulate the plan of salvation exclusively. When marriages are struggling, we don’t just preach the gospel to couples. We give them practical tools to love one another better. When parents are looking for clues on how to raise children, we do not simply preach the gospel. We give them Bible-informed tools to parent well.
Speaking of race and questions of justice…
2) Writing in response to a controversy at a major church in Virginia, in which several members filed a lawsuit against the church following a disputed election for elders,1 columnist David French wrote a lengthy piece about the debate over structural racism in America. He cited Old Testament passages in arguing that American Christians should be supportive of systemic solutions to the country’s history of racial oppression. “Our obligation to seek justice does not depend on a finding of personal fault,” French wrote. “Christians must be open to truth from any source. And there is nothing—absolutely nothing—‘conservative’ about denying the reality of the consequences of centuries of intentional, racist harm.”
Michael Anton, affiliated with the conservative Claremont Institute and Hillsdale College (and the author of the infamous “Flight 93” essay), eviscerated French’s column. Anton thinks French’s essay amounts to full-throated support for reparations for Black Americans at the expense of white Americans, something that Anton believes would render whites “permanent second-class citizens.” Anton later called French a “corrosive, malevolent figure.”
Not surprisingly, French responded to Anton’s (and other) critiques in a follow-up essay. “That glow you saw on the horizon,” French wrote, “was the flames of a thousand burning straw men.” French goes on to claim that the prescriptions he makes in his earlier essay were not ascribing individual guilt for ancestral sins, but rather using the instruments of institutional government to correct for past injustices. Consider the following example of his:
Let’s suppose that an industrial plant has been recklessly polluting the groundwater for decades. CEO after CEO turned a blind eye to obvious production problems until the moment that the health effects in the community became dramatic and unmistakable.
Reacting to public pressure, the board fires the CEO and senior leaders. Law enforcement files charges. The company then hires a new CEO. It’s under completely new management. Are the new managers personally guilty of the prior leaders’ crimes? Absolutely not. Do they have an institutional responsibility to ameliorate the consequences of the prior leaders’ sins? Absolutely yes. How long does that responsibility last? Until they’ve done what they can reasonably do to repair the harm.
I’m looking forward to sharing these (and other) essays with students in my upcoming class on politics and race. I have a feeling it will lead to a really thought-provoking (and probably contentious) discussion.
3) Neighborly Faith, and organization dedicated to advancing dialogue and relationships between Christians and Muslims, shared this result from an informal survey of some Christian college students:
There’s a lot to reflect on here, some of it good and some of it troubling. On the bad side, you can see the role that partisan sorting plays in these answers, with students admitting they’d rather spend time getting to know people of a different faith if those people share their political positions; partisanship, as the saying goes, is a hell of a drug.
At the same time, there’s something undeniably positive about Christian students feeling comfortable enough to spend time cultivating relationships with Muslims who share their political viewpoints. This can only be a good thing in terms of deep relationships in spite of deep differences. And as American culture continues to shift, having interreligious alliances on issues of major importance—including, but not limited to, religious freedom—is essential. Score a victory for pluralism.
4) Pitchfork, the prominent (and occasionally pretentious) music criticism website, went back to the 1990s to review one of the most influential Christian albums of all time: DC Talk’s Jesus Freak. Author Brad Shoup describes the creation and composition of the album, and the incredible influence the album had on Christian culture. “God’s people,” Shoup writes, “went bonkers.” More importantly, Jesus Freak helped usher in a new era for CCM:
The year before Jesus Freak dropped, CCM and gospel accounted for half a billion dollars in sales. The vast majority of these purchases, though, were rung up at Christian retailers, making them ineligible for Billboard’s Top 200 album chart, and keeping them from DC Talk’s dream audience. The big-box retailers weren’t stocking CCM, and the smaller Christian labels either lacked the personnel or didn’t see the need to get their artists onto secular shelves. But multinational labels had both the staff and the vision. Majors and massive indies started snapping up CCM labels: Sparrow, Reunion, Brentwood, Star Song. By the end of the 1990s, acts as disparate as Jars of Clay, MxPx, and Sixpence None the Richer were notching hit singles and albums. For ardent enthusiasts of Christian rock, it felt like overdue recognition.
As someone who burned through Jesus Freak on cassette (yes, cassette), this was an enjoyable review. It really is hard to explain what an influential album it was. For the uninitiated, here’s the title track.
As an aside, it’s never a good idea to ask a court—an agent of the government—to intervene in church matters; what government can give, it can also take away. Thankfully, if past precedent is any indication, this lawsuit will surely be dismissed.