Theology for Everybody: RomansSample

(Continued from Day 54)

Adolph Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, igniting World War II, which lasted until 1945. During that era, scholars were working on their critical theory in America. They looked at everything in terms of power and decided it was innately bad. They assumed that if someone has power, they will use it to abuse those who do not have the power. Therefore, power needs to be eradicated. We can’t have husbands leading their families or parents leading their children. This led to a flattening of the family system and a whole generation of parenting in the 1970s, influenced by Dr. Benjamin Spock. He taught that a parent has no right to lead a child. All parents can do is serve as peers and friends. Government shouldn’t have power, and leaders shouldn’t have power either. We had to get rid of gender—no men and women. We had to get rid of governments—no leaders and followers. We had to get rid of capitalism—no earners. The biggest fear of these critical theorists is that power would be centralized. Their problem with God was that He is the God of all power.

Critical theorists also believed in systemic oppression—the assumption that everybody who has power and helps contribute to making organizations, institutions, and ideologies will then oppress those under their power. Therefore, men are naturally sexist and misogynistic. Heterosexuals are naturally oppressive and homophobic. White people are naturally racist. Christians are naturally religious bigots. And any systems that are built perpetuate oppression.

Critical theorists looked at marriage, gender, sex, family, law, politics, education, and religion and critiqued everything. “This is wrong, and that is wrong.” They believe that given a chance, they would do better.

Critical theorists believed justice required tearing systems down to build something better. We need to get rid of men and women. We need to get rid of marriage. We need to get rid of heteronormative thinking. We need to get rid of the nuclear family. We need to get rid of democracy. We need to get rid of capitalism. We need to get rid of private property ownership. We need to eliminate all of these things because we can do better. Critical theorists believed the “better” as government. Government will be how we will create a utopian society. We will tear down what was and rebuild something better.

I believe critical theory is the likely best explanation for Nazi Germany. When Grace and I traveled to Germany, we went to one of the concentration camps, visited the museums, and did all the research. What happened in Germany is that some people took the concept of critical theory and said, “Those Jewish people have too much power and too much money. They get more degrees and education and hold positions of cultural influence.

It must be because they’re privileged. We need to take their money and power. We need to deconstruct their synagogues, businesses, and communities. In the name of justice, we need to tear those down, redistribute the wealth and power, and then give it to other people to build something they would prefer.” The result was the Holocaust. The pursuit of justice apart from God, the only just Judge, only ever leads to evil.

Today’s Reflection

Why will justice without God always result in evil?