,
7 tweets,
2 min read
Read on Twitter
Thread from my notes for yesterday's @UnbelievableJB conversation with @EstherOfReilly and @ConceptualJames:
"People on the outside often puzzle over the attraction of critical theory. We see the constant infighting, the call-out culture, the self-flagellation, ... 1/
"People on the outside often puzzle over the attraction of critical theory. We see the constant infighting, the call-out culture, the self-flagellation, ... 1/
...the endless apologies and we can’t figure out its appeal. But I think Christianity offers a very interesting analysis: critical theory is appealing because it’s a means of justification. In Protestant theology, justification refers to a declaration of righteousness.... 2/
...All of us are seeking that. We want to feel good about ourselves, that we are on the right side, that we’re one of the good people. That’s what critical theory offers: a way to obtain justification. If you retweet the right tweets, if you support the right causes, ... 3/
...if you despise the right groups, then you’re in. You’re one of the good people. But Christianity turns this idea on its head. It’s not those who are confident that they are righteous who are saved, but those who admit that they’re unrighteous... 4/
...Christianity insists that we find God by admitting that we’re really no different from “those people” we despise: whether “those people” are “those racist, sexist, bigots” or whether “those people” are “those godless, Marxist, Social Justice Warriors”... 5/
...We’re all moral failures. The only one who truly lived a life of perfect justice was Jesus Christ and he died on the cross as an unjust rebel so that unjust rebels like us can be forgiven... 6/
That message creates a new community based not a common experience of oppression, but based on a common experience of grace. And that message shows one of the fundamental differences between critical theory and Christianity: grace for sinners." 7/7
