Nicole Solas is a concerned parent. With the recent nationwide spread of critical race theory (CRT) in school curriculums, she wanted to know what her child’s kindergarten was teaching students on the subject. Yet when she filed a public records request with the South Kingstown School District, she was served a lawsuit, a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction by the National Education Association — the nation’s largest teachers union.
What Is CRT?
If you haven’t yet heard about CRT, it’s a Marxist worldview which claims everyone falls into one of two groups: those who have power and those who don’t. It also claims those who have power always oppress those without it. Those who don’t have power are divided into one of several “oppressed” subgroups such as race, disability, immigration status, income, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. A person’s level of oppression is based on the number of oppressed groups with which they identify. Higher oppression equals greater moral power and lower personal accountability.
With CRT’s advocacy of racial division, a victim mentality and its crusade against personal responsibility, it creates a minefield for children. Solas has good reason to be concerned.
The Question Behind the Question
For all of the national controversy CRT has generated about what is taught in our public schools, another question comes to mind: What are parents teaching kids about race and other cultural issues at home?
Angela Sailor, Vice President of The Feulner Institute, writes: “Flourishing communities start with strong civic life, and strong civics start in our families. That’s why parents matter.” A child’s knowledge will grow through school and other external influences, but her ability to apply that knowledge in the real world is multiplied through the influence of parents at home.
This puts the weight of responsibility back on parents. What should they be teaching their children? Having been a student under my parents’ wise instruction, I can attest no better curriculum exists than the Bible.
How the Bible Makes a Difference
CRT makes a well-intended effort to address real issues such as racism, and I do not want to overlook this. With a biblical foundation, however, parents can expose errors in this worldview and emphasize God’s truth about racism and its underlying causes.
Instead of buying in to CRT’s view of humanity (two groups — oppressors and oppressed), biblically equipped parents can teach their children of their identity as individuals created in God’s image. (Genesis 1:27)
Instead of swallowing CRT’s view of sin (only oppressors are guilty; the oppressed are innocent), biblically astute parents have an opportunity to show their kids that all are guilty before God. Our Creator doesn’t see separate groups of people united by similar physical or social characteristics; He sees sinners who have all fallen short of His standard for our conduct. (Romans 3:23)
Finally, instead of viewing salvation through CRT’s lens (as possible only through social activism and liberation of the oppressed), wise parents can point their children to God’s solution: Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:6-8) Through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, all people can experience forgiveness for their sins, a right relationship with God and the foundation for right relationships with others.
This may be a landmark year for schoolchildren and their parents. But regardless of how the CRT controversy is decided in classrooms, Mom and Dad, you already have a head start on influencing your kids. Counter the culture by teaching them God’s truth about race and other challenging issues. This will give them a bedrock foundation which will equip them to face anything the world throws at them.
Article by Cam Edwards
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