There were more than 130 log-ins for the EMF webinar on 9 September 2024 when Sharon James, Social Policy Analyst with The Christian Institute, spent almost an hour responding to questions from Darren Moore (EMF Trustee) on critical theory, identity politics and the implications for a Christian response. What do we mean by a worldview? What is critical theory? Why has it become widely popular? Is this something that is present across Europe? Why is it important that every Christian should be ready to address the challenges it presents? Where can we find help if we encounter negative accusations as Christians parents, employees, and even inapparently Christian organisations? It was this that provoked the most questions during the Q&A. On why it has become widely popular, we were told that ‘academia’ (the reviewer’s own word) has been taken over by it and in turn promotes it, often through how language has been captured, so that aspirations like justice and equality– aims we may not disagree with – have become the weapons of critical theory and identity politics. Finally, the question was raised: is there a hope for Christians in this area? On this last, Sharon’s sound advice was, be clear-eyed about the terrible negativity it brings, but be positive about the beauty of the gospel, remembering that Christ has won the victory.
I would have liked to have heard more reflection on what this may mean for EMF missionaries and church workers in countries as diverse as North Macedonia and Finland, but it was good to make clear how critical theory and identity politics have become part of our everyday world. In addition to books by Sharon James (she has her own website –https://sharonjames.org), anyone more generally interested could read a newly out Penguin book by Yascha Mounk, The Identity Trap. Matthew Roberts’ 2023 book, Pride: Identity and the Worship of Self (Christian Focus) has also been widely appreciated.
Some will realise that Francis Schaeffer wrote and spoke powerfully on much the same issues a generation ago, even if the language was not quite the same, in many of his books, such as The God Who is There, Christian Manifesto, How Should We Then Live, and so on. These questions are not quite as new as we may think. But the challenge remains! ‘For their rock is not as our Rock’ (Deuteronomy 32.31) – but for sure those we meet day by day do have a rock of one sort or another, and the Christian can talk to the contemporary unbeliever knowing that God ‘has put eternity into man’s heart’ (Ecclesiastes 3.11).
Dr Ian Shaw
To watch the webinar, click here.