Every Thought Captive

INTRODUCTION:

This morning we’re going to take a little break from our study in the Revelation to address some cultural issues that have an impact on our day to day life.

My regular strategy for discipleship from the pulpit is to just preach through books of the Bible (God knows what is relevant more than we do.) But every now and then it’s necessary to address certain “hot topics” because they’re having such an outsized influence on our daily lives.

It’s easy for people to get caught up in surface level talking points and fail to pinpoint the deeper ideologies that are energizing the issues of our time. But that is not a Christian way of engaging culture. We want to get past the talking points and the talking heads because our battle is not against “flesh and blood.”

Spiritual Warfare in the Market Place of Ideas

Our battle is against principalities and powers in the heavenly places. It’s against Satan and demons and the lies they have woven into the major systems, structures and institutions of our culture.

There is nothing quite as powerful as a “big idea.” A theory. An understanding of how the world worlds. In news they call it “the narrative.” And you don’t have to look far in our culture to see “anti-Christian” narratives that are being adopted at a rapid rate. Satan is a crafty and effective war general.

And in some ways it’s not even surprising for an unChristian world to adopt unChristian ideas and live their lives from that place of deception. That’s expected. (Jesus, the prophets and the apostles warned us it would happen)

But when those satanic ideologies extend beyond the unbelieving world and begin to enter the church then we really have a problem. And that’s what’s happening today. Many believers are not only “not aware” of how godless ideologies are animating the culture, they are also adopting some of those same ideologies themselves!

Why? Because they haven’t thought critically about their original source or ultimate destination.

Taking Every Thought Captive

That’s why for the next few weeks we’re going to address some of these issues and examine some of the ideologies. The title of the series is “Taking Every Thought Captive” and it comes from Paul’s admonition to the church in 2 Corinthians 10:1-6.

2 Corinthians 10:1–6 (CSB)

1 Now I, Paul, myself, appeal to you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble among you in person but bold toward you when absent. 2 I beg you that when I am present I will not need to be bold with the confidence by which I plan to challenge certain people who think we are living according to the flesh. 3 For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, 4 since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments 5 and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ. 6 And we are ready to punish any disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

WE ARE AT WAR

One of the things that Paul makes clear in this passage is that Christians are engaged in a form of warfare. This language makes many Christians uncomfortable because when we think warfare we think physical conflict, death, WWI WWII, etc. But that’s not what Paul has in mind. It’s a metaphor for what’s taking place in the Spiritual realm.

WHAT is the War? IDEOLOGICAL

The essential nature of Christian spiritual warfare is ideological. Our battle isn’t against flesh and blood and it isn’t waged with fleshly physical weaponry. Our warfare is spiritual and our weaponry is spiritual.

We’re not attacking PEOPLE we are attacking IDEAS. Our weaponry is defeating lies with the truth, exposing darkness with the light, overcoming evil with good.

WHERE is it Waged? HEARTS & MINDS

Where is the battle waged? In one sense it’s raging at a macro level all around us. From the large cultural institutions to the hallway conversations in the at work or school. The battle is all around us.

But in a fundamental sense the theater of war is human hearts and minds.

That why Paul talks about arguments and proud things raised up against the “knowledge of God.” That’s why his pathway to victory is taking every THOUGHT captive.

One of the greatest spiritual battles going on in your life right now is the battle for your MIND.

This is why Paul says in Romans 12:2

“don’t be conformed to the pattern of THIS world but be transformed - how? - by the renewing of your MIND.”

This is why Paul says is Romans 8:5-6

“For those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit. Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace.”

In other words, how you live will be determined by how you think.

A fleshly or worldly mindset will bring about spiritual death. A mindset in step with the Holy Spirit will bring about life and peace.

What is the difference between a consistently joyful Christian and a consistently defeated Christian? Their mindset.

HOW we Win? PERSUASION

How do we win this spiritual battle that is in part taking place in the theater of the human heart and mind? In a word: persuasion.

We defeat bad ideas with good ideas. We demolish arguments. We destroy strongholds. We take every thought captive to obey Christ.

If there’s one theme that came out of our last series it’s that Jesus is KING. Not only is Jesus KING he has a KINGDOM that will one day come and displace the kingdom of this world.

Our calling as believers is to pray for and work towards that kingdom coming on EARTH like it is in heaven. Not only in our lives individually but also at a wider level. Socially, politically, economically we want the rule and reign of Jesus Christ.

INTRODUCING CRITICAL THEORY

With that as a background, I want to spend the rest of our time addressing a counter offensive that is growing more and more effective at preventing Christians from making progress in this ideological war.

What is this counter offensive? What name should we give to it? There’s really not a great deal of consensus. I’m going to refer to it generically as “Critical Theory.”

One of the reasons this counter offensive is so effective is because - like Christianity - it functions as a “worldview.” It’s a comprehensive way of understanding the world and remaking it in its own image.

Not only that, this worldview is being adopted by more people more quickly than any other worldview in the modern age. And parts of this worldview are even being adopted by well-intentioned but misguided Christian believers.

It is for that reason that we’re going to address it this morning. Admittedly we won’t have time to do a complete and thorough treatment which is why next week we will take it a step further and show why Christianity offers a better set of tools than any other competing worldview or religion.

The History

Getting to the roots of the various sorts of contemporary critical theories we see floating around today is pretty difficult. The father of critical theory could probably be traced back to a guy by the name of Karl Marx. (In America we best know Marx for his economic philosophy known as Marxism.)

There were a group of intellectuals known as the Frankfurt School in 1920’s-1930’s Germany that took the philosophy of Marx and applied it more comprehensively to the cultural issues of the day. In other words, critical theory took the philosophy of Marx and extended it BEYOND economics and applied it to the wider culture.

if power dynamics did THAT to economics then what might they have done to cultural institutions like media, politics, education and religion?

So out of Critical Theory came all sorts of other disciplines: post-colonialism, post-modernism, feminism, queer theory and the much talked about “critical race theory.”

All of these movements that we see in the headlines today stem from this group of intellectuals who took the ideas of Karl Marx and extended them beyond economics and to the wider culture.

Key Terms

This is a DRASTIC SIMPLIFICATION all of the complexity that is “critical theory” but it should serve as a good starting point for our purposes.

More important than the details of how Critical Theory was developed are the many many manifestations of critical theory in our culture today.

A quick survey of “key terms” might be helpful. Without a doubt you’ve heard or used these terms - maybe without knowing their philosophical origins:

“intersectionality,”

“white privilege/fragility,”

“internalized oppression,”

“heteronormativity,” and so forth.

These terms are everywhere in our culture, in our politics, on college campuses, on social media. Where do these terms come from? Authors and scholars employing Critical Theory in our modern context.

Four Key Frameworks

There are really four key pillars to how Critical Theory makes sense of the world. Remember, it’s a worldview. It’s a lens through which you try and make sense out of the world. As I mention these four key pillars you’ll begin to see how and why that contradict a Christian worldview.

FRAMEWORK ONE: Social Binary

The first and maybe most important thing to understand about Critical Theory is how it groups people. Premise #1 of critical theory is that society is divided into oppressed and oppressor groups. What distinguishes people into their particular class? In a word: power.

GRAPHIC 1

According to CT there is an oppressor class and an oppressed class. The technical term for this is a social binary.

The dominant class in a given society is defacto the oppressor class and the subordinate class(es) to that dominant class make up the oppressed class. If you’re part of a majority class then you’re an oppressor and if you’re part of a minority class then you’re oppressed.

As you might imagine, this framework applied to different spheres can get pretty interesting. Take, for example, things like race, gender, sexuality, religion… in each of these spheres CT would identity an oppressor class and an oppressed class.

GRAPHIC 2

Here’s another graphic that conveys the same basic idea in a different way. This comes from a book entitled “Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice” Notice all the various forms of oppression that are listed: racism, sexism, transgender oppression, heterosexism, etc.

Traditional definitions of sexism, racism and nationalism are redefined with critical theory.

It’s not really what you DO with power that matters. It’s merely belonging to a particular class that makes you guilty of these sins of oppression. In critical theory, it’s less about you and your individual actions (whether good or bad) and more about the group to which you belong.

Intersectionality

One more word needs to be added to this pillar and that’s the word intersectionality. As you might’ve guessed from the word itself, intersectionality is how your privilege (or lack thereof) intersects with other forms of oppression on this chart.

So let’s say your a white lesbian female which makes you part of two oppressed groups: your female and your same sex attracted. Your lived experience will be different from that of a straight white female. You’ll experience more oppression than she does.

However, a latino, lesbian female will experience MORE oppression than you because her lack of whiteness makes her even more disadvantaged on the oppression hierarchy.

I know that’s complicates things from the neat and simple social binary but it’s part of the overall worldview so you have to include it.

So premise #1 of critical theory is that society is divided into oppressed and oppressor groups. Intersectionality complicates the social binary, but doesn’t reverse or erase it.

FRAMEWORK TWO: Hegemonic Power

The second key framework to critical theory is the premise that oppressors oppress through hegemonic power.

What in the world is hegemonic power? Hegemonic power is the power to control how a society thinks. According to CT, the dominant group (oppressor class) engages in their oppression partly by controlling how the rest of society thinks about particular issues.

The dominant group maintains power by imposing their ideology on everyone else. This is crucial to understand and one of the key areas where Critical Theory and Christianity conflict.

Traditionally, oppression stood for acts of cruelty, injustice, violence, coercion and things like that. Critical Theory expands oppression to include things like persuasion, influence, and the ways in which a given society will capitulate to the standards and norms of the majority.

You’ve heard the phrase “When in Rome… do as the Romans do.” That’s an example of hegemonic power.

But in Critical Theory the fact that a minority group feels the need to capitulate to the majority group is itself an act of oppression.

QUOTE:

As one author put it, “In its new usage, oppression designates the disadvantage and injustice some people suffer not because a tyrannical power coerces them, but because of the everyday practices of a well-intentioned liberal society. [the causes of oppression] are embedded in unquestioned norms, habits, and symbols.” (Iris Young - The Five Faces of Oppression)

Once you understand this pillar of Critical Theory you will begin to understand that confuses many others.

In CT, being part of an oppressor class isn’t caused by the numerical size of the people in that group but rather by the amount of influence that particular group has on the customs and norms of a given society.

For example, Critical Theory sees the old straight white men as a top tier oppressor class. (many of you in this room!) In terms of numerical size this class of people only makes up about 15% of the US population. (so they’re actually a minority).

However, they are the top tier of the oppressor class because they possess the hegemonic power to impose their values, customs and norms on the rest of society.

We all accept these values as natural, objective and common sense when in actuality they serve the group interest of old straight white men.

FRAMEWORK THREE: Lived Experience = PRIVILEGED ACCESS

The third pillar behind Critical Theory is that “lived experienced” gives oppressed groups special access to Truth about reality/oppression.

Notice the words “privileged” or “special” access. That means that the oppressor class CANNOT come to the knowledge of certain truths about reality because their life of privilege prevents them from doing so.

QUOTE

“[Dominant] groups characteristically have experiences that foster illusory perceptions about society’s functioning, whereas subordinate groups characteristically have experiences that (at least potentially) give rise to more adequate conceptualizations.” -

Jose Medina (Professor of Northwestern University)

To put it simply, “privileged groups tend to be blinded by their privilege.” They have both conscious and subconscious reasons to avoid or ignore the reality of oppression.

In contrast, oppressed people have the possibility of “seeing through” the cultural narrative that’s being imposed on them by the ruling class. They have special access to the ways in which those societal norms are attempts to justify oppression.

Coming to see and understand the special truth about this appreciation is what’s called “getting woke.”

You’ve most likely heard that phrase thrown around pejoratively these days and so it’s a loaded term. But in a technical sense it’s addressing this premise of critical theory.

It’s the process whereby somebody comes to have their blinders removed so they can see the oppression that’s all around them. Notice this special knowledge is not inherently possessed by these oppressed groups but only oppressed groups can come to possess it.

If you refuse to admit or embrace this special knowledge about reality or say it’s not really true then you’re saying such things from a place of internalized oppression.

Critical Theory would suggest that for the vast majority of human history the oppressors have successfully kept the oppressed classes blind to their oppression and therefore maintain their status by reiterating the dynamics that produce the oppression.

FRAMEWORK FOUR: Social Justice Through Liberation

The last pillar of critical theory deals with their vehicle for addressing the problem of oppression and that’s social justice. I think a Critical Theorist would define social justice as the “elimination of all forms of social oppression” whether it’s based on gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, physical/mental ability or economic class.”

How is this social justice achieved? The premise of CT is that social justice can be achieved through a proper resistance against the oppressors and liberation of the oppressed.

Resistance and liberation. We saw this on display in countless ways after the election of Donald Trump and the rise of groups like Antifa.

QUOTE

Here’s a quote by feminist Suzanne Pharr:

“These political times call for renewed dialogue about and commitment to the politics of liberation… Liberation requires a struggle against discrimination based on race, class, gender, sexual identity, ableism and age.”

So if you’re thinking about social justice through the lens of Critical Theory then liberating oppressed groups from their oppression is one’s primary moral duty.

Similarly, if you’re not actively involved in the resistance efforts against the oppressed then you are either blind to your own oppression (internalied) or you’re part of the problem.

A CRITICAL LOOK AT CRITICAL THEORY

I hope this brief overview gives you some degree of insight on the headlines you see in the news and the debates you’re watching on cable television and the discussions you may be having with your children or grandchildren at the Thanksgiving table.

I would argue that Critical Theory has made incredible inroads into our culture. It is becoming THE dominant worldview because it is being assumed by most teachers in most colleges and now even in certain K-12 school districts.

It’s not even that they’re teaching the theory as a theory (like you would Darwinian Evolution) It’s not “this subject” alongside of many others. Rather, ALL the subjects are addressed through this basic lens. It’s a philosophical lens for viewing reality.

The worldview framework of critical theory is embedded in the movies we watch, the news we read/take in, and so many other layers of society.

What Critical Theory Gets Right

Before we take a critical look at critical theory we first need to understand why there’s such a draw to this theory in our culture and why even certain Christians are adopting the language of CT to make sense of/address the social ills that should concern any follower of Jesus Christ.

Oppression is Evil

I think the greatest strength of CT is the recognition that oppression is evil.

The Bible DEFINES oppression differently than CT but they share the same moral outrage against it.

Old and New Testament, God consistently identifies with the oppressed and afflicted. Jesus himself is referred to in this way in the Gospels and OT prophets.

Not only does God identify with the oppressed, his people are called to seek justice for those experiencing unjust oppression.

When Christians see people in authority using their power to crush and abuse the powerless then they should do everything in their power to defend them. Moreover, when Christians are in positions of authority they should use their power to SERVE others and not themselves.

Not All Sin Is Individually Caused

The second thing CT gets right is that individual people can partner together to create structures and systems that promote sin by others and inflict sin on others.

There’s a tendency, especially in the West, to focus on the individual over against the group. To locate the problems of and solutions to sinful behavior in the individual alone and not the group to which the individual belongs or systems in which the individuals participate.

I think CT goes too far in emphasizing communal sin at the expense of individual guilt but they are not wrong in saying that sinful people create sinful systems/structures that propagate sin (in visible and not so visible ways!)

Chattel slavery in the US, the Holocaust in Germany, Apartheid in South Africa and abortion culture around the world had(s) systemic structural factors that promoted and propagated their sinfulness.

Hegemonic Power Exists and is Insidious

The third thing CT gets right is that hegemonic power exists and it is insidious. By insidious I mean it has a slow, gradual but overwhelming effect on the culture to which it’s being applied. I think we can all recognize this if we’re honest with ourselves.

Living in the West has a way of making you think in a particularly western way. Travel anywhere outside the US and you’ll quickly discover not everybody thinks the way we do.

They deal with time management differently, drive differently, value things differently. And the longer you stay in that environment the more likely it’s going to shape you into it’s own image.

It happens subconsciously but Hollywood and Madison Avenue define standards of beauty and sexuality for our culture. I wish they didn’t! But they do! That’s why you’ve got to be so careful of what you expose your eyes (and the eyes of your children) to.

That’s why Christian parents have to work really really hard to make sure their children are not brainwashed by our culture to reject Christianity and believe the “most popular thing” at any given time.

Our culture says beauty is external but God says true beauty is internal. We’re always fighting against the hegemonic powers of our culture.

What CT Gets Wrong

Even though CT gets those things right, its core assumptions about what is wrong with the world and how to fix it contradict and even SUBVERT a biblical worldview.

And though CT can be commended for its attempts to address social ills - and might even be correct in certain critiques of how our culture functions, the WAY in which it subverts a biblical worldview make it such a dangerous ideology.

In other words, Critical Theory is not JUST an analytical tool. It’s a comprehensive worldview.

In a way, it has all of the makings of a religion. In fact, some critics of Critical Theory think it has become our cultural religion now that we are a post-Christian culture here in America.

A worldview attempts to answer certain fundamental questions and solve certain fundamental problems with the aim at arriving at a certain fundamental outcome.

Questions such as:

How did we get here? (Creation)

What’s wrong with the world? (Fall)

How do we fix it? (Redemption)

When will the problem be solved? (Restoration)

Christianity says,

“We got here through God’s creative decree. We were made in God’s image for God’s glory.

Things went haywire when sin was brought into the world. Not just the sin of our first parents (Adam/Eve) but each person who chooses to reject God’s good and original design for living live according to their own wisdom and desires.

The only way God could fix that sin problem was by sending Jesus to live the live we should’ve lived and die the death we should’ve died (on the cross paying the penalty for our sin and paving a way for us to be reconciled to God).

We can fix the sin problem in our life and in our world by repenting of sin and putting our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Rejecting worldly wisdom and recovering God’s good and perfect design for our lives individually and corporately.

The problem will be ultimately solved when Jesus comes against and until he comes we are to do whatever we can in our own life to bring about his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven”

A Fundamentally Different Story

Critical theory tells a fundamentally different story:

The story of critical theory begins not with creation, but with oppression. The omission of a creation element is very important because it changes our answer to the question: “who are we?”

There is no transcendent Creator who has a purpose and a design for our lives and our identities. We don’t primarily exist in relation to God, but in relation to other people and to other groups. 

Our identity is not rooted in the image of God. Instead, we define ourselves in terms of race, class, sexuality, and gender.

Oppression, not sin, is our fundamental problem. What is the solution? Activism. Resistance. Changing structures. Raising awareness. We work to overthrow and dismantle hegemonic power. That is our primary moral duty.

What is our purpose in life? To work for the liberation of all oppressed groups so that we can achieve a state of equity.

There is no atonement, no place for repentance, no place for salvation (savior theology is excluded not celebrated). Not only does it contradict Christianity at these points - it actively erodes convictions that are CORE to the Christian Gospel.

Coexistence is Futile

Critical theory and Christianity answer our most fundamental questions about reality in very different ways. Moreover, the degree to which you try and hold on to Critical Theory as a Christian the more I believe it’s going to eat away your core Christian convictions.

There is not world in which these two worldviews coexist peacefully. We’ll constantly be forced to choose between them in terms of values, priorities, and ethics. As we absorb the assumptions of critical theory, we will find that they inevitably erode core biblical truths.

CONCLUSION

I wish we had more time in this morning’s message to further explore the ways in which Christianity and Critical Theory are incompatible but that’s probably too much for one message. Next week we’re going to take this discussion further and I hope you’ll come back so we can finish what we started.

Before we close, though, let me just encourage you with a few final exhortations based on our key passage:

Closing Exhortations

First, remember that even though we live in the flesh, our battle is not against flesh and blood.

2 Corinthians 10:3 (CSB)

3 For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh,

The battle is for your mind - the way you think - because the way you think determines how you live.

So think critically about your THOUGHTS.

Secondly, orient your life towards GOD and not a particular tribe, politician or social cause.

2 Corinthians 10:4–5 (CSB)

4 since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments 5 and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.

Notice Paul’s emphasis over and over. The battle we fight isn’t with human weapons or according to fleshly causes. They are powerful THROUGH GOD.

When you keep God and the Gospel front and center in your mental framework you’ll be much less likely to be held captive by these earthly philosophies and social causes that, at root, seek to undermine a proper knowledge of God through repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ.

Lastly, as you orient yourself towards God and begin to think critically about why you think the things you think - submit all of your thoughts completely to the Lordship of Christ.

Take every thought captive to be obedient to Christ.

For most of us in this room - you didn’t have the faintest idea what Critical Theory was (maybe you still don’t!) But, I promise you you’re getting this message thrown at you in various different forms throughout our culture.

If it doesn’t pass the smell test then investigate why and make your thinking obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And not just your thinking at that broad philosophical level but also at the practical every day level.

If there is anything that grieves the Spirit of God in your thought life then let’s use this time to repent and ask God to renew your mind so you can follow his will for your life.