Critical Dilemma: The Rise of Critical Theories and Social Justice Ideology: Implications for the Church and Society

Shenvi, Neil and Pat Sawyer. Critical Dilemma: The Rise of Critical Theories and Social Justice Ideology: Implications for the Church and Society. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2023. 501 pgs. $34.99

Western culture has come face to face with critical theory. From school board meetings to pronouns in email signatures, we see the effect of this encounter. Contemporary cultural conversation requires the church to navigate the murky waters of critical theory. Shenvi and Sawyer’s Critical Dilemma analyzes the rise of critical theories, assesses these ideologies from a biblical worldview, and explores the implications for the church today.

Critical theories seek to understand power dynamics within societies, particularly as they relate to inequalities. Shenvi and Sawyer employ the phrase “contemporary critical theory” to categorize the themes that emerge from the theories. According to them, “contemporary critical theory” (CCT) has four central components (92). First, advocates of CCT embrace the social binary, arguing that a division exists within society between the privileged and the marginalized, the oppressor and the oppressed. Second, CCT affirms the reality of hegemonic power. That is, the social binary isn’t simply a division; it is an ideology. The privileged and the oppressors impose their beliefs and practices upon the marginalized and the oppressed. Third, CCT emphasizes the authority of lived experiences. The marginalized and the oppressed have experiential knowledge that supersedes objective evidence and reason. Fourth, CCT argues that social justice and societal transformation occur through empowering and freeing the marginalized and the oppressed.

Shenvi and Sawyer divide their work into three parts. In Part One, they describe the history of critical theory and articulate the central elements of critical race theory and queer theory. These theories developed from several scholars, beginning in the nineteenth century with Karl Marx (and his legacy in the Frankfurt School) and Antonio Gramsci and continuing into the 20th and 21st centuries with Paulo Freire, Pierre Bourdieu, Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, and Kimberlé Crenshaw. The authors draw from these scholars, compiling an array of primary sources. In concluding Part One, Shenvi and Sawyer explore some positive insights that arise from these theories, including the reality of systemic injustice, the existence of hegemonic power, and the influence of lived experience.

In Part Two, Shenvi and Sawyer offer an overview of Protestant theology and explore the problems found within contemporary critical theory, critical race theory, and queer theory. Their evangelical Christian theological orientation is the lens by which they evaluate the theories. The authors expose the danger of rejecting universal truths, elevating lived experiences over objective reasoning, seeing privilege rooted in oppression, and positing hostile relationships between classes, ethnic groups, or genders. Regarding CRT, they prove the incompatibility of its central tenets with the Christian faith, and they highlight how embracing this theory leads to doctrinal decline. Further, Shenvi and Sawyer expose queer theory’s failures, highlighting God’s design within gender and sexuality. The authors also include a chapter on ancestral guilt that aids with navigating current cultural conversations. Their assessments bring clarity to what these theories truly are—a worldview in opposition to the Christian faith.

In Part Three, the authors shift to engaging these theories, particularly in the life of the church. They warn of ideas that will prove to be detrimental, including phrases like “sin is oppression” and “straight white males need to listen.” They emphasize the nuance needed versus overly simplistic statements, and rightly so. Shenvi and Sawyer demonstrate how the church can move forward. They address the lure of the theories and how thoughtful Christians might respond. According to Shenvi and Sawyer, we must see the ultimate source of our meaning and purpose, something that contemporary critical theory fails to accomplish; we must be rooted in God and his sovereignty over our lives. Finally, they challenge Christians who are sympathetic to contemporary critical theory to reassess the sources and to weigh the implications of these theories upon their theology.

Critical Dilemma excels on a variety of fronts. Acting as lawyers, Shenvi and Sawyer thrive in placing the theories on trial. After careful articulation of critical theories through engagement with numerous primary sources, the authors prudently critique the theories, showing their inconsistencies with the historic Christian faith. While they do this from a stated Protestant evangelical worldview, their explanation of the evangelical worldview proves not to be so much distinctly evangelical as distinctly Christian in its description. Scholars like David Bebbington, Thomas Kidd, Alister McGrath, Mark Noll, Douglas Sweeney, and William Ward have written about the complex nature of evangelicalism. While Shenvi and Sawyer recognize some of the features, their approach proves to be more broadly Christian than evangelical.

This is a much-needed work for the current cultural moment. Faithful Christians long to know how to navigate the noise surrounding critical theories. Critical Theories will prove to be a helpful tool in this challenging conversation. Whether you are a concerned parent or leading a graduate seminar, this book will help prepare you and others to navigate the waters of critical theory for the glory of God.