Save GCC from CRT

Dear Authors and Supporters of the “Save GCC from CRT” Petition,

As a current student, I chose Grove City College to challenge myself. I wanted to grow deeper in faith and explore just how I want to serve God and others throughout my life. My family upholds the value of education so much that they were willing to make enormous financial sacrifices to send me to this college.

Critical Race Theory has become such a hot-topic issue that there are so many ways to define it and shape it in a way that best reflects your beliefs. So that’s pretty much what I am going to do in this letter to make a case for Grove City College’s efforts in the past few years.

Based on my experience, I do not believe that Grove City College is teaching Critical Race Theory. The result of figuring out how to restore broken relationships and systems according to a Christian worldview may naturally seem to blend with certain ideas from Critical Race Theory – a theory that seeks to restore broken relationships and systems. For example, take the chapel talk this semester that included Bryan Stevenson’s TED Talk about his work and its relationship to mercy. I hope we can agree that Stevenson’s work of justice for inmates on death row is good. Just because the mainstream definition includes some distasteful ideas does not mean we should ignore anything that Critical Race Theory presents. The recognition that racism still exists and that it was not that long ago in our nation’s history when there were clearly and blatantly racist laws might be a good common place to start with those that disagree with us, along with developing authentic relationships with people who are different from us.

From how you presented Critical Race Theory (CRT), there are several ideas that I agree would be damaging to the vision of a united Church and run contrary to a biblical worldview. The first is the permanent categorization of oppressors and the oppressed. According to psychological principles, the labels we give to people lead them to be more likely to act in ways that align with those labels. This process leads down the path of group polarization and the idea of perspective divergence – that of which group distinction not only leads us to recognize our differences, but also believe that our differences are superior to the other group. Christ had a vision that brought both sides of the social order (government/subject, master/servant, husband/wife) together through equal submission to each other. I believe that in every human interaction, you could label the oppressor and the oppressed based on who dominates the conversation, who has the greatest financial leverage, who has the most amount of public recognition, and several more factors. Yes, we share the image of God and of course we all have intrinsic value, but every time we deny this in ourselves or our neighbor, we break the peace and are thereby accountable to God for those actions. And we are called to reconcile these relationships.

I also agree that judging others solely by outward appearance is not biblically sound. A Christian worldview ought to be one that strives for relationships with other people, especially with those whom with we disagree, so that we can work our problems out more directly and healthily. In most cases, it is God’s job to judge and our job to love.

Thank you for clarifying that you are concerned about repentance for racism where it exists. I think that is ultimately what Grove City College is trying to teach through its efforts recently. Unfortunately, many people in the world have been falsely convicted and unbiblically indicted simply because of their skin color. I think that is easy to see that when we look at criminal and incarceration statistics, ICE encounters, lynching, drug laws, and United States history. I have not experienced instances where students on this campus have experienced these, but I too would be concerned if they were to happen.

I had mentioned that there may be similarities between a Christian worldview and CRT when it comes to thinking about racial reconciliation or church unity. You had mentioned that “according to CRT, all of society is infected with intrinsic (structural) racism that favors Whites and oppresses Blacks and other minorities.” Here at Grove City College, they teach the concept of original sin as truth, which states that all of creation is untouched by sin. If we both acknowledge that racism is a sin, and that racism is defined as “prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized,” then there seems to be no disagreement between the Christian worldview and CRT on this topic.

In my exploration of CRT so far, I have not come across Standpoint Epistemology, which according to your petition, says “truth is determined solely from the standpoint of the oppressed.” To add a tiny bit of humor, that statement is true only if you put it in the context of Jesus, who was experiencing oppression during his crucifixion. I don’t believe that truth is determined solely from the standpoint of the oppressed, and I don’t believe the professors at Grove City College would teach that either. But as Christians, it is our responsibility to share and care for the poor, so often, truth looks like siding with the most destitute on this earth and caring for their needs.

Another similarity that CRT has with a Christian worldview is the idea of a “new society.” Your point less referenced the technical definition of CRT and more to a cultural embodiment of it. But I think CRT does aim for a society that is fairer and just. Likewise, we Christians have a vision of God’s Kingdom (Lord’s Prayer). Depending on your faith background, you may have different ideas for how we relate to that Kingdom. Nevertheless, a new society is echoed in both - a problem that may have resulted from an inactive Church culture that doesn’t reflect such an alternative society grounded in love, truth, and justice.

You had also mentioned that according to a Christian worldview, “ultimate reality is immaterial, namely, a personal God who created the material world,” and “the physical world can be known, but so can non-physical things like morals, human nature, and the laws of logic.” I wholeheartedly agree with these statements. I do not believe that Grove City College would compromise these in their efforts to address racial injustice.

I, too, desire the Church to be a united force in the world, affirming the objective truth and condemning sin (whatever disturbs shalom) in the world. We have a responsibility as Christians to do this, reflecting God’s glory and Jesus’s vision for the Church. I believe that Grove City College is enabling students exceptionally well enough to enter the world ready to do these things. Part of loving God and loving our neighbor, though, involve thinking about how to love them in the world that we live in. Do I believe that CRT should be taught at Grove City College as you have presented it? Not really. And I don't think that they are. But I do think that learning about laws and history that infringe/have infringed on another’s right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is important to address issues at the root.  

In Love, A Grove City College Student