Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture Understanding Critical Theory (with Carl Trueman)
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Jun 24, 2025 
Carl Trueman, a leading Christian social critic and professor at Grove City College, dives into the complexities of critical theory and its importance for today's Christians. He traces its historical roots, including influences from the Frankfurt School and figures like Marx. The conversation covers critical theory's impact on discussions of gender and race, examines its paradoxes, and critiques its appeal to victimhood. Trueman also emphasizes how the church can serve as a living counter to these theories through authentic community and self-giving principles.
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Critical Theory's Revolutionary Aim
- Critical theory aims not only to describe culture but to revolutionize it by exposing power structures.
- It is a practice of revolutionary change in theoretical form, rooted in Marxist thinking.
Critical Theory Reinterprets Truth
- Critical theorists questioned why the working class voted against their interests, often right-wing.
- This led them to reinterpret truth as a tool to advance revolutionary goals, not objective fact.
Truth in Biblical vs Critical Theory
- Biblical critique assumes direct access to truth revealed by God, unlike critical theory's skepticism.
- Critical theory views truth as emerging in the future, not as something accessible now.