Over the past decade or so, I’ve come across numerous evangelicals who assert that critical theory is an enemy infiltrating education, government, politics, and other realms of society in harmful ways. At times, this can seem like yet another in the long line of cultural bogeymen used to garner influence, whip up fear, expand platforms, or motivate fundraising campaigns. Even so, I believe there are important issues here.
Because of such experiences, I was a bit skeptical as I began to read Bradley G. Green’s “What Is Critical Theory?: A Concise Christian Analysis” (Crossway, 2026). Fortunately, regardless of whether or not you agree with his analysis, Green does not fall prey to these unreasonable excesses. He is careful to avoid overgeneralizations, recognizing the similarities and differences that exist among advocates of critical theory, past and present.
And refreshingly, he is humble enough (or bold enough, depending on the audience) to claim that “there is an element of truth in what the critical theorists are saying” (161), even though he largely disagrees with them.
The stated purpose of the book is “to understand and engage critical theory and to provide a concise Christian analysis” (2). Green mainly focuses on four early proponents of critical theory: Max Horkheimer, Theodor Adorno, Walter Benjamin, and Herbert Marcuse. While contemporary critical theorists don’t share all of the views of these four thinkers — and they have their own disagreements — exploring the historical origins of this philosophy is a valuable exercise. After exploring those origins and briefly introducing some connected components of Marxism, Green turns to a Christian analysis of critical theory.
His analysis and critique frame critical theory as an alternative religion. Some may have concerns about this. It might be a religion in effect, as Green says, if not in fact. That much seems right, in many cases. What matters here is that critical theorists address many of the fundamental questions about reality, ethics, and human nature that Christianity answers, and they do so in ways that often depart from the answers given by our faith.
Green looks at critical theory through three major theological categories: (i) creation and reality; (ii) sin and the human dilemma; and (iii) redemption, history, and eschatology. In each category, Green explains the relevant aspects of critical theory, discusses an example of its influence today, and then offers a Christian critique.
Let’s consider one of these categories: creation and reality. Though Marcuse rejected all metaphysics (the philosophical study of reality), Green claims there are nevertheless metaphysical commitments in his thought. For example, critical theorists didn’t see the prior goodness of creation, and therefore “were conceptually required to view all the various problems in the world as constitutive of reality rather than indications of a world gone wrong” (66). Green is right. This is an important shortcoming of critical theory.
Green also examines what the critical theorists think of human beings. He contends that critical theory sees human beings as cogs in a machine. Social and political repression and the market system are parts of this machine that undermine our freedom and individuality. While considering what it means to be human, Green connects critical theory with what he deems to be a current fascination, or perhaps an obsession, with race.
While one can connect critical theory with some current progressive views about race, I have some concerns about Green’s critique. He claims that race is not a focus of Christianity and that race is not a biblical concept. Rather, the focus is on the unity of all humanity in Adam. This point about our unity in Adam (and ultimately in Christ) is well taken. But it also reveals a problem with his argument.
In many parts of the world, and in the past and present of our nation, race has been a prominent factor undermining unity in society, and unity in Christ’s church. Given the connections between race and oppression in our nation’s history, we have biblical warrant to focus on doing what we can to rectify injustices, past and present, as well as working to prevent them in the future.
Moreover, granting for the sake of argument that race is not a biblical term, it does not follow that race is not real, does not matter, or is irrelevant to Christian ethics. There are many significant issues that are part of reality, even though the Bible does not address them. Scripture is not comprehensive in that way. At the very least, the concept of race does not stand in direct opposition to God’s Word.
The Presbyterian Church in America and other Reformed denominations have recognized and utilized the concept of race. In 2004, the General Assembly wrote a pastoral letter on race and stated, “The word ‘race,’ as used in this pastoral letter, is not a scientific classification; rather, in the language of one author, the term ‘race’ is used to denote ‘a social phenomenon with a biological component.’”
In 1974, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church issued a report on the problems of race. It stated, “The Bible does not provide us with a concept of race in the scientific anthropological sense of the term. The Bible does, however, address itself to the many kinds of divisions among men.”
Next, Green considers the contemporary movement against hate speech. Some in this movement are prone to excess, to be sure, and Green offers examples of this tendency. I agree with him that we need robust legal protections for freedom of speech and that the category of hate speech is sometimes much too large.
Green notes that some have argued that traditionalists about LGBTQ+ issues fear or even hate members of that community. He challenges this claim and contends that most likely the traditional Christian is merely affirming views about biology and sex that have been “virtually unquestioned among traditional Christians until very recently…these same traditional Christians would hold to all these moral convictions, and not necessarily hate or fear anyone” (136-137).
While hatred and fear are not necessarily connected to these traditional convictions, they are in fact, all too often present with them. We should unashamedly speak the truth about gender and sexuality. And we should do so with words that are seasoned with grace. This is an area where those who claim the name of Christ can do better, whatever our views about these issues.
In addition to race and sexuality, Green discusses several other issues of our day and their connections to critical theory, including “wokeness,” the nature of true human freedom, and the significance of the family. He offers qualifications about the connections between the critical theory of the past and the progressive values of our era; it is tempting to read the commitments of people like Marcuse into contemporary progressive organizations and movements when we should not.
I applaud Green for making this clear. There are connections, but we should not assume a uniformity that doesn’t exist. Readers must be careful to follow Green in this. In our polarized times, doing so is one means by which we can show our world a better way of intellectual and cultural engagement.
In summary, “What Is Critical Theory?” is a helpful introduction and critique from one Christian perspective of several of the main components of critical theory as developed by several of its early proponents. Some portions of the book may require more than one reading, but this is a good thing. Careful reading and re-reading are ways we can love God with our minds and equip ourselves to love God, neighbor, and enemy with our entire being.
With this in mind, it could be helpful to gather a church or local reading group to work through this book together, while also exploring what others have had to say on the topic. While Green’s Christian analysis of critical theory is not the full or last word (no book by a human is), it is one that is well worth reading and considering.
Michael W. Austin is professor of philosophy at Eastern Kentucky University and a ruling elder at Covenant Community Church (PCA) in Richmond, Kentucky.