Tish Harrison Warren Wants You to Be Quiet About CRT in the Church

In tweeting favorably about the Anglican Compass article by Esau McCaulley on the Critical Race Theory (CRT) controversy in the church, particularly in the Anglican Church in North America, ACNA’s Tish Harrison Warren writes (And to be fair and clear, I do not know if Dr. McCaulley would go quite as far as Warren does.):

Until the ACNA is actually meaningfully racially and ethnically diverse. Until our *leadership* reflects this diversity, bringing up CRT is a distraction and a tactic.  It is a way to reject any talk of systemic white supremacy b/c Marx. It is bad thinking. Falling into genetic fallacy. But it is useful as a way to avoid realities that are difficult or call us to hard things and vulnerability and repentance and a cross.

Leaving aside the issue of whether race or ethnicity should be much of a factor in choosing church leadership, it is a strange argument that if we are not properly “diverse”, then bringing up CRT is just “a distraction and a tactic.”  A tactic to distract from what?  We want open eyes about the direction church leaders are taking us.  Should we shut up until we are “diverse”?  Does “diversity” exclude those concerned about CRT?  It seems she is using “diversity” as a distraction and a tactic to put down and push aside valid concerns about CRT.

Her next put down of concern about CRT is downright comical. “It is a way to reject any talk of systemic white supremacy b/c Marx.”  She uses a term beloved of CRT types, “systemic white supremacy,” while saying we shouldn’t bring up CRT.  So she uses a CRT concept and practically in the same breath says we shouldn’t bring up CRT.  It’s like some guy saying you shouldn’t bring up racism when he uses the n-word all over the place.

But why are we really bringing up our concerns about CRT influence? “To avoid realities that are difficult.”  Oh really? So childish weakness motivates our concerns.  Got it.  

Instead, perhaps we are the ones not avoiding realities that are difficult.  Life would certainly be easier if we were not examining and warning about the influence of CRT in the church.  Personally, this is not what I signed up for when I joined ACNA with joy.  I thought I had let the usual LibChurch social justicisms far behind.  Apparently not.  But now that I’m in ACNA I will not “avoid realities that are difficult” by closing my eyes to CRT influence and other social justicisms in ACNA.

If I do eventually avoid that, it will be by leaving, which would have its own difficulties.

In the meantime, will I among others avoid “bringing up CRT” when we see its toxic influence in our church?  No.

Sorry, Tish Harrison Warren.