A Brief Review of Critical Dilemma

If your pastor will only ever read one book on Critical Theory, this should be it.

Most conservative Christian books criticizing Critical Theory and its offshoots, Critical Race Theory and Queer Theory, rely on reductionist framings of opposition arguments, conveniently selective examples of notable figures, and hyperbolic warnings of an immediate existential crisis facing the church. Thankfully, Neil Shenvi and Pat Sawyer’s Critical Dilemma: The Rise of Critical Theories and Social Justice Ideology―Implications for the Church and Society (Harvest House Publishers) belongs in a different class.

As with Carl Trueman’s The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, Shenvi and Sawyer spend the majority of their book steel-manning their opposition. Thus, by the time they arrive at the point of arguing the Christian position, the pins have been neatly set up to be knocked down, one by one. Even if you are someone who has read much of the source material behind the book, from Foucault and Derrida to Crenshaw and DiAngelo, you will still likely glean a few new insights from Critical Dilemma. It is clear from the outset that they have done their homework.

Shenvi and Sawyer do what Trueman did—and Francis Schaeffer before them—paint an accurate picture of the multi-decade evolution of a set of humanist ideas and then contrast them to the absolute ethics we receive from Scripture. Whatever one may feel about the theories, they are epistemically incompatible with the orthodox Christian position, and Shenvi and Sawyer wholly succeed in their stated task of making that evident. It would be very difficult for someone like Ibram X. Kendi, who explicitly holds to liberation theology, to argue that Shenvi and Sawyer misrepresented his views or that they twisted orthodox epistemology to arrive at their conclusions. This makes it a strong resource for those of us who are not likely to be called to debate a scholar of the theories, but may have to discuss these matters with people in our congregations, and want to do so in truth and love.

Where I believe the book falls short is in making an argument that will greatly change anyone’s opinion on the theories, but this is not a problem in that its best audience are pastors who feel that the theories are incompatible with Christianity, and who are looking for a resource to better understand and counter their opposition. If you’re someone who has your pastor’s confidence in these matters I highly recommend you read this book and share it with him.