Critical race theory ban in Tennessee could lead to censoring Christianity too | Opinion – The Tennessean

S. Kyle Johnson, Guest Columnist Published 11:23 a.m. CT May 19, 2021 | Updated 2:51 p.m. CT May 19, 2021

It is both hilarious and disturbing that the language of Tennessee's critical race theory ban bill would effectively bar the discussion of many Christian ideas from classrooms.

I am writing to express my shock and horror at the reprehensible attacks on Christianity in my home state of Tennessee.

I feel compelled as a scholar of Christian theology, and a native of Chattanooga, to condemn this terrifying threat to religious freedom.

I am, of course, writing about House Bill 580, which pertains to so-called critical race theory.

This education bill identifies and bans the teaching of several ideas that legislators have referred to as critical race theory.

The bill does not mention or define critical race theory. Since I am sure that the wise leaders of Tennessee would not legislate about something which they did not understand, I am forced to reach a conclusion from the descriptions that they give: Critical race theory must be an antagonistic code word for Christianity.

I am, of course, being somewhat tongue-in-cheek. But it is both hilarious, and disturbing, that the language of House Bill 580 would effectively ban the discussion of many Christian ideas from classrooms.

Among the notions that the bill identifies and condemns is the following: An individual, by virtue of the individual's race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex."

S. Kyle Johnson(Photo: Submitted)

For most of Christian history, most Western Christians have maintained that all humans are guilty of the sin of Adam. Popular contemporary Protestant preacher, John Piper, puts it this way: The problem with the human race is Adam whose sin became our sin and whose judgment became our judgment.

The language of Bill 580 undercuts the Christian doctrine of original sin, which is the idea that thehumanrace is responsible for actions committed in the past by others of its own "race."

Hear more Tennessee Voices: Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought provoking columns.

Obviously, House Bill 580 means race in the sense more common in American discourse, that of a particular group of humans. But, of course, the law must be precise. This bill could theoretically be used to ban the teaching of this Christian doctrine.

Perhaps the leaders of Tennessee have somehow secretly joined the ranks of the liberal anti-religious forces, about which they often fear-monger? Or, perhaps, they are simply ignorant?

The religious right often insists loudly on so-called "traditional family values" and the freedom to practice and promote such ideas. It is ironic, then, that the bill's language would also restrict and condemns these views.

Conservative Christians have often taught that the notion of original sin has particular connotations for the sexes, based upon certain Biblical passages. Along these lines is also the idea that men and women have unique, particular "character traits."

Genesis 3, for example, places distinct curses upon Adam and Eve and all of their descendants: Arduous labor for men, painful childbirth for women.

In I Timothy 2:12 (according to conservative interpretations), the Apostle Paul rejects the idea that women can preach in church, claiming that women are uniquely prone to temptation and are responsible for Eve's sin. This suggests that people are responsible for the sins of their same-sex ancestors, and prone to certain behaviors on account of their sex. Discussion of these ideas is clearly rejected by the bill's language about the immutable "character traits" of those of the same group (i.e., sex), or the idea of corporate responsibility.

Do the conservative legislators of Tennessee really hope to ban discussion of the Bible and the traditional Christian perspectives they and their constituents so loudly trumpet?

This is, of course, unlikely. The only other conclusion is that they clearly have no idea what they are doing.

I compel my home state of Tennessee to squash House Bill 580and to reject these leaders and their foolish and humorously self-defeating attempts to regulate education.

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

S. Kyle Johnson is a Ph.D. candidate in and scholar of systematic theology at Boston College. He is a native of Chattanooga.

Read or Share this story: https://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/2021/05/19/how-critical-race-theory-ban-could-lead-censoring-christianity-too/5165403001/

See original here:
Critical race theory ban in Tennessee could lead to censoring Christianity too | Opinion - The Tennessean