Dr. James Dobson Newsletter Archives

Protecting Our Children From Critical Race Theory

Written by Dr. James Dobson | August 2021

Dear Friends,

As I pen these words, I have great concern that many people of faith and millions of conservative citizens do not understand the full meaning of what is called Critical Race Theory. What is CRT? In short, it is a movement that has infiltrated every dimension of America's public life, including its institutions, government, military, public education, the economy, thousands of Christian churches, and a generation of children. CRT has become a cultural revolution that is targeting you, your family, and the essence of our great nation.

Let me offer a concise definition of this movement. At its core, CRT is driven by a godless, Marxist worldview that interprets everything in life through a radical racial lens that divides people into two groups—the oppressors and the oppressed. Its end goal is division and upheaval.

Before going further, I want to express with the utmost clarity that our Christian faith compels us to love people without prejudice, regardless of race or the color of one's skin. In Genesis 1:27, we are given the underpinning of this Christian worldview as it pertains to all people groups. It tells us that all human beings are made in the very image of God. We are one race that honors one Creator and one Savior, Jesus Christ. By confronting the lies of CRT, I am in no way denying that racial hatred and discrimination are real. It has been an American tragedy dating back to the introduction of slavery. That is not in dispute.

And without question, we as Christians should lead the effort in helping bring racial unity to all people. It is with this biblical understanding that we must, with humility, work to bring love and unity, and teach it to our children.

However, and despite what the promoters of CRT contend, this movement is designed to do the opposite…to fracture us as a nation and teach our children to hate and distrust one another. This radical ideology instructs us to despise America, its founding fathers, its Constitution, and the republic framework of our governance. When added to the warping of children with LGBTQ ideology, transgender teachings, and other Leftist concepts, you might understand why I am convinced this curriculum represents the greatest threat to the institution of the family in the history of this nation.

Perhaps nowhere is this insidious indoctrination so evident as in the public school system. Consider these horrific examples from Christopher F. Rufo, a journalist and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute:
 

In Cupertino, Calif., an elementary school forced first-graders to deconstruct their racial and sexual identities and rank themselves according to their "power and privilege."

In Springfield, Mo., a middle school forced teachers to locate themselves on an "oppression matrix," based on the idea that straight, white, English-speaking, Christian males are members of the oppressor class and must atone for their privilege and "covert white supremacy."

In Philadelphia, Pa., an elementary school forced fifth-graders to celebrate "Black communism" and simulate a Black Power rally to free 1960s radical Angela Davis from prison, where she had once been held on charges of murder.

And in Seattle, Wash., the school district told white teachers that they are guilty of "spirit murder" against black children and must "bankrupt [their] privilege in acknowledgment of [their] thieved inheritance."

I'm just one investigative journalist, but I've developed a database of more than 1,000 of these stories. When I say that Critical Race Theory is becoming the operating ideology of our public institutions, I am not exaggerating—from the universities to bureaucracies to K-12 school systems, Critical Race Theory has permeated the collective intelligence and decision-making process of American government, with no sign of slowing down.1

While many parents have been tragically unaware of these developments, some are all too familiar with the ideology undergirding CRT. In a profoundly alarming statement made to the Loudoun County School Board that should grab at the heart of every American parent, Xi Van Fleet, a survivor of the monstrous reign of Communist ruler, Mao Tse-tung, condemned the school board's efforts in promoting the wicked ideology of CRT throughout its schools.
 

"I've been very alarmed by what's going on in our schools. You are now training our children to be social justice warriors and to loathe our country and our history. Growing up in Mao's China, all of this seems very familiar. The Communist regime used the same critical theory to divide people; the only difference is they used class instead of race…This is, indeed, the American version of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. The Critical Race Theory has its roots in cultural Marxism. It should have no place in our schools."2
 

It is surreal in the most harrowing way. We are literally teaching our youngest kids to hate themselves and the nation they call home. In so doing, we are stripping away a child's inherent and God-given self-worth and spewing hatred in its place.

This distressing information is in addition to the transgender curriculum that tells preschoolers they can choose their gender. According to this teaching, biology is irrelevant. The Leftist-driven schools and their unions are attempting to make this the norm of public education in all classrooms and subject matter.

To put it boldly, our schools are ushering in institutionalized racism and raising a generation of Americans who lack a foundation of biblical truth. God help us!

Our kids need to know and understand that it is the character of a person and not one's skin color that defines who they are. But our educational system seems determined to teach the opposite. CRT is based on a godless worldview that corrupts the minds of children, and Christian parents must understand the urgency of this matter and do everything they can to protect their young ones from it.

And, as we are learning every day, the CRT ideology has also infiltrated America's military at the highest level. Our generals and admirals have become more concerned about the level of their soldiers' "wokeness" rather than their readiness for battle. As my good friend, Gary Bauer, recently pointed out.
 

Now a shocking new report suggests that naval officers have gotten the politically correct message loud and clear. They're going to be judged not on their war-fighting ability but the degree to which they embrace and implement the Left's latest goofy ideas.

One of the most disturbing elements of the report is that naval commanders have been browbeaten into "a deep culture of risk aversion." Consider this statement from one lieutenant interviewed for the report:

"Sometimes I think we care more about whether we have enough diversity officers than if we'll survive a fight with the Chinese Navy. It's criminal. They think my only value is as a black woman. But you cut our ship open with a missile and we'll all bleed the same color."

She is absolutely right!3

Sadly, the Biden administration and the Democrat party are largely responsible for unleashing the lies of CRT upon America. In a recent survey conducted by the Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology, they found that only 6% of Republicans were in favor of CRT while 86% of Democrats were supportive of it. Interestingly, Americans as a whole reject CRT, with 58% holding an unfavorable view.4 As Americans, we should know better than to flirt with this Marxist dogma and most of us still do!

Those who are fooled into embracing CRT would do well to consider the enduring words of this nation's most esteemed civil rights activist. Almost six decades ago, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered one of the most powerful civil rights addresses this nation has ever heard, and in so doing, shared his aspiration for America. He said while standing before an enormous crowd at the Lincoln Memorial, on August 28, 1963:

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."5
 

Today, proponents of Critical Race Theory seek to destroy the Rev. King's dream by dividing us based on the color of our skin rather than uniting Americans in a shared value system that upholds as its highest tenet that all men are created equal by God. This mindset has characterized the "American experiment" from its founding, but CRT contradicts the biblically informed principles that are so eloquently stated in the Declaration of Independence:
 

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.6

We have not always lived up to these ideals. But the solution is not to abandon them, but to seek to move ever closer to them. Consider the words of Dr. Ben Carson, a man of such conviction whom I admire and respect greatly. He also still believes in the American dream and the ideals for which it stands.
 

"I'm probably in a unique position when it comes to race, in that I'm also a neurosurgeon," Carson said. "And, you know, when I peel that scalp back and take that bone flap off and open the dura, I'm looking at the thing that makes that person who they are…

If [our children] were taught the true history, they would recognize that this is a time to celebrate who we are, and particularly in the black community. When I was a kid growing up, it was a big deal when some black person came on television in a non-servant role. And now you have black admirals and generals and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and presidents [of] universities—even Ivy League schools…I mean, give me a break."7

Thankfully, other conservatives, including many people of faith, are also beginning to speak up in opposition of CRT, including elected officials in Florida, Idaho, Georgia, Texas, Arkansas, South Dakota, and Arizona. But the task before them will not be easy. Appallingly, President Biden's Department of Education has proposed a rule that would offer federal funding to education contractors who promote "racially, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically responsive teaching and learning practices." This rule, if adopted, would also require the Education Department to prioritize social studies curriculum that teaches students about "systemic marginalization, biases, inequities, and discriminatory policy and practice in American history."8 In other words, our government will pay educators to brainwash your children with unabashed CRT-laced propaganda. We cannot allow this to happen on our watch!

As I shared at the outset of this letter, this is a watershed moment in the history of our country. Americans must courageously stand up against this Leftist-driven indoctrination, and we must not be naïve. We are not only fighting this anti-biblical and anti-American theory and the activists who advance it, but also our own federal government's promotion of it. If we fail to act now, our children and this country will continue down this path of no return. And our sweet land of liberty and the freedoms we hold dearly will be gone.

So, what are we to do?

First, we must recognize the truth. Critical Race Theory is a Marxist-driven ideology that is in sharp contrast to the biblical truth that God created us equal, in His own image (Genesis 1:27). Proponents of CRT aren't interested in promoting racial reconciliation and harmony, but rather race-based division and an upheaval of our Judeo-Christian values. It is truly an assault against the very founding liberties upon which our country was built. Armed with the truth, we will prevail!

Second, demand that your elected officials stand against CRT and the fundamental lies that undergird it. Explain to them what is at stake. This evil theory disregards the sanctity of human life by denying the inherent worth and dignity of every individual. It is teaching our children to abhor themselves and our country. It erodes parental rights by demanding that children and families embrace a particular ideology that contradicts our biblically-based values, and it divides us based on skin color, rather than uniting us around the American dream and ideals that so many men and women have died defending. Equally as pressing, parents must courageously safeguard their young ones from the onslaught of the CRT-laden curriculum that our public and private schools are integrating across all grades and studies.9 While you will not be popular with today's pop culture or your local school board, your voice of truth must be heard for the sake of your children. Their very hearts and minds are in danger. And I can't state this strongly enough. We must unite with fellow parents in this effort. United we will stand!

Third, we must engage our children on this topic and the other lies that the Left is peddling to our kids. It is essential that your sons and daughters hear from you. If they don't, the world will gladly take your place of influence. We also must set the example for them. The most powerful and influential lesson our children will learn is the life we live before them.

I'll close by quoting the writings of Jeff Minick as published in the insightful blog, Intellectual Takeout. He advised parents to protect their children above all else. He wrote,
 

"Then comes the hardest decision of all. Suppose the principals, the vice-principals, and the members of the school board refuse to listen to you? Suppose they brush off your objections or worse, vehemently defend CRT?

If that happens, then you must decide whether you're going to leave Johnny and Mary in the clutches of these people or find a different educational venue. If your circumstances dictate leaving the children in school—maybe both parents are working, or you're a single mom with a low-paying job—then you might counter the CRT training with home discussions regarding race.

But even in these cases some possibilities exist for removing your children from the offending school. Perhaps you have a relative—a grandparent, or possibly an aunt—who would take the kids and educate them at home. Perhaps you might find a private or charter school that offers financial help, or perhaps that grandfather who lives too far away to instruct the children would financially contribute to their education.

More fortunate parents have the opportunity to enroll their children in private schools or teach them at home. Regarding that latter choice, we live at a time when homeschooling has never been easier. Scores of hard copy resources and scores more online help provide parents the tools they need to educate their children.

The greatest gift a parent can give to this dark world is an adult who can think critically, can discern truth from lies, and understand and practice virtue. Children are still our greatest natural resource, and we need them to come of age as educated, morally sound citizens."10

Together, we will uphold God's truth and be a light that overcomes the darkness of this day. We must also pray for our children and our country daily. Everything that matters to us is in jeopardy.

Through His grace and strength,

 

1 Rufo, Christopher F. (May 6, 2021), What Critical Race Theory Is Really About, The Manhattan Institute, https://www.manhattan-institute.org/what-critical-race-theory-is-really-about
2 Ruiz, Michael (June 10, 2021), Virginia mom who survived Maoist China eviscerates school board's critical race theory push, Fox News, https://www.foxnews.com/us/virginia-xi-van-fleet-critical-race-theory-china-cultural-revolution-loudoun
3 Bauer, Gary (July 15, 2021), Biden’s Segregation Slanders, The Patriot Post, https://patriotpost.us/opinion/81337-bidens-segregation-slanders-2021-07-15
4 Berry, Dr. Susan (June 16, 2021), Poll: 58% of Americans Hold ‘Unfavorable’ View of Critical Race Theory, 38%‘Favorable,’ Breitbart https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/06/16/poll-58-of-americans-hold-unfavorable-view-of-critical-race-theory-38-favorable/
5 King, Jr., Martin Luther (Speech delivered 1963, posted March 16, 2021), I Have a Dream Speech, History.Com, https://www.history.com/topics/civil-rights-movement/i-have-a-dream-speech#section_7
6 Jefferson, Thomas (1776), Declaration of Independence, Transcript listed on Archives.com, https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
7 Foust, Michael (July 6, 2021), Critical Race Theory Is 'a Bunch of Garbage,' Ben Carson Says: Americans 'Are Not Enemies, 'Christian Headlines https://www.christianheadlines.com/contributors/michael-foust/critical-race-theory-is-a-bunch-of-garbage-ben-carson-says-americans-are-not-enemies.html
8 Kurtz, Stanley (April 23, 2021), Get set for dangerous Critical Race Theory in every school in America, New York Post, https://nypost.com/2021/04/23/get-set-for-dangerous-critical-race-theory-in-every-school-in-america/
9 Safi, Marol (April 20, 2021) Some of the Country’s Most Elite, Expensive Private Schools Are Embracing ‘Antiracism,’ Daily Caller, https://dailycaller.com/2021/04/20/private-schools-elite-embrace-antiracism-critical-race-theory/
10 Minick, Jeff (March 23, 2021) Ending Critical Race Theory for the Children’s Sake, Intellectual Takeout, https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/ending-critical-race-theory-for-the-children-s-sake/

 

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