Inverting the Bogeyman: Evangelical Constructions of Critical Race Theory.

This article analyzes how mainstream White evangelical Christian discourse (ED) in the United States constructs and opposes Critical Race Theory (CRT), a scholarly framework that examines systemic racism embedded in social structures. Through a discourse-historical analysis of 21 evangelical statements from denominations, seminaries, and publications, the study finds that ED predominantly portrays CRT as theoretically insufficient, divisive, and heretical—often framing it as a political movement or pseudo-religion that threatens Christian faith and social unity. Evangelical discourse employs rhetorical strategies of inversion—claiming CRT’s goals while rejecting its methods—and bifurcation—positioning Christianity and CRT as mutually exclusive—to diffuse accountability for systemic racism and emphasize individual sin over structural injustice. Despite this dominant opposition, a minority of evangelical voices acknowledge overlaps between CRT and Christian teachings on justice and liberation, suggesting potential for dialogue that integrates CRT’s critique of racial inequity with evangelical theology.