Back to School Resource Guide
Back to School Resource Guide
The Relationship Between Marxism and Critical Theory
The Site of the Revolution
The relationship between critical theory and Marxism is a fascinating one. The critical theorists were all self-identified and self-proclaimed Marxists. But they had a problem. They saw the revolution having happened in Russia, but it wasn’t happening in Germany. (The critical theorists were originally all in Germany.) They began to wonder, Why isn’t it happening here?
In Marxism, apart from critical theory, the revolution is going to happen. The revolution is inevitable. Marx himself is a materialist, so this revolution happens from the bottom up. In Marxism, history and reality are determined by one’s historical circumstance, by where one is situated. That’s the driving force in reality. It is inevitable that the revolution will happen.
What Is Critical Theory?
Bradley G. Green
In this book, Bradley G. Green offers a thoughtful Christian analysis of critical theory, its key philosophers, and their views regarding creation and reality; sin and the human dilemma; and redemption, history, and eschatology.
The revolution has to happen. It will take a massive centralized power, a centralized state, to bring it about. Then, over time, that centralized state will wither away.
Now, the critical theorists said, It’s not happening. And if it’s happening in Russia but it’s not happening here, we have to rethink Marxism. So the critical theorists, in a nutshell, said it has to be something besides economics. It has to be more than economics.
And they began to think, Well, if you have a traditional view of the family, if you have a traditional view of religion, especially Christianity, all those cultural institutions could impede the revolution. So if Mom is happy to submit to Dad, she’s not going to be a very good revolutionary. And if Dad’s happy to be the head of the house, he might not be a good part of a revolutionary system that encourages him to submit and be submissive to other powers.
So the critical theorists are sometimes called cultural Marxists. They say these cultural institutions—particularly the family, the church, traditional views of sexuality—are cultural forces that must be undone, removed, and subverted if the revolution is one day going to happen. So you might say the critical theorists are Marxists who are reworking Marxism. Economics is important but no longer central, and there are these other cultural realities that have to be dismantled and reworked if the revolution is going to truly happen.
Bradley G. Green is the author of What Is Critical Theory?: A Concise Christian Analysis.
Related Articles
10 Things You Should Know About Critical Theory
If you are like many people, for a good while you may have heard the term “critical theory” in the news, in this or that journal, or in your various media sources.
Does Critical Theory Actually Matter for Me Today?
The terms or phrases “critical theory,” or “critical race theory,” or “cultural Marxism” have been fairly dominant in the blogosphere and news cycles and the various news feeds in recent years.
Understanding the Difference Between Critical Theory and Critical Race Theory
Critical race theory would be generally progressive and Marxist-leaning, whereas critical theory is explicitly Marxist and transformed, reworked Marxism.
Podcast: What Is Critical Theory? (Bradley Green)
Dr. Bradley Green explains the history, key figures, movements, and cultural influence of critical theory and how Christians should counter this worldview.
