Book titles that accurately represent their content is an under-appreciated category in the world of books, but Untangling Critical Race Theory fits solidly in that category. "Untangling" in this case implies separating the good from the bad, the helpful from the not helpful, without resorting to an off-handed dismissal of the idea as a whole. Ed Uszynski is a white man who has studied both Critical Theory and theology, and uses that background to help believers, especially those coming from conservative Evangelical circles, build bridges between ideas that on the surface are incompatible. I come from a very conservative background and was therefore skeptical as I started reading, but I felt in good hands the whole time. It's not necessary to agree 100% with everything he says to see that he offers a fair and holistic overview of CRT through a biblical lens. Here's what you can expect from this book:

-Definitions and histories of both Critical Theory and Critical Race Theory
-An understanding of why these topics are so divisive
-Considerations of how CT and CRT address real problems in our society and how the gospel responds to those
-Healthy critique of the church's response to race
-An examination of CT and CRT through a biblical worldview

Additionally, there was a helpful explanation of how gender identity has gotten wrapped up in the same package with the Civil Rights movement, and why Christians can advocate for one without supporting the other. This is not a major topic of the book, but is one I found particularly helpful.

To be clear, the author is in no way trying to convince his readers that CT/CRT/Marxism is all good, but he does help us to think critically (no pun intended) about them. This book is a great resource for those wanting to be able to engage in conversation about these topics in an informed and winsome way. When we understand better, we can communicate more clearly and foster connection rather than division.

My only critique is it did feel a little repetitive, but I also think that sometimes we need to hear certain things again and again. 😉

Thank you to Netgalley and Intervarsity Press for the advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.

Final rating: 4.5⭐️

A good, nuanced, thoughtful analysis of CRT and how Christians can engage with the actual texts and thinkers behind it, not just the popular conceptions of it.

(I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

To start with … I am reasonable sure that I am not the target audience for this book as I am neither an Evangelical nor a fundamental christian conservative; however, I would consider myself somewhat adjacent to the social issues addressed by both CRT and the author's understanding of scripture … although it appears that he considers the foundations of catholic social teaching (which is my own tradition) to be largely heretical. While I am more or less aligned with his conclusions, I find that I frequently diverge with the interpretations used to get there and with the inconsistent expansion and/or restriction of foundational terminology (which speaks more to me desire for language precision than any deficiencies with the arguments) … but not so much as to undermine the ultimate conclusion supporting a christian conversation about race. And while the language was clear and concise, I am unsure as to its ability to convince others … it certainly didn’t change my mind about CRT, which remains divisive and problematic for me, not because of what it is or how it works, but because of they way it has been weaponized on both sides to the point of foreclosing any debate about race (which is desperately needed in America today). If am I wrong (and I would love to be so), all I can say is welcome to the conversation.

This is a very comprehensive and updated book about critical race theory and how we understand about it. Hopefully, you will get this book, read it, and broaden your spectrum of understanding. Thank you so much, Ed Uszynsky for this book!

Thank you #netgalley and IVP for the ARC. I very much appreciated reading this book. Although I mostly read fiction, when there is a topic I am passionate about I will pick up a nonfiction read. They are more difficult, and sometimes they can come across as preachy. My biggest criticism with nonfiction is that, the people that need to read the book are the least likely to pick it up. I think that is the primary reason why I appreciated this book. The author is a white conservative, evangelical Christian, writing for other white conservative evangelical Christians. He takes an approach to examining the questions of critical race theory without all of the intellectual laziness that we typically see. I learned so much about what critical theory is, its Marxist roots, and a less volatile way of considering someone else’s point of view. This book is highly biblical, and completely understands that racism is systemic and sinful. Racism is satanic. Unfortunately, there are some terms that have made people extremely defensive and stop listening. we shouldn’t be quick to not examine someone else’s point of view, this is the least like Christ we could be. This author approaches the subject with eschatological humility. There is no doubt in my mind that I will be choosing this book as one of my top 10 for the year. That is really saying something, because as of May 3, I have read 193 books this year. I hope that 10 copies of this book will be in every church in America. And I hope the most polarizing people from both the far left in the far right will read it. It truly challenges us to thoughtfully approach what makes other people feel the way that they do. Since I got an advanced reading copy of this book, I’m not allowed to quote it in the review. But once this book is published, I will include my favorite quotes in this review. Because I highlighted some thing on almost every other page.