Pedagogy is the study and theory of education. It establishes the methods educators use to teach our children. Critical pedagogy (CP) is prominent in public education. It is an educational theory and practice based on critical theory (CT). Critical theory is the social theoretical approach used by Marxism in evaluating and deconstructing capitalist societies. This is accomplished by problematizing every aspect of society. That is to say, it focuses only on the flaws and weaknesses (or supposed weaknesses) of a society in order to cause people to turn against it and join the revolution to replace it with Marxian socialism. It not only focuses on flaws, but it also exaggerates and even creates flaws where none exist. Then the problematic social system is compared to a non-existent Marxist society–a utopia. Whenever you compare a real-life society or economic system to an idyllic non-existent utopia, the utopia always wins. In America, CT is the mechanism used to turn citizens and our children against capitalism, Christianity, faith, family, and our republican form of government. Their relentless goal is to transform America into a Marxian socialist country. While we occupy our daily life with faith, family, work, and fun, they work unceasingly in their quest to reach their goal and have made considerable progress toward that end.
Critical pedagogy is a Marxist theory of education that does not aim to educate students to be better American citizens, more responsible individuals who will marry and rear their children to do the same. Critical pedagogy is not concerned with helping our children learn how to read, write, advance academically, and love America and their Christian faith. It is solely about radicalizing our children to hate America, join the revolution to topple America, and replace her with a Marxian-socialist government. The revolution can be peaceful by changing people’s views about America and Marxism through avenues like education, or it can be violent, as many in history have been. This is not an overstatement. Marxists live and breathe and give their lives for that purpose. I have read these assertions and plans numerous times in the Marxists’ own writings.
The neo-Marxist Henry Giroux coined the term critical pedagogy, and he is one of the most significant educational figures in promoting critical pedagogy to bring about a peaceful revolution that affects everything, including public education and even churches. He has influenced countless educators at all levels in schools across the country. He writes, “Moreover, a critical pedagogy should be engaged at all levels of schooling. It must gain part of its momentum in higher education among students who will go back to the schools, churches, synagogues, and workplaces in order to produce new ideas, concepts and critical ways of understanding the world in which young people and adults live . . . In order for pedagogy that encourages critical thought to have a real effect, it must include the message that all citizens, old and young, are equally entitled, if not equally empowered, to shape the society in which they live. If educators are to function as public intellectuals, they need to provide the opportunities for students to learn that the relationship between knowledge and power can be emancipatory, that their histories and experiences matter, and that what they say and do counts in their struggle to unlearn dominating privileges, productively reconstruct their relations with others and transform, when necessary, the world around them. Put simply, educators need to argue for forms of pedagogy that close the gap between the university and everyday life. Their curricula need to be organized around knowledges of communities, cultures, and traditions that give students a sense of history, identity, and place”[1] (italics added).
Let me comment on a few of his concepts. First, as with critical pedagogy, critical thought simply means thinking like a Marxist. The term critical does not mean thinking analytically, but it means thinking according to critical theory. To appreciate the prevalence of this Marxist thinking process, you should note the number of times the word critical is used here and in public education.
Here are some examples: critical legal theory, critical social justice, critical race theory, critical education, critical work, critical scholars, critical Marxist, critical scholarship, critical conversation, critical studies, critical knowledge, critical approach, critical traditions, critical social citizenship, critical agents, critical comprehension, critical citizens, critical engagement, critical leadership, critical dialogue, critical agency, critical integration, critical awareness, critical pedagogy, critical thinking, critical consciousness, critical spirit, critical powers, critical creativity, critical aim, critical reflection, critical analysis, critical investigation, critical meeting, critical science, critical awareness, critical approach to studying education, critical multi-educational studies, critical reading, critical social education, critical communities, scholar/activists, critical sociologist, critical research approaches, critical social education, critical citizens, critical perspective, critical light, critical impulse, critical democratic education, critical philosopher[2] and critical social movements. We are beyond Christian education and are moving beyond progressive/scientistic education. Now we are well into Marxist-based critical education, which is all based on Max Horkheimer’s critical theory. We are there!
In the quote above, Giroux says that critical pedagogy must be implemented at “all levels of schooling.” Yes, that means kindergarten through the highest levels of academia. When parents send their children to critical theory public schools, they are sending them to be trained to hate Christianity, America, the traditional family, capitalism, and blame America for being intrinsically racist and oppressive, causing all the wars and evil in the world, all of which are the products of capitalism. This theory permeates public education, at all levels, all across America. They are training your children to be Marxian socialists. This is not an over-exaggeration or scare tactic on my part; it is what they repeatedly say.
Why must it be at all levels? Because as Giroux says, the ones trained will be the ones “who will go back to the schools, churches, synagogues, and workplaces in order to produce new ideas, concepts and critical ways of understanding the world in which young people and adults live . . . In order for pedagogy that encourages critical thought to have a real effect, it must include the message that all citizens, old and young, are equally entitled, if not equally empowered, to shape the society in which they live.” This is known as praxis in Marxism–blending theory and activism to radicalize others for the cause of implementing Marxism. They are trained not to perpetuate the present system in America or to live a productive life as a Christian or American citizen but to radically change it with Marxian socialism’s “new ideas, concepts and critical ways of understanding.”
Notice that regardless of anything, all are “equally entitled” to shape society. That is communism and socialism. Marxists despise meritocracy, competitiveness, and a market-driven free economy. Communism, in its final state, has no leader (in theory), but it is everyone doing what is right for everyone, a utopia. The dictators somehow simply disappear, although Marxists never explain how this will happen, and rather than these leaders disappearing, they have actually increased their power over time. The advancement of Marxian socialism leaves no entity of society as it is, including “churches, synagogues,” which is a synecdoche (a part used to represent the whole–here, churches, synagogues refers to all religions). All religions must be changed to accept the religion of Marxism. “The Communist Manifesto was based on and preceded by a catechistical (question and answer format) document, written by Fredrich Engels, June, 1847, explaining the Tenets of communism. It was entitled The Draft of the Communist Confession of Faith.”[3]
Christian churches and leaders who accept any aspect of critical pedagogy or Marxist-based critical race theory are promoting the very thing that will destroy their family, evangelism, religious freedom, America’s republic, and even the ability to express one’s faith.
Kimberlé Crenshaw, known as the mother of critical race theory (CRT) and the one who coined the term intersectionality, wrote in one of her most significant essays, Mapping the Margins, Stanford Law Review, “Intersectionality may provide the means for dealing with other marginalizations . . . and thus serve as a basis for critique of churches and other cultural institutions that reproduce heterosexism”[4] (italics added). Once again, we see CRT and intersectionality (INT) are not just about race. Heterosexism means espousing heterosexuality as normal and would include teaching it should be normative.
In the founders’ own words, like critical pedagogy, critical race theory is based on critical theory. Accordingly, it is a Marxist theory of race and racism, taught in our schools for the same purpose as critical pedagogy. Note also that CT is not merely about race but is being used to critique churches because we believe God created two sexes, male and female, and their sexual relationship in marriage is the only normal sexual relationship between men and women. If your children are in public school, they are taught these theories in varying degrees. While some are subtle and others are completely unmasked, Marxism is being taught to your children.
The Marxists are making significant headway. George Barna’s research reports, “The American Worldview Inventory 2021 reports that . . . 27% believe that allowing people to own property facilitates economic injustice, and almost as many (23%) believe that individual property ownership is bad for society.”[5] This is the core of Marxism. In Marxism, private property is a part of capitalism, and it is evil to have private property because virtually all evil stems from it. Barna says, “The youngest adult generation, aged 18–36 at the time of the survey, is leading the way toward adopting ideas that facilitate socialist and Marxist activity.”[6]
[1] Henry Giroux, On Critical Pedagogy (London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2020), 116.
[2] AfroMarxist, “Herbert Marcuse interviewed by Helen Hawkins (1979),” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhzKyvLbY8M accessed 5/18/22.
[3] Frederick Engels, “Draft of a Communist Confession of Faith,” June 9 1847, https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/06/09.htm, accessed 9/15/22.
[4] Kimberlé Crenshaw, “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color.” 43 Stanford Law Review (1991): 1241–1299, https://edspace.american.edu/culturallysustainingclassrooms/wp-content/uploads/sites/1030/2017/09/Mapping-the-Margins.pdf, accessed 2/4/2021, 1299.
[5] George Barna, American Worldview Inventory 2021–22: The Annual Report on the State of Worldview in the United States (Glendale, AZ: Arizona Christian University Press, 2022), 30.
[6] George Barna, American Worldview Inventory 2021–22: The Annual Report on the State of Worldview in the United States (Glendale, AZ: Arizona Christian University Press, 2022), 38.
