Controlled Opposition: Erick Erickson Says Tim Keller is ‘Leading Voice Against Critical Theory’
Lol. Wut.
Anti-Trumper and Russell Mooreite cultist, Erick Erickson, just said something that should make anyone who considers his opinions on religious matters instantly stop.
According to Erickson, “Tim Keller has become the leading voice in the PCA against critical theory and also groups like Revoice.”
For real. He said that.
Folks, Tim Keller is a straight up Marxist. There is hardly a day that goes by without Keller espousing the basic tenets of Critical Theory – a spin-off of Cultural Marxism from the Frankfurt School – on his Twitter feed. His books are full of it. His thoughts, words, sermons, and lectures are saturated in the tennets of Critical Theory.
And furthermore, Keller has never denounced Critical Theory whatsoever. He has not done so because he is for it. While Keller, ever a subversive Comintern, is as easy to pin down as nailing Jello to a wall, it’s safe to say he’s never been a vocal opponent of Critical Theory, let alone a leading one.
Ditto for Revoice, the faggy PCA Hominterns who are celebrating ‘queer culture’ over in St. Louis. When has Keller criticized that movement?
Seriously. A single instance would do.
Erickson, who has recently been criticizing Critical Theory on his radio program (apparently he’s unaware that his homeboys at the ERLC are all down with it), posted a link on his Facebook page several hours ago warning about ‘conservatives dabbling in Marxism.’
True that. But one Facebook commenter pointed out, ” To be fair, it should be a criticism of Tim Keller specifically – he is one of the main voices pumping this into these spaces.”
Erickson’s reponse was as follows:
Erickson said, “Actually, Keller has become the leading voice in the PCA against critical theory and also groups like Revoice. I had been very critical of him, but then actually read what he was saying as opposed to how people were characterizing his statements.”
While Keller’s friends often defend him from the accusation of being a Marxist (like when Carl Trueman insisted he could not be a Marxist because he is a theist, apparently glossing over the fact that Liberation Theologians are universally both Communists and Theists), Keller won’t denounce his own Marxism. He simply giggles from afar and smiles like the Cheshire Cat and twiddling his fingers like Dr. Evil at the suggestion, being King Coy of the Kingdom of Coyness.
The reason Keller won’t denounce Marxism is not that he’s refusing to lower himself to handle the accusation; it’s because he’s a ding-dang-diggity Marxist.
Neither has Keller rebuffed Revoice. As Tommy Littleton points out, Keller is The Gospel Coalition (he’s the founder and most prominent member) and nobody has given as much support and cover to Nate Collins’ troupe of homos like The Gospel Coalition. And not to be outdone, The Gospel Coalition has its own gaggle of lesbians (Jackie Hill Perry, Rebecca McLaughlin, Rachel Gilson, etc.) led by the eunuchized Sam Allberry as a homosexual Grand Marshall in the gay parade. And Sam Allberry’s position on queerness is identical to that of Revoice.
Hardly a week goes by that I don’t chronicle the Critical Theory oozing out of every one of Keller’s pores. Earlier this week I critiqued his Big City Doctrine Fetish, in which he said…
The city attracts the minorities of any society who can band together for mutual support [Note: CRT Intersectionality]. Thus the city is deeply merciful to those with less power [Note: CRT Power-Oppression Dynamic], creating safe enclaves [Note: CRT “Safe Space” teaching] for singles vs. families, the poor (and even the rich!) vs. the bourgeois [ahem], immigrants vs. longer- term residents, racial minorities vs. majorities [CRT’s Identity Politics]. Thus the city will always be the most diverse [Note: CRT’s D.I.E. language] human-life structure.
Keller’s words consistently bleed CRT, as you can see.
Folks, the question is why Erickson, who has aligned himself with Russell Moore, The Gospel Coalition, Tim Keller, and the evangelical left wing would be harping about Critical Theory but provide cover to the worst offenders of it.
I would suggest it’s for the same reason that Albert Mohler promises that no one espousing CRT will teach at Southern Seminary, right before promoting Matthew Hall and extending the contracts of Curtis Woods and Jarvis Williams (three men who shout CRT from the rooftops like it were the very gospel itself). Mohler comes along every so often and drops a Briefing episode about CRT and its dangers, but is simultaneously promoting it inside his institution by his hiring decisions.
It’s called Controlled Opposition. Vladimir Lenin said, ““The best way to control the opposition is to lead them.” It’s a common Commie tactic.
Orwell described Controlled Opposition in 1984 in his character, Goldstein, a leader of “The Brotherhood” who is supposedly leading an uprising against Big Brother and attracting Red Pill swallowers to his cause. But Orwell reveals that “Goldstein” is a product of Big Brother himself, who is controlling the opposition to make it ineffectual.
One thing is for sure; if Al Mohler and Tim Keller are painted convincingly as the opposition to Critical Theory, there is no real opposition to Critical Theory. The opposition, as Mohler has shown us, will not cross the threshold from merely rhetorical to real.
How sinister it would be to portray evangelicalism’s most brash Marxist as somehow against Marxism. Should the plebes and proletariat believe it, nothing would stop us from barreling into Critical Theory, convinced we were actually against it.
There is no reasonable or rational explanation for how Erickson could oppose Critical Theory while defending Tim Keller unless, of course, he’s controlled opposition.
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Oy vey…
Spell D-A-M-N-A-T-I-O-N that is Tim Keller’s middle name. He is damned