There’s an entire cottage industry of Christian voices who relentlessly police American evangelicalism for evidence of “wokeism” or “CRT,” and the definition of both concepts is almost impossibly broad. Do you believe systemic racism exists? That’s CRT. Do you believe in institutional responsibility to correct the consequences of historic oppression? That’s CRT.

Immense damage is being done. Centuries of American racism warped and distorted our society in countless ways. And while we’ve made tremendous progress in creating a more just society, the effects of slavery and Jim Crow—and the lingering reality of existing racism—present our nation (and the church) with a profound and complicated challenge.

This is the exact wrong time to close Christian hearts and minds to thoughtful voices, including thoughtful voices who offer new approaches to our understandings of race and justice in the United States. You don’t have to agree. You can and should dissent when you sincerely believe ideas are wrong. But when activists shout “CRT” about ideas they don’t like, they’re not defending the faith, they’re often trying to block you from perspectives that Christian believers need to hear.