Minnesota's War on Christians

Part 1 (of 4)

Apr 29, 2024

Minnesota’s War on Christians

by Allen Quist

Christian leaders in Minnesota are understandably very concerned about the persecution that Minnesota state government is now imposing on Christian people and Christian organizations. For example, Rev. Dennis C. Klatt, President of the Minnesota District of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), recently wrote about the state’s new law which abrogates our God-given right of religious liberty, by stating:

When civil government enacts laws which, if followed, would bring us into conflict with God’s word, “we must obey God rather than human beings.” (Acts 5:29) In addition, the current version of the MHRA violates the rights afforded to religious institutions under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

In April of 2023, Minnesota’s Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) released their new Minnesota public school teacher licensing standards called “Standards for Effective Practice.” These licensing standards have been adopted by the state of Minnesota which means they now have the force of law. It is widely recognized that these new PELSB standards require Minnesota certified teachers to teach cultural Marxist ideology to our students.

Marxism is a philosophy—and religious cult—that is diametrically opposed to Christianity. The following analysis explains the specific doctrines that the PELSB standards mandate be taught in our public schools. These standards will have a profound impact on all of us because the doctrines taught in our schools in one generation become the guiding principles of our citizens in the next. This why the cultural Marxists focus on controlling what is taught in our schools.

We need to recognize, however, that these new teacher licensing standards are not well understood—the reason being that the meaning of the standards has been deliberately disguised by misleading language. The standards are being presented as if they have no theological meaning. In fact, the Minnesota teacher licensing standards are largely religious statements that the state requires teachers to affirm and commit to teaching.

The following analysis of the terminology of these standards is written in order to translate this misleading language into accurate and meaningful terminology and to thereby enable readers to correctly interpret what the standards mean. We begin with the overall worldview upon which the PELSB standards, and the denial of our religious liberty, are based.

1. Marxism

This is the worldview established by Karl Marx that asserts all people are divided into two economic classes–the exploited class (proletariat) or the ruling class (bourgeoisie). Marx said that all human history, as well as important current events, can be explained by the conflict between these two classes of people. All Marxism is atheistic and accordingly holds that morality does not exist. There can be no moral law without a moral lawgiver. Consequently, Marxists see themselves as being free to engage in immoral behavior of any kind.

Marxists normally disguise their beliefs by using misleading language when addressing the public. Don’t expect them to clearly reveal their intentions, tell the truth, or be transparent in what they say. Translating their language is necessary to understand what they believe and what they require be taught in our schools.

Scripture says:

In the beginning God created the heaven and earth. (Genesis 1:1)

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1)

Cultural Marxism is the revision of traditional Marxism and was formulated by Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci. He accepted the basic Marxist views but said that economics is not the most important feature of history and life rather its culture that is the controlling factor of history and life. Hence the label “cultural Marxism.” Gramsci also said that for the Marxist revolution (the ”Great Reset”) to succeed, it must control the media and education. Education scholar James Lindsay has stated that cultural Marxism is actually a religious cult because it has those defining characteristics. (The characteristics of cults include denial of the Triune God, blind obedience to authority, and emotional manipulation as opposed to using reason based on knowledge.) Most Marxists today are cultural Marxists.

Cultural Marxism is referred to by a number of terms including neo-Marxism, Critical Race Theory (CRT), critical consciousness, Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI), liberation theology, and social justice.

Next the terminology used by the Marxists will be defined with priority given to the terms and concepts used in the PELSB standards.

2. Constructs, Not Truth

The PELSB standards say:

The teacher understands how students construct knowledge and acquire skills. (“Standards of Effective Practice,” A,3, emphasis added)

The teacher understands that knowledge creation, ways of knowing, and teaching are social and cultural practices shaped by race and ethnicity, often resulting in racially disparate advantages and disadvantages. (“Standards of Effective Practice,” 8,D, emphasis added)

Notice that this requirement does not say “students learn knowledge,” nor does it say students acquire knowledge.” It says: “students construct knowledge, and that teachers assist in “knowledge creation.” The standards speak this way because in the cultural Marxist worldview, the words “construct” and “knowledge creation” have specific meanings. Following the postmodernist paradigm, cultural Marxism assumes that neither truth nor knowledge are real. What we think of as being true, they say, are merely ideas those in power have created (“constructed”) to control others. These ideas, they say, masquerade as truth and knowledge. All such ideas they call “constructs” because they see them as having been created by human beings, not discovered.

On April 25, 2024, James Lindsay posted a photograph on “X” (Twitter) of a classroom whiteboard displaying the words, “Scientific facts are social constructs.” These five words accurately describe this radical belief of cultural Marxism.

It is from this doctrine that we get expressions like “my truth,” and “his truth.” Relative truth is not real truth, obviously. This is one reason why the PELSB standards are decidedly anti-intellectual. Real learning assumes that truth and knowledge are objectively real—that words are capable of describing the real world. The PELSB standards reject that view. This is one reason why they focus on emotional manipulation, not real learning.

Scripture says:

An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. (Proverbs 18:15 ESV)

“You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” (John 18:37, ESV)

The Christian view of knowledge and truth versus the cultural Marxist view of knowledge and truth are direct opposites. Christians see knowledge and truth as genuine.

3. Morality as Construct

Marxism holds that morality is not genuine but rather is a construct (invention) of white males created for the purpose of controlling other people. For that reason, say Marxists, all traditional moral standards are made up by those in power and should be rejected. In reality, civilized society requires the recognition of genuine morality. The rejection of morality is why Marxist cultures become totally barbaric.

Scripture says:

“Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them). (Romans 2:14, 15)

Scripture teaches that God’s morality is real, was created by Him, and is known by us instinctively (natural law), as well as by instruction and observation. Adherence to genuine standards of morality makes civilized society possible.

4. Equity

This doctrine is stated several times in the PELSB standards. One such statement reads as follows:

. . . the teacher demonstrates the ability to create opportunities for students to learn about power, privilege, intersectionality, and systemic oppression in the context of various communities and empowers learners to be agents of social change to promote equity. (“Standards of Effective Practice,” 4,H, emphasis added)

Equity is not the same as “equality.” “Equality” means equal opportunity, but “equity” means equal outcomes. “Equity” means the same as the slogan of Karl Marx, “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.” Equity requires socialism. Equity also requires discrimination against whites, Asians, and others so that various racial and other groups in aggregate have the same outcomes. For example, equity requires that a university’s graduating class in engineering have the same number of men and women and the same percentage of nonwhites as exist in the university overall. Accomplishing this feat, if it can be done at all, will require extensive discrimination against white male students.

Scripture says: