The Religion of Wokeism

Are you awake to woke? By definition, woke is being aware of sensitive social and racial justice and movements. On the surface one could say that this is a good thing. Many Christians would agree that being aware of and compassionate toward injustice and social issues is the biblical attitude to have.

The reality, however, is that Wokeism wants people to hold the views of the liberals. Woke followers make it sound good by changing the meaning of words. Hedieh Mirahmadi, a columnist for the Christian Post, writes, “…it claims it’s own interpretation of justice, righteousness, sin, and judgment.” Not only that, an article by Phil Johnson posted on The Aquila Report states that it promotes “bitterness between different ethnicities, encourages people to be offended by things that never happened…blaming others for sins they did not actually commit…it doles out guilt and shame rather than grace and redemption.”

Wokeism is a new religion which is “entirely incompatible with Christian values and left unchecked, will undermine the foundation of American society,” writes Mirahmadi, because it is totally opposite of a biblical world view, therefore, “Bowing to woke culture allows you to avoid rejection by culture and society,” says Michael Youseff.

The problem that helps feed the counter culture and Wokeism is that only 6% of the American public follow a biblical world view, according to a recent George Barna poll. Another poll indicated that 43% of American millennials, which comprises the 20-40 year age group, “don’t know, care, or believe God exists.” The above age group very likely includes those making decisions for big corporations which are insisting on training their employees in inclusion and diversity, but punish those who, in their minds, hold wrong political views. As Harbinger Daily reports, “Now, instead of pitching their products, companies today are pitching…liberal causes,” and woe be to the person who does not agree with them, especially conservatives and Christians.

I totally agree with one writer who stated that the only answer to the world’s social problems is a biblical world view, the basic tenets of which are that people are created in God’s image with a purpose. God has a standard for morality and behavior. Humanity has a sin nature in need of God’s grace and redemption.

So, how can Christians respond to Wokeism? Let’s follow the example set forth by Jesus in the Gospels. He continually engaged people in conversations, asking probing questions that made them think. What comes to mind also is II Timothy 2: 24-25. “And the Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition…”

If Christians can engage people in conversations and ask probing questions, while at the same time abide by the teaching of the above passage and exhibit the qualities of Christian character, perhaps wokeism can be gracefully confronted without compromising basic Christian beliefs.

What are some questions that you could ask of a woke person?