The term “being woke” meant your mother cranking the ceiling fan light to get you out of bed and, in the process, burning your retinas. And then, Trayvon Martin met George Zimmerman in 2012, followed by the unprovoked shooting of Michael Brown in 2014.
A small activist group, led by three brave women, called Black Lives Matter would later coin that term as a clarion call against police brutality and for the civil rights of everyone, everywhere.
America was now “awake” to the plights of Black Americans and other BIPOC denizens in a way not as distinctive since the 1960s. However, being woke today has become a drastically polarizing term. To some, it means recognition and validation. The “participation ribbon mindset” runs amuck.
Where does the Body of Christ stand with being woke?
Wherever their soapbox or formal lecterns are in a pulpit, a daunting majority of this nation feels their stance doesn’t matter. A new Pew Research Center survey stresses that 80% of U.S. adults believe the role of religion is dwindling considerably. Think about that: 4 of 5 Americans think Christianity–or any other religion for that matter–doesn’t have the sway like in decades past.
Is being woke closing our eyes to an immense problem in this country–apathy toward religion, specifically Christianity?
If Jesus Slept, Should He Be Woke?
Does being bold about Christ equate to being intolerant? Does having a strong relationship with Jesus mean destroying relationships with anyone who doesn’t?
The term “Christian Nationalism” has made our Savior a political sideshow instead of the Great Reformer. Faith is not “non-partisan” (meaning not taking a political stance but having perceived views). It is “apolitical” (meaning it has nothing to do with politics).
“Being woke” is about awareness, having an open mind about social ills and blatant oppression against anyone. It’s not a cloak over prejudice, but why do Christians receive hate for what they believe? Look at any group that cancel culture supports. Hate on them, and you’re canceled. People hate Christians, and it’s crickets.
Is that because the Church isn’t being woke, or is it that everyone else is asleep at the wheel when the Church gets bum-rushed with vitriol?
Examine the other Pew Research Council report notes that should alarm Christ followers.
- 57% express a positive view of religion’s influence on American life
- 49% think religion is losing influence, and that is a bad thing
- 41% think it’s best to avoid discussing religion “if someone disagrees with you”
- 29% of U.S. adults think of themselves as “religious minorities”
- 19% of all Americans have a negative view of religion
- 13% believe religion’s influence on the world is fading, and that is a good thing
And then there are these conflicting numbers that stress the need to be woke but also be saved:
- 72% of religiously unaffiliated adults say “conservative Christians” have gone too far in trying to “control religion in the government and public schools”
- 63% of Christians believe the same thing about “secular liberals”
And therein lies the rub. Christianity isn’t about being woke but waking everyone else up.
It’s Time for the Church to Wake Up
Since “forsaking the assembling of the saints” is popular these days. what can the Church do about it?
It’s not like this is a new phenomenon. Gallup released another poll that tells us 74% of U.S. adults believe “religion is losing its influence on life.” That sway isn’t only disappearing in politics, school, and life itself. The harrowing part is that is since 2010! During the decade following the turn of the century, that number was 55%.
It seems being woke puts the Church’s influence on the country to sleep.
Being a Christian isn’t about “Christian nationalism,” being a “white evangelical,” hating on disenfranchised groups, or judging anyone who isn’t like us. It’s about following Christ. It’s about listening to God. But don’t take it from me. Take it from a bold Nazarene who woke up civilization thousands of years ago on one remote day.
Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? And Jesus replied to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’ The whole Law and the [writings of the] Prophets depend on these two commandments.”
See there? Jesus told us how to wake up and what it truly means to be woke. If we aren’t doing this, then we’re asleep for real.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In