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Being “woke” is a popular concept that has come to stand for any number of generally politically progressive ideas. It’s origin, and core, however, have to do with racial justice. How should Christians react to the “woke” mantra?
The knee-jerk reaction for many may be to simply reject everything about wokeness because it aligns with the political left. While understandable, that would be a mistake. Immediately condemning any idea that comes from the other side of the aisle is essentially saying that those who vote differently from me have no good ideas—not a one. I seriously hope we don’t think that. Our nation was built on the best ideas from all sides and putting them into effective action (as effective as our government can muster). We should pause and see what is good in being “woke”.
Racial justice, as the core of wokeness, is actually a biblical concept. We are all created in God’s image: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). Society may not treat everyone the same, but God loves us all the same, so we should too. Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Racial distinctions are of no consequence in the Kingdom of God. Lastly, James 2:1 encourages us to avoid prejudice or favoritism: “My brethren, show no partiality as you hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.” By this standard, Christians should welcome the movement towards wokeness. (Wouldn’t that surprise some people!)
That being said, being “woke” can be used as a defense for questionable policies. It can also be a broad label with many meanings. So while wokeness has thoroughly biblical roots, its branches are many, and may be unhealthy, or even outright anti-biblical. It’s a label that Christians should be very careful when using, and neither jump to embrace or condemn it. Truth be told, Paul was an early “woke” person, encouraging the Ephesus church to “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light” (Ephesians 5:14).
