Thanksgiving discussion.

[ambush80]

Going to Turkey Dinner at my Cousin's house. His wife is VERY Progressive and VERY Christian. Can a Christian be Woke?

Understanding “Wokeness”

To answer this question, it’s important to first clarify what it means to be “woke.” In essence, being woke involves recognizing and acknowledging the systemic injustices that exist in society. It’s about understanding that racial, gender, economic, and other forms of inequality persist. Wokeness calls for advocacy, empathy, and a commitment to change.

I would add that "Wokeness" (Social Justice) is rooted in Critical Race Theory, which not only recognizes and acknowledges those injustices, but claims that they are pervasive and inescapable, as they would say, "Like the water a fish swims in".

Can Christians Be “Woke”? | StoryHeights Church

www.storyheights.com

So, is Wokeness compatible with Christianity?

 

[Mars]

No, you can't follow the word of God and also go along with wokeness. Christians should love people but not encourage/support their sin.

 

[ambush80]

No, you can't follow the word of God and also go along with wokeness. Christians should love people but not encourage/support their sin.

Did you read the very short piece?

 

[oldfella1962]

It's not a cut & dried simple issue. It really boils down to what the Christian (or person in general) considers "woke". If being woke is just simply practicing empathy, tolerance, fairness & equality to everybody, then many people have been "woke" for years and never even knew there was a word for it! Some people think of woke as jumping on every bandwagon for liberal causes that comes along, even if that cause has the opposite effect on society that they champion! But it's not "one size fits all". The question was "can a Christian be woke" but what if the question was "can a Conservative be woke"? It would be a similar situation. Being a Christian is not necessarily incompatible with being "woke" depending on the definition (which can vary) of woke. I'm not a Christian but I am a Conservative, and I definitely see the negative & counter-productive effect of encouraging certain behaviors and ideas that tend to fall under what many "woke" people consider healthy behaviors and ideas.

This is why I don't like putting "labels" on people. When we put on a label, we put up a "filter" at the same time. With that filter we only see people as who/what we think they are or will become, not as they really are. We forego all nuance, context & perspective when we do this, which benefits nobody.
Just my 2 cents anyway.

 

[ambush80]

It's not a cut & dried simple issue. It really boils down to what the Christian (or person in general) considers "woke". If being woke is just simply practicing empathy, tolerance, fairness & equality to everybody, then many people have been "woke" for years and never even knew there was a word for it! Some people think of woke as jumping on every bandwagon for liberal causes that comes along, even if that cause has the opposite effect on society that they champion! But it's not "one size fits all". The question was "can a Christian be woke" but what if the question was "can a Conservative be woke"? It would be a similar situation. Being a Christian is not necessarily incompatible with being "woke" depending on the definition (which can vary) of woke. I'm not a Christian but I am a Conservative, and I definitely see the negative & counter-productive effect of encouraging certain behaviors and ideas that tend to fall under what many "woke" people consider healthy behaviors and ideas.

This is why I don't like putting "labels" on people. When we put on a label, we put up a "filter" at the same time. With that filter we only see people as who/what we think they are or will become, not as they really are. We forego all nuance, context & perspective when we do this, which benefits nobody.
Just my 2 cents anyway.

That's a fine answer. I would add that you will be hard pressed to get agreement on what a REAL Christian is. Also, I think any definition of Woke needs to acknowledge it's core tenet of Critical Social Justice (including Race Theory). When people label themselves, I assume they want me to view them as motivated by a particular set of beliefs. Do you think a Christian can be a Socialist or are they antithetical beliefs?

 

[oldfella1962]

That's a fine answer. I would add that you will be hard pressed to get agreement on what a REAL Christian is. Also, I think any definition of Woke needs to acknowledge it's core tenet of Critical Social Justice (including Race Theory). When people label themselves, I assume they want me to view them as motivated by a particular set of beliefs. Do you think a Christian can be a Socialist or are they antithetical beliefs?

Yes I do think a Christian can be a socialist. Christianity is a religion, and socialism is a political system. In other words, if a Christian lives in a socialist country like Bolivia they would by default be a socialist. But again, there are levels of socialism. As for Critical Race Theory being part of "woke" are there people who consider themselves woke who don't support CRT? I would bet that there are. Personally I think the whole "woke" movement is chaotic & divisive because it can be interpreted & misinterpreted so many different ways.

 

[brutally honest]

So, is Wokeness compatible with Christianity?

No, it's a sickness that has infected many churches. The mainline, left-leaning churches have embraced it wholeheartedly, while many more conservative churches have allowed it to creep in and take hold. The church in the link seems to be in the latter category. John Macarthur nails it:

 

[brutally honest]

Yes I do think a Christian can be a socialist.

... at least until he's killed or thrown into the gulag for his faith. The god of socialism is government, and he does not tolerate rivals.

 

[1eyefishing]

Without letting everybody else's thoughts invade my mind (didn'tread yet)... NO.
My first thought is that a lot of leftists' ideals are simply non sustainable intellectually or very contradictory to somehing else that they believe.
But that just seems to be a blind spot to them. Often willingly.

 

[brutally honest]

Going to Turkey Dinner at my Cousin's house. His wife is VERY Progressive and VERY Christian.

What kind of church (denomination) does she go to?

 

[ambush80]

What kind of church (denomination) does she go to?

Catholic.

 

[oldfella1962]

Reading these comments has reminded me of something. The two most "hot button" dinner table discussion topics are religion & politics, for obvious reasons. But on a larger scale, modern American politics are getting very extreme & divisive. My prediction is that Christianity (in America anyway) will soon form some new denominations based strongly on political parties and/or general political viewpoints such as Liberal and Conservative.
Already some Methodist churches are reforming and splitting and whatnot over the "woke" issues for example. A lot of Catholics are nun too happy (see what I did there?) about the current Pope's "woke" leanings. I could be wrong, but in theory religion/churches shouldn't get involved in politics.
But realistically churches don't exist in a vacuum, and political & social issues causing counter-productive division is inevitable. Just my 2 cents from an outsider's point of view.

 

[WaltL1]

Based on the definition of wokeness in the OP, I dont see why that couldnt be compatible with Christianity.
Its what the individual does with that wokeness that makes a difference.

 

[oldfella1962]

Based on the definition of wokeness in the OP, I dont see why that couldnt be compatible with Christianity.
Its what the individual does with that wokeness that makes a difference.

That's fair & reasonable. I would posit that you have to measure each component of your "woke" ideology against your own - or maybe your denomination/church's - standards of "godly" behavior. As I type this I see in the "similar threads" section a thread called "Gay Marriage: Our Mutual Joy" from 2008 in the "spiritual discussions" subforum.
As society changes, every religion within that society has to adapt or die out.
That adaptation may involve branching out into a new denomination.

 

[Spotlite]

It's not a cut & dried simple issue. It really boils down to what the Christian (or person in general) considers "woke". If being woke is just simply practicing empathy, tolerance, fairness & equality to everybody, then many people have been "woke" for years and never even knew there was a word for it! Some people think of woke as jumping on every bandwagon for liberal causes that comes along, even if that cause has the opposite effect on society that they champion! But it's not "one size fits all". The question was "can a Christian be woke" but what if the question was "can a Conservative be woke"? It would be a similar situation. Being a Christian is not necessarily incompatible with being "woke" depending on the definition (which can vary) of woke. I'm not a Christian but I am a Conservative, and I definitely see the negative & counter-productive effect of encouraging certain behaviors and ideas that tend to fall under what many "woke" people consider healthy behaviors and ideas.

This is why I don't like putting "labels" on people. When we put on a label, we put up a "filter" at the same time. With that filter we only see people as who/what we think they are or will become, not as they really are. We forego all nuance, context & perspective when we do this, which benefits nobody.
Just my 2 cents anyway.

Yup. Some are Christian when the handcuffs come out and some are woke when the agenda supports their lifestyle at the same time their Bible condemns it - ultimately what one considers Christian and woke. I’ve heard some say they’re Christian because they’re not atheist. The reality is you don’t have be one because you’re not the other. A Christian follows the teachings of Jesus.

@Mars had a great answer.

 

[brutally honest]

As society changes, every religion within that society has to adapt or die out.

I would say that the groups that are adapting to society are the ones dying out.

 

[brutally honest]

As I type this I see in the "similar threads" section a thread called "Gay Marriage: Our Mutual Joy" from 2008 in the "spiritual discussions" subforum.

I noticed that, too. “Double Barrel BB” seems to have been a pretty prolific poster. He pops up a lot in the “similar threads”.

 

[WaltL1]

Yup. Some are Christian when the handcuffs come out and some are woke when the agenda supports their lifestyle at the same time their Bible condemns it - ultimately what one considers Christian and woke. I’ve heard some say they’re Christian because they’re not atheist. The reality is you don’t have be one because you’re not the other. A Christian follows the teachings of Jesus.

@Mars had a great answer.

I’ve heard some say they’re Christian because they’re not atheist.

Yeah that ^ aint right.

 

[WaltL1]

I would say that the groups that are adapting to society are the ones dying out.

Pretty much all the groups have adapted to society in some ways. Some a little, some alot.
Remember when folks wore a suit and tie to church?
Sure some still do, but your average church has adopted society's relaxed dress code.
I dont think there are groups that will actually "die" as in disappear for a long long time. There will probably always be small groups of followers.
Just like now with "sun worshippers" etc etc.

 

[oldfella1962]

Yup. Some are Christian when the handcuffs come out and some are woke when the agenda supports their lifestyle at the same time their Bible condemns it - ultimately what one considers Christian and woke. I’ve heard some say they’re Christian because they’re not atheist. The reality is you don’t have be one because you’re not the other. A Christian follows the teachings of Jesus.

@Mars had a great answer.

But "the teachings of Jesus" covers lot of real estate! The entire New Testament is about Jesus. No doubt a Christian can find something Jesus said about nearly every topic that existed 2,000 years ago.