What Is Woke?

Prayer

Today, as we begin our foray into Tough Topics, we want to begin with the issue of being woke. Like many of things we’ll be discussing, that’s a new term. Question is, what does it mean to be woke? Strangely, the term is actually falling out of favor with many who once embraced it. But we find the main idea expressed in another term, DEI, which stands for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

There’s a been a hug increase in DEI in all facets of American society.

It’s being implemented in every area of the federal government. In the corporate world, it is the fastest growing job among executive positions. DEI training is being regularly implemented in corporations around the country.

It is thoroughly ingrained in the world of academia - among universities: One of the most prestigious business schools in the U.S. - Wharton, University of Pennsylvania’s business school, has just created an MBA with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. Vast majority of universities have entire departments dedicated to DEI. For example, the University of Michigan has 163 administrators, staffers, graduate students and interns focused on promoting DEI.

What’s driving this, this encouragement for people to be “woke”, to engage actively in diversity, equity and inclusion? The biggest driver is simply this: Recognition of the racism (as well as sexism and other “isms”) that have marred the story of our nation (but most of the focus is on racism). And there’s something really healthy and good about, as a people, coming to terms with your sins.

Now, I would argue that some discrimination takes place not out of hatred or bigotry but out of very human inclination to stick with those of your own “tribe” - those you are most comfortable (the idea that birds of a feather flock together). Part of this movement is for us to become more aware of those blind spots - so that we don’t discriminate, we don’t leave others out.

When I served as the youth minister at St. Thomas Presbyterian Church in Houston, I remember talking with Larry, my friend and pastor, there about some a brother and sister who were a part of the church. They were immigrants from Africa. Wonderful people. Larry asked them one time what their experience of the church was like, how people were responding to them. What they told him was a little painful to hear: the members of St. Thomas were friendly to them, but not much beyond that. No one had ever pursued real friendship with them, they’d never been invited over to anyone’s home.

But sadly, a lot of the discrimination that has taken place in our nation was out of hatred and false belief of superiority. We ought to recognize fully the historic racism that has stained our nation, rooted in belief of superiority of whites. It’s hard to overstate how evil chattel slavery was - it started here in 1619 with (according to the ship’s manifest - 20 and odd Negroes), grew to the point that there were 10 million slaves here in U.S. from 1619 to when slaved finally ended with the passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865. Of course, racism didn’t end there - we managed to come up with a entire system of discrimination through Jim Crow laws. It’s hard to imagine how humiliating it would be to be forced to use separate and lesser facilities because of the color of your skin.

Part of the driving force of DEI is idea of being thoughtful and intentional about making sure that everyone’s included, everyone has a chance to take part in all aspects of our society - whether you’re a man or woman (or other gender), black or white or brown or mixed, gay or straight, able bodied or disabled. Whatever the case may be.

At the heart of this is a desire for justice - to see everyone treated fairly, no favoritism, to see everyone included, recognized, valued. These are good desires - very much at the heart of the Gospel - even as we talked about last week - all things (all people) are created by Jesus and for him. Every person created in the image of God, wonderfully and fearfully made. Call of Jesus on us to love our neighbor as ourselves.

But - and here’s where we dive into Tough Topic. And the fundamental and huge problem with idea of wokeness. Why I believe DEI is more harmful than helpful, why our conversation from last week on worldview is so important - because it is the underlying worldview behind DEI that is making it more destructive than healing.

Quick recap - Worldview is lens through which you view the world, understand what is real and true about world, about human nature, about God (if your worldview includes God).

Some examples of different worldviews include materialism, every religion - Islam, Buddhism, New Age, etc.

We talked about the Christian worldview - which, put in the simplest terms is, “Jesus is Lord”. He is the creator of all - all things created in him and through him and for him. And it is through Jesus, his death and resurrection, that God is reconciling all things unto himself - to be as he intended it be in the very beginning - in loving relationship with him and with each other.

But there is a distinctly different worldview that undergirds the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion movement - helpful to work through the history of this worldview a bit to see why it matters so much.

DEI actually has it roots in Marxism - view of the world formulated by the philosopher, Karl Marx, who wrote the Communist Manifesto in 1848.

Karl Marx looked at the world through an economic lens, looking at rich and poor, haves and have nots. He determined that this was key to understanding humanity - problem was that economic power was held in hands of the few, the bourgeoisie, because they held control of the mean of production, they could (and did) take advantage of those who really contributed the most, the laborers, the proletariat. He believed that the solution, the thing that would solve all of society’s ills, was to put the control of the means of production in the hands of the people, who would share in it together - hence, Communism.

To be fair, Karl Marx didn’t come up with this out of the blue - he saw how many capitalists did take advantage of their laborers, paying poor wages, requiring long work hours - often in dangerous work conditions. We have our own sordid history in WV of coal barons taking advantage of the miners - got so bad a series of armed conflicts broke out, what’s known as the coal wars. I think of song, 16 tons, by Tennessee Ernie Ford…another day older and deeper in debt.

But Marxism failed - every nation that tried it got stuck in socialism (control of the means of production by the state). Power never got passed onto the people. It also failed because the workers didn’t rise up in the way that Marxist thinkers assumed they would.

Marxist scholars started thinking that perhaps they had started in the wrong place. That first they had to change the culture. So they began to apply this same basic theory of who has the power and who doesn’t in other areas. These studies became known as - you might recognize this - as Critical Theory. Applied to different fields - Critical Legal Theory, Critical Race Theory, Critical Gender Theory

Here’s where worldview is so important - because the underlying basis of DEI, being woke - is all about power. Just like in Marxism, which is all about economic power, who controls the means of production - this same lens of power dynamics is used in all these other areas.

To be woke - is to wake up to these dynamics - to see (finally) how everything in our culture can be understood in terms of who has power and who doesn’t, who oppresses and who is oppressed.

True in terms of race, gender, sexuality, gender identity - what’s known as intersectionality, where these categories intersect. So you are particularly oppressed if you are black, female, lesbian or transgender - because those who hold all the power are those who are white, male, straight, cisgender, Christian.

So what you’re seeing played out right now in our culture - this DEI, being woke, is an effort to combat racism, sexism, etc. through this lens of power dynamics. That’s the entire worldview - those who hold power because they belong to the right race, correct gender, etc. explains all of our social ills, all the inequalities that exist in our nation. The great evil in our nation is white supremacy - or simply whiteness.

Which is why DEI is being inserted into all levels of federal government, why corporations are hiring DEI executive officers and requiring DEI training. Because you have to help people see the dynamic.

Why they emphasize those who are white to become aware of their white privilege - and then make efforts to check that privilege, to defer space to those in oppressed categories.

To encourage others to become aware of microaggressions - what they would describe as small but real acts of racism that you may not be aware of because you’re coming from a point of privilege.

In this worldview, virtually everything becomes racist - the police, and math & science and standardized tests are all considered racist - because everything is viewed through that lens. To a hammer, everything is a nail. This is where the equity part comes in - because if anything is unequal - if one group of people have higher test scores or earn higher incomes, it must because of racism. Way to combat racism is to work to ensure equal outcomes for everyone (equity). Establish racial and gender quotas for Boards of Directors, get rid of standardized tests, incorporate social justice teaching in all areas of educational curriculum and so on.

Why this is so significant - because most people want to be good people, they don’t want to be racist. Most people believe everyone should be treated the same. This Ideology plays on that desire - and then twists and perverts it.

This is why I started our sermon series last week focusing on why your world view matters so much. Because ideas have consequence and bad ideas have victims.

This whole movement is motivated by a good desire - to fight against racism (as well as prejudice against other groups - disabled, LGBT+, so on). But it is corrupted by a terrible worldview, that everything can be understood in terms of power differential between races and genders and sexuality.

It reduces people to the color of their skin or their gender or their sexuality - because that’s the primary way they are identified. Likewise, it cannot unite us, it can’t bring about greater unity - because how we’re defining ourselves.

Ironically, it’s leading to more segregation, not less - many colleges are establishing separate dorms on campus, graduation ceremonies, “safe spaces”.

I think it creates more tension on race because we become preoccupied with it. A couple of weeks ago I took Patty and Ruth to one of their doctor’s appointments... Indeed, studies have shown that DEI training isn’t effective (solution, of course, is more and mandatory training).

And if racism (or sexism or transphobia) is cause of all our problems - then it’s always the fault of those who hold privilege. Sin only points in one direction. Those who are oppressed, according to this worldview never have to be honest about self-caused problems or how they contribute to societal ills. And that’s no basis for moving toward a society that truly sees all as equal and we honor and respect others no matter their skin color or gender, etc.

Biblical worldview

DEI fails because it roots our identity in wrong place - in our race, gender, sexual orientation. This is a false view of humanity, of who we are. This will always lead to division.

Our worldview is rooted in Gospel, in Jesus. Jesus is Lord. Last week we referred to Colossians 1:15-20 as a passage that speaks to what we know to be true about the world: For in him all things were created…all things have been created through him and for him - we find our meaning and identity in Jesus Christ. And we find our unity in Jesus - He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

It’s only through his blood, his death on the cross that this happens - because all of us can bring our own sin, how we’ve contributed to the divisions, to the hurt and be reconciled to Father - and to one another through Jesus.

These types of divisions are not anything new. This was an incredible challenge for the early church - because they were trying to unite Jews and Greeks, men and women, slaves and masters. Bringing that disparate a group together had never been down before.

Imagine for a moment if Paul had been working under “woke” worldview we’ve been talking about - if he had applied Critical Theory (power dynamics) teaching, it would have destroyed the early church.

Paul would have been writing to those in the church who were Greek to “check their Greek privilege”.

Railed against power masters held over their slaves (just to be clear, practiced a very different form of slavery then). But that would have been a huge concern of his…because it all has to do with who has the power.

But Paul didn’t - because he knew who had the power - Jesus Christ. Jesus showed us how to use power - he came not to be served, but to serve, to give his life as a ransom for many. Paul taught those in the early church to see themselves first as those who belong to Jesus Christ, and that through Jesus they are all now children of God through faith. This is their - and our - true identity: Galatians 3:26-29...

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Colossians 3:11 - Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

Notice how he emphasizes the oneness, the unity they have in Jesus. This is Paul inviting them into the story of reality - they are all being reconciled to their true Father through Jesus.

Let me give you a profound example of how this actually played out - Philemon was part of the church in Colossae. He had a slave, Onesimus, who ran away. Somehow, he came to faith through Paul while he was in Rome. So Paul sends him back to Colossae, to Philemon, with two letters, Colossians, and another letter - which we have as well, Philemon. In this personal letter, he asks Philemon to receive Onesimus “no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother.”

This is only possible because of Jesus - their identities have changed. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free…for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

DEI does not have the power to break down walls of hostility, to bring about reconciliation, to unite - but Jesus does.

Story of reality is that one day, when God’s kingdom comes to its fullness, there will be people from every nation, tribe, people and language standing (where?) before the throne and before the Lamb (Jesus). That’s image given us in Revelation 7:9.

Requires us to live this story, story of reality (Jesus is Lord) - because when we don’t, we add to the division, we play a part in racism. Sadly we - the church - have a long history of complicity with racism.

One of the most convicting things - Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail was written to his fellow ministers - white ministers who were criticizing his movement for Civil Rights. Listen to part of what he wrote them: In deep disappointment I have wept over the laxity of the church. But be assured that my tears have been tears of love. There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love. Yes, I love the church. How could I do otherwise? I am in the rather unique position of being the son, the grandson and the great grandson of preachers. Yes, I see the church as the body of Christ. But, oh! How we have blemished and scarred that body through social neglect and through fear of being nonconformists.

Fear of being nonconformists. Afraid of being different - of living by a different story. This really is the heart of the matter - will we give ourselves over to the great story of reality, of Jesus Christ. Find our true identity and purpose in him. Share in his great work of reconciliation.

Spiritual Disciplines (learn to live the story of reality…God is reconciling all things to himself through Jesus Christ)

How you see others - to be aware of your own prejudices, judgments (skin color, appearance - heavy set, dress slovenly or skimpily, tattoos, gay)

Make a point this week of being mindful of your first responses as you see people - what thoughts go through your mind as you see them?

If need be, a prayer of confession and a prayer asking God to help you see others as he sees them - those he wants to bring into his Kingdom, bring into his family - that they would be his children

Inspiration - Bible’s version of being woke - Ephesians 5:8, 13-14...

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light...everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Wake up, buddy - rise from the dead. In other words, enter into the Resurrection life of Jesus. Out of the darkness, out of the old way of sin and into the light, the new life of Jesus. Christ will shine on you - everything illuminated becomes a light.

More “woke” we become, more we have an opportunity to let Jesus’ light shine through us. The best way to combat this misguided DEI movement is to show a better way. To live a better story - the story of Jesus. Our focus shouldn’t be on winning political arguments, but on being as faithful to Jesus as we can be. To grow in spiritual maturity - to grow in love, for God above all else, and to love others - all others - as ourselves.