Christian, Is Our Woke Broke?

Christian, is our woke broke? It’s a sincere question, not intended to be a snarky one.

To be woke of course, in current parlance, is to move from indifference to being alert to injustice around us. Over the past 25 months, Christians have, by our own testimonies, been waking-up to social injustice (especially racial injustice) all around us. It has become common place for us to announce a revival in awareness to police injustice, employment injustice, housing injustice, educational injustice, climate injustice, and especially racial injustice. Forums and racial reconciliation seminars have been held in churches across America. Christians have organized prayer walks and vigils to lament decades during which we believe we were asleep to systemic injustice.

But some believers haven't been satisfied to simply becoming a social justice warrior. They have moved beyond personal initiative to guilting, shaming, and even separating from other Christians who don't rise to their level of "wokeness." That's unfortunate.

If that weren't disappointing enough, more than a few of these self-identified, woke, social justice warriors, have been silent since Friday regarding the overturning of Roe v Wade. Perhaps, they have good reasons for their silence. I will say, the unusual muteness is confusing, particularly if we have been outspoken about other injustices. Beyond that, some of us have chastised others for rejoicing at the ruling. Consider.

January 1, 1863 was an undisputed day of rejoicing when President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

April 30, 1945 was an undisputed day of rejoicing when Adolf Hitler swallowed a cyanide capsule, shot himself in the head, and Germany unconditionally surrendered.

And, on Friday of last week, June 24, 2022, at 10am, the SCOTUS overturned Roe v Wade after nearly 50 years and over 63 million children have been killed through abortion. It was a glorious day of rejoicing!

Christian, this observation is not intended to be more "what-aboutism" but rather to serve as a sort-of self-diagnostic of our personal "woke meters."

Is there any other human injustice issue, in our lifetime, that has claimed over sixty-three million lives in just a half-century? That is an astounding 2000 children per day, who have been killed, everyday, for 50 years! Sadly, it is possible for us to be completely woke about injustices that are painful, while at the same time being completely mute about injustices that are fatal. This ought not to be.

Our woke may be broke, Christian, if we are fully alert to the injustice of red-line districting, but completely silent about the brutal, dismembering of the unborn.

Our woke may be broke, Christian, if we are vigilant about a woman's physical and emotional health but totally indifferent to the fatal poisoning of a child in the womb.

Our woke may be broke, Christian, if we are vocal about racial profiling, but consider speaking-up against the violent killing of the unborn as "political."

Our woke may be broke, Christian, if we celebrate equality and diversity, but find ourselves annoyed and ashamed by other Christians who are celebrating this enormous win for life.

"Sadly, it is possible for us to be completely woke about injustices that are painful, while at the same time being completely mute about injustices that are fatal. "

“Woe to us, hypocrites! For we tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These we ought to have done, without neglecting the others." (Matthew 23:23)

Christian, is our woke broke?