June 8, 2025

The term woke is a popular or hated term these days , some use it as a badge of honour and others as a pejorative. Those who use the term positively do so because they associate the term with ideas or principles that are good and right. In this article I would like to describe a little about those good people and the principals they hold.

Believing all men are created equal. If you believe all human beings are of equal moral worth you are correct. That belief however does not come from any human philosophy rather it is derived from the fact that God created man in his image (Gen 1:26). This was the truth the founders of the United States quoted to ground their constitution. “All men are endowed by their creator with inalienable rights.”  Without this key truth there can be no meaningful morality. A number of important truths are established based on this. There are no races except the human race. There are no lesser people who don’t deserve the same rights and privileges as the others. Believing in these good principals isn’t woke it’s Christian. Where the real problem comes is in trying to establish these truths apart from a Christian worldview. If you don’t believe in the God of the Bible, there is no way to justify your belief that all humans are equal the most it could ever be is a nice opinion. 

Desiring a fair and just society. While humans are all equal in value, they are also equally flawed. When given power humans will abuse it. Establishing parameters which keep human wickedness in check is good and right. Establishing laws which protect the innocent and punish those who are willing to harm others for their own benefit is also necessary. In this way we ensure that some humans can’t use their strength or intellect to defraud others. Again, it must be said that a desire for justice flows from human creation in the nature of a just God (Is 1:17; Prov 21:15; Rom 13:3). As we stated above unless there is a God there can be no ultimate justice because for justice to be anything but subjective it must be founded on the moral standard of a transcendent God. 

If you have a desire to see humans thrive, you want to be a blessing to those around you, if you want to influence the world in a positive way, you are tapping into the goodness that is built into man by their likeness to God. You are not woke, you are desiring Godliness. Developing a right relationship with God through Christ will satisfy your good inclination in a way that nothing else can. It will also help you to do more for your fellow man than you can possibly imagine. 

If you have questions or want to talk further, please reach out, I am happy to discuss any or all of the points raised here.

~ Kevin Cleary