Awake: The Posture of The Gospel

Few words in our culture carry as much tension as woke. For many, this word might be considered a topic to be avoided for the sake of unity or to prevent division. Ironically, it is this avoidance and misrepresentation of its true meaning that is causing the division we are witnessing.

I am proud to identify as woke because I truly believe that being woke reflects a deep biblical call to awaken to God’s heart for the marginalized, overlooked, wounded, and oppressed. The original idea behind “wokeness” is not foreign to the Gospel; it is central to it.

Prophets, like Isaiah, called Israel to “seek justice, correct oppression” (Isaiah 1:17). Jesus launched His earthly ministry by announcing good news to the poor and liberty to the oppressed (Luke 4:18). The early church had a reputation of caring for widows, orphans, foreigners, and the vulnerable. To be spiritually awake means noticing what God notices. 

Being awake allows us to see the beauty & dignity of every culture. In Revelation, we see a picture of heaven that is filled with diverse people, cultures, and ethnicities. We see one race-the human race-gathered in God’s presence in unified glory. 

Diversity is not a challenge to unity but a key ingredient in God’s recipe for it.

Being awake isn’t being color blind but rather choosing to be color brave. It acknowledges the story of each culture without erasing the reality of the journey every people group has experienced. We celebrate the unique contribution each group brings to God’s creation while ensuring those with advantages leverage them for the benefit of others over themselves. (See Philippians 2:5-11)

When we are awake, we engage in creating spaces of inclusion over spaces of exclusion. One of the most critical places where the church, as well as individuals, is called to wakefulness today is in our relationships with the LGBTQ community, many of whom carry deep scars from their encounters with those who make up the church.

In my work with the Side B Christian community, I have personally committed to ensuring that I remain awake to the struggle our LGBTQ siblings experience in our church communities. 

This inclusion embraces those who align with other theological positions regarding the Christian sexual ethic, as well as those who hold to Side B. For clarity, those who follow Side B theology hold to a historic Christian sexual ethic while also fully affirming the dignity, giftedness, and belonging of all LGBTQ people in the church. 

I strive to live the kind of wakefulness that embraces Jesus’ practice of welcoming those who are misunderstood or marginalized. He sees the person before the controversy. He extends friendship before correction, and relationship before instruction.

For many LGBTQ Christians-especially those who chose celibacy or lifelong obedience to traditional teachings-their journey is an example of amazing faith, incredible courage, and sacred sacrifice. They are not the outsiders we often treat them as; they are our siblings walking with us. A spiritually awake church or individual honors their discipleship while recognizing their calling.

A Christ follower who is awake does not weaponize truth, nor do they dilute it. Instead, they speak the truth in a deep abiding love (Ephesians 4:15) that never shames but instead cries out “where are you” as an echo of God’s gracious call in the Garden, and walks with people patiently, as Christ walks with them. 

Since the word “woke” has become tangled with worldly lies or presuppositions, we can untangle it by being living witnesses who are practicing inclusion over trying to win some theological argument or manufactured culture war. 

When I say, “I am Woke,” I am not aligning with the left or the right; I am assuming a heavenly-focused posture that stands on the wonderful inclusion found in the Gospel of grace that ushers in the kingdom of God.