1394. News + The Antidote to Wokeness

In his letter to the church at Colossae, Paul warns them to be on guard so they aren’t taken captive through philosophy and empty deception according to the traditions of men and/or the elementary principles of the world rather than according to Christ (Col. 2:8). Today I will attempt to show how the Ethnic Gnosticism of the new woke priesthood (last week’s post) is exactly what Paul warned believers about 2000 years ago.

First, it’s important to acknowledge that racism exists, and black people have been victimized by it. It’s also true that Christians are to fight against injustice wherever we see it. We are to be the ones providing help to the helpless and aid to the disadvantaged, whoever they may be. And with the physical aid, we are to be bringing spiritual healing. Yet, we are never to focus on one group at the expense of another. We are to allow Christ in us to minister to whomever God brings across our path.

With this reminder, let’s break down Paul’s message, starting with the danger of worldly philosophical arguments. Basically, philosophy is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. It can also be a theory or attitude that acts as a guiding principle for behavior. The philosophy behind the Critical Social Justice (CSJ) movement runs so counter to the Christian “mandate” that it prevents Christ from bringing the only solution to the underlying problem. Racism is simply the result of the universal depravity of all human beings. The only cure for racism is a spiritual heart transplant. Anything short of that will accomplish nothing of value.

CSJ is so insidious and unbiblical that it removes all credibility and does nothing to bring a real solution to racism. As we saw last week, Ethnic Gnosticism claims to possess a unique path to a “higher” knowledge unavailable to white people. Since this special knowledge offers no solution to the perceived problem, it perfectly fits Paul’s description of philosophy and empty deception. The reliance on storytelling (even untrue stories) is said to reflect the black experience—something else white people will never understand. If this isn’t a tradition of men, I don’t know what is.

Paul’s last warning is against the elementary principles of the world. Paul uses “world” to contrast God’s ways with man’s ways. One of man’s most elementary principles is to find someone or some group to blame for all your problems. By publicly making them pay, you divert attention from your own failures. Hitler took this “principle” to new heights. By blaming the problem of racism on all white people, CSJ seeks to divert attention from the sins found within the black community. Some of these are the same sins found in every other community—the sin that indwells every human being on the planet. Others are much more prominent in the black community—things like absentee fathers and culturally acceptable destructive behavior. In the end, the whole movement is one giant charade to avoid accountability for one’s sinful behavior.