A Solution to Woke Ideology

We live amongst an activist generation. A generation, worried about social justice, environmental justice, racial justice etc. They do so in a culture that values the elevation of the subjective self, shirking responsibility, and the victimization of the self. This environment breeds activists swayed by every wind or doctrine (Ephesians 4:14) leading to a fractured, irresponsible, and subjective society.

The response from those that disagree has been to ridicule and point out their logical fallacies. These are fine responses to minimize the influence of woke ideology but insufficient by themselves. Ridicule only influences those sensitive to ridicule, and logic only influences those interested in logic and reason. Let’s be honest, for the most part, it isn’t a logic driven movement. We need a third leg to stand on. We need to harness their desire to solve problems by pointing them towards God through religious stewardship. Let Him reveal to them individually how they can change their world in positive ways. Stewardship is anathema to modern activism as it teaches accountability and responsibility based on truth.

Accountability starts with the recognition that there is a higher power that will hold us accountable for how we use our time, talents, and energy. The servant who hid his talent was the only servant who stood condemned. Accountability is, at a minimum, the expectation of effort. Society shies away from expectations as we idolize the self, but families, communities, and societies all function off of expectations. Husbands and wives expect fidelity from each other. Society expects obedience to law to freely participate in society. These expectations support decision making to create healthy societies. God expects us to do His work in His way with our talents to help us create healthier societies. You will be accountable to God for how you do this.

Accountable stewardship also changes our mindset from an exclusive concern for what I want to seeking the will of another. God is concerned about how we manage poverty, the environment, war etc. In seeking God, we learn important eternal truths to guide us. His truths permeate time. These truths help us live productive, happy, and functional lives. Sadly, these truths are being replaced by the concept of my truth built off of subjective feelings and experiences. In essence, we have become a law unto ourselves with our own rules and laws. In these circumstances, god becomes the culmination of our subjective thoughts and feelings, or a god limited by the thoughts and feelings of the era.

The truth that all men are created equal transcends time whether or not we agree with it or not. If we ignore this truth, people will create reasons (their god) to justify hurting, enslaving, bullying, and destroying others. Early slave holders justified slavery in their time. In modern society, we sanction hierarchies of victimization. Those low on hierarchy are discarded solely based off of their sexuality and skin color., religious belief, etc. This is the opposite of what Martin Luther King Jr dreamed of. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” These hierarchies incentivize disunity, discord, and becoming the victim.

Victimization is the opposite of the third principle of stewardship: responsibility for one’s life and in one’s life. This obviously doesn’t include people who are legitimately victimized by others. We live in one of the freest societies to ever exist. There is very little institutionally in our way to prevent us from being successful, yet we blame others for our problems. When we become victims, we don’t make the necessary changes in our lives to be successful. We create our own prisons. As James Allen said, “The law of harvest is to reap more than you sow. Sow an act, and you reap a habit. Sow a habit and you reap a character. Sow a character and you reap a destiny.” This works in a positive and negative manner. Taking responsibility for your life is the first step towards your destiny.

Also, don’t avoid taking responsibility in life. Responsibility is the greatest way to generate meaning in your life. “To stand up straight with your shoulders back is to accept the terrible responsibility of life, with eyes wide open. It means deciding to voluntarily transform the chaos of potential into the realities of habitable order. It means adopting the burden of self-conscious vulnerability, and accepting the end of the unconscious paradise of childhood, where finitude and mortality are only dimly comprehended. It means willingly undertaking the sacrifices necessary to generate a productive and meaningful reality.” (Jordan Peterson) Only by taking responsibility and creating meaningful reality can we find a deep and abiding joy.

Stewardship is the connection of God and man in managing His affairs in this earth. We should encourage ourselves and our children to care about the problems we see in society. By turning them towards God, we help them build a firm foundation on which to build their life and to build a life capable of helping others and directing the earth towards Eden.