What is a Woke Church?
Based on "How to Find a Courageous Church" - Pages 4-6
Key Definition
A woke church is a church that has adopted progressive, secular ideology and prioritizes cultural trends over biblical truth. A soft-woke church doesn't openly affirm these positions but refuses to speak against them - "their silence is damning."
The Three Categories
Non-Woke Church
"Will tell you what they believe about sin and evil, and you won't be confused or have to ask." Clearly teaches biblical positions on all issues.
Soft-Woke Church
"Won't say anything about those things - and their silence is damning." Avoids controversial topics. "Cowardly evildoers."
Fully Woke Church
Openly supports "things like abortion, same-sex marriage, and transgenderism." "Evildoers who are not even trying to hide."
Identifying a Woke Church
According to the book, here are clear indicators:
Rainbow Flag / Pride Support
"If any church is flying a rainbow flag, don't even pull into the parking lot because, if lightning strikes, you don't want to be caught in the crossfire."
"If they support Pride Month, pray for them to become Christians, but do not visit them." Pride Month celebration means "they worship Satan, who is the father of pride."
LGBTQ+ Affirmation
- "If a 'church' has homosexual or transgender people in leadership, they are not a church but rather a counterfeit."
- "If a 'church' officiates same-sex marriages, they are divorced from God."
- Look for whether they "clearly say there are only two genders" or "only officiate weddings between a man and a woman."
Black Lives Matter Support
"If any church is a fan of Black Lives Matter, that church does not matter."
"BLM was a real estate Ponzi scheme run by Marxist lesbians, and that's not an exaggeration. It was anti-father, anti-family, and anti-faith."
"If they supported Black Lives Matter (BLM), unless the pastor is fully repentant or has since been fired, run for the hills."
COVID Response
"If there is any church that closed forever during COVID, had silly mask mandates, or made you pre-register or stand behind stupid blue tape, it's a joke without a punchline. Stay away from that."
Political Alignment
"If they've ever posted something in favor of any recent Democratic presidential candidate, run for the hills."
Virtue Signaling Language
The book warns about specific words used by woke churches. When you visit a church, "pick up any literature they have and read it not just for what it says, but for what it does not say."
Red Flag Words and Phrases:
These words mean: "they tolerate sin and everyone is included but God... they are open to Satan, affirming of sin, and accepting of wolves."
Social Media Investigation
The book recommends checking:
- Church social media: Look for rainbow flags, Pride Month posts, BLM support, political endorsements
- Pastor's social media: "See who they follow and what they repost"
- Pastor's spouse's social media: "Who they follow, and what they like"
- Historical posts: "Scroll back a few years... you'll get a pretty good idea of where they stood"
"If you see anything that smells woke, assume that there's a lot more rotting garbage at the church than posted online."
- "How to Find a Courageous Church", Page 6
Woke Denominations to Avoid
The book explicitly names these denominations as "apostate" or "gone woke":
- United Methodists
- Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
- United Church of Christ (UCC)
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
- Some Mennonite churches
- Church of England
- Presbyterian Church U.S.A. (PCUSA) - called "Lesbyterians"
- Episcopalians
- Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) - "a denomination of fully gay churches"
"They may have beautiful buildings, but the Spirit of God is not there, and the Word of God is not honored. Their buildings are nice coffins for people with dead souls."
What Makes a Church Non-Woke?
- Clear statement of faith affirming all essential doctrines
- Clear position on binary gender and biblical sexuality
- No rainbow flags or Pride Month celebration
- Did not support BLM
- Remained open or reopened quickly during COVID
- Pastor addresses cultural issues with biblical clarity
- Uses solid Bible translations for preaching
- Sermons that speak about sin, repentance, and Jesus Christ
- No virtue signaling language in their materials
How We Use This
On Righteous Fellowship, we classify churches into three woke status categories:
- Non-Woke: Clear biblical positions, no red flags
- Soft-Woke: Silent on controversial issues, some concerning indicators
- Fully Woke: Openly affirms progressive positions
We also track specific indicators like rainbow flag posting, Pride Month celebration, BLM support, COVID response, and virtue signaling language.
