Wokeism

It seems the real battle today is in the hearts and minds of the worldly, even if they attend services and claim to be Christian. But it has revealed universities as pagan to a large extent, and this battle lost for many individuals, even if they fly the banner of the LCMS or another Christian denomination. Schools like these are disconnected from congregations, and pastors feeding Christ’s sheep, in particular, even if in theory they are accountable to the church. We have seen this pattern in liberal denominations, even in their seminaries, over the last century. The reason and purpose for existing becomes detached from baptism and teaching all that Christ gave us in Scripture—and therefore the true church itself. The Christian label is all that remains in many cases.
The main battle at Concordia Wisconsin is the question of whether theology dominates (best exemplified in oversight, teaching, and correction by trained, called, and faithful pastors) or do other ideas in vogue in the secular realm. But in the LCMS having a PhD is a necessity, but being able to understand and apply any particular point of doctrine is optional. Letters or degrees from a school do not denote faithfulness to Christ, obedience in the heart to the Father, or having His Spirit. Education is not neutral and not always good. Satan is for some education, when it leads away from the Lord Jesus.
In other words, an idol (primarily a mental one) is demonically battling for hearts and minds—moving the sinner to love and fear what is not the true God. This is a man-made religion, not the one of Christ—God in flesh redeeming mankind from his own creative theologies. This is shown in the role of guilt within the religious system of wokeism, moving the “racial sinner” to make amends and be motivated for radical “new racial obedience” to human ideals and outcomes. But worldly injustice cannot create love of God or newness before Him—due to the greatest injustice of sin.
Modern universities are by nature disconnected from the real world. They are themselves a modern product, not a biblical one. So how can the church use or not use this system of educating and these human institutions? We are seeing the great abuse of a “neutral,” academic education—which is anything but when it comes to the spiritual. In a sense it is like the early 1970s walkout of the St. Louis Seminary, but a silent protest within the vast number of individuals in charge and those studying at these sorts of institutions. May God raise up more pastors to proclaim the idolatry that is present and the answer to false worship that is in Christ’s forgiveness of all the world’s sin, not further radicalization and apostasy. —ed.