Christianity and Wokeness: How the Social Justice Movement is Hijacking the Gospel - and the Way to Stop it
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- Create Date：2021-07-21 17:31:02
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Owen Strachan
- ISBN：B08Z3HKTV8
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Summary
In a world that is "woke，" how many Christians are actually awake？ This short， theologically sound primer is a resource for pastors， ministry leaders， community leaders， and other thinking Christians that explains carefully and clearly what Critical Race Theory and wokeness truly are， what the Bible teaches about race and ethnicity， why wokeness is distinct from Christianity and should be rejected， and how the church can work for unity based in the gospel of grace。
Owen Strachan is a respected Reformed theologian and thought leader who can help Christians:
Better understand Critical Race Theory， something very few do; Understand the high stakes—for the church and society at large—of wokeness as a movement; Think through America’s complex past with nuance and sensitivity; Study how God has made humanity one through the imago Dei; Grasp the beauty of the biblical doctrine of ethnicity and “race”; and Be ready to work for unity in perilous times
Owen Strachan is a respected Reformed theologian and thought leader who can help Christians:
Better understand Critical Race Theory， something very few do; Understand the high stakes—for the church and society at large—of wokeness as a movement; Think through America’s complex past with nuance and sensitivity; Study how God has made humanity one through the imago Dei; Grasp the beauty of the biblical doctrine of ethnicity and “race”; and Be ready to work for unity in perilous times
Reviews
Darryl&Kasey
，
I’ve read many books on this subject matter from both sides， this book in particular does a great job of addressing some of the big issues with “wokeness/social justice movement” regarding churches and Christians， namely in where a Christians identity lies。 The amount of endorsements， not just the ones on the back cover， but on the inside speaks for itself。 If your wondering what all the fuss is about and why there is so much talk lately on this subject， then pick up this book。 If you’re looking I’ve read many books on this subject matter from both sides， this book in particular does a great job of addressing some of the big issues with “wokeness/social justice movement” regarding churches and Christians， namely in where a Christians identity lies。 The amount of endorsements， not just the ones on the back cover， but on the inside speaks for itself。 If your wondering what all the fuss is about and why there is so much talk lately on this subject， then pick up this book。 If you’re looking for a true biblical perspective on the subject， then pick this up。 Even if you don’t think you will agree with perspective of the book， you will still gain some insight for conversations down the road。 I would highly recommend this to anyone， especially Christians looking to examine the topic from a biblical worldview。 。。。more
Kimberly & Steven Steenbergen
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Division and disunity seem to be the soup du jour for everyday life these days。 One cannot turn on the television， open the computer， or scroll through their phone without being bombarded with “culture war” news stories， both from the secular media as well as from within the Church。 Our culture is deeply divided， and those divisions are making and have made their way into our schools， our churches， and our homes。At the turn of the twentieth century J。 Gresham Machen wrote his treatise on the mov Division and disunity seem to be the soup du jour for everyday life these days。 One cannot turn on the television， open the computer， or scroll through their phone without being bombarded with “culture war” news stories， both from the secular media as well as from within the Church。 Our culture is deeply divided， and those divisions are making and have made their way into our schools， our churches， and our homes。At the turn of the twentieth century J。 Gresham Machen wrote his treatise on the movement that was threatening the church in his day， Christianity and Liberalism。 Today the Church is facing a threat that stems from the very Progressive roots of that Liberalism from a hundred years ago in Postmodernism and Critical Theory; those that hold to these ideologies refer to themselves as “woke。” There have been a few men with the courage of conviction to step up and challenge these godless worldviews， and Owen Strachan is one of them。 His refutation of this spirit of the age is a solid， well written refutation to the onslaught of woke literature and ideologies that have been propagated and inculcated into every area of our lives。 What's great about this book is that it addresses the whole of the "woke" movement and doesn't just focus on the Critical Race Theory nonsense that others have addressed。 Also， unlike some other books that have been written on this topic， Dr。 Strachan doesn't get bogged down in confronting the media driven narratives of the day， but he attacks these ideologies at their root source。 What's more， he uses a well thought out argument from Scripture to dismantle the arguments and accusations of the woke crowd。While some are being shut down for posing any form of criticism against the “woke” movement or questioning the merits of the arguments being lobbied against our society， Strachan makes the bold assertion that， “Christians not only can speak to this ideology; Christians must speak to it。”Pick up a copy of "Christianity and Wokeness" by Owen Strachan; read it， prayerfully contemplate the arguments that are laid out within it; they are Biblical， they are relevant， and they are powerful。 I believe that the case that is laid out in this book against the lies of Wokeism is powerful enough to truly bring unity within the body of Christ over these issues， and I believe that because they are laid upon the foundation of the whole counsel of the Word of God。 As for those who refuse to listen to reason or sound teaching on this issue; avoid them。 。。。more
Shari
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Christianity and Wokeness is an excellent book for those who want a better understanding of what wokeness is and how it relates to Christianity。 Are these two theological systems compatible or not？ Is wokeness truly as bad as some say， or could it be a useful tool to help churches fulfill Christ’s commands？ Dr。 Owen Strachan does a masterful job of clearing up these muddy waters and directing Christ’s church toward sound thinking and unity。 The book explains how wokeness has entered our culture Christianity and Wokeness is an excellent book for those who want a better understanding of what wokeness is and how it relates to Christianity。 Are these two theological systems compatible or not？ Is wokeness truly as bad as some say， or could it be a useful tool to help churches fulfill Christ’s commands？ Dr。 Owen Strachan does a masterful job of clearing up these muddy waters and directing Christ’s church toward sound thinking and unity。 The book explains how wokeness has entered our culture and the church， compares the theology of wokeness with the theology of Christianity， and delves into issues of identity， ethnicity， American history， and other relevant topics， all from a solidly biblical perspective。 The Apostle Paul charged his readers， “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit， according to human tradition， according to the elemental spirits of the world， and not by Christ （Colossians 2:8）。 Dr。 Strachan similarly charges readers， “Christians not only can speak to this ideology; Christians must speak to it， for ours is the faith once for all delivered to the saints by God （Jude 1:3）。” I found Christianity and Wokeness an easy to understand and straightforward resource for understanding what the Bible says about the principles of wokeness， and for helping Christians rejoice over the only thing that really does bring oneness in the church， the gospel of Jesus Christ。 。。。more
Rob Mongeau
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I haven't had the time to completely finish the book， joining the launch team with only a few days left， and only skimmed the last two chapter， but i have greatly enjoyed。 It is written in an accessible language no need to be a theologian to understand and follow the line of thought。 It is a book for everyone， the non-woke， to be equip， to defend the hope that is within him and the faith once delivered to the saints。 The unsure and hesitant， to see pass the fog of beautifully crafted words of Wo I haven't had the time to completely finish the book， joining the launch team with only a few days left， and only skimmed the last two chapter， but i have greatly enjoyed。 It is written in an accessible language no need to be a theologian to understand and follow the line of thought。 It is a book for everyone， the non-woke， to be equip， to defend the hope that is within him and the faith once delivered to the saints。 The unsure and hesitant， to see pass the fog of beautifully crafted words of Wokeness （CRT， intersectionality。。。）。 And finally， to the christian who have fall prey， to that new gospel， it is a call similar to the one of Paul to the Galatian " I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ， for a different gospel; 7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ。" Gal 1:6-7 and calling them to seek to please God rather than men （v。10）。 Owen Strachan， demonstrate unequivocally， that ideas put forward by Wokeness， is incompatible with biblical christianity and must be expose and opposed vehemently。 I would have， personally， prefer a more exhaustif treatment， and more "visual biblical support" i could see and recognized many biblical truths， stated in his own words， but without the references， that may leave the un-educated the vilain or the critique to say "this is just his "white fragility" speaking。 Finally， since most professed christian （e。g。 Southern Baptist Convention's resolution 9） are advocating the use of CRT。。。 as an analytical tool， i would have like that to be address， in the book。 Great read and definitely a strong introduction into the issue。 Thank you Owen for this work。 。。。more
Jeff
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If you are a Christian you need this book。 If you are a Christian pastor， leader， teacher， or parent you need this book。 Christianity & Wokeness is the right book for the right time。 Owen Strachan has provided a comprehensive analysis of what it means to be woke in 2021， and how the social justice movement has invaded Biblical Christianity。 The thing that stuck out to me as I read it was the tone of the author。 While it is obvious that Dr。 Strachan is passionate about the Gospel and the church， If you are a Christian you need this book。 If you are a Christian pastor， leader， teacher， or parent you need this book。 Christianity & Wokeness is the right book for the right time。 Owen Strachan has provided a comprehensive analysis of what it means to be woke in 2021， and how the social justice movement has invaded Biblical Christianity。 The thing that stuck out to me as I read it was the tone of the author。 While it is obvious that Dr。 Strachan is passionate about the Gospel and the church， his analysis is fair， thoroughly Biblical， and avoids the cheap shots at the intellectual opponents。 I have read this book once and have already made plans to read it again with a group of men in my church。 Christianity & Wokeness will be my go-to recommendation for any future discussion on the topic。 Do yourself a favor and get your copy ASAP。 。。。more
Rachel Moss
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This is probably the best book I have read this year and will be one I read over and over again。It’s no secret that wokeness has entered our society。 What is even more sad is seeing churches adapt to this ideology and call it biblical。 Owen Strachan does a phenomenal job explaining the difference between biblical Christianity and wokeness。 He doesn’t just use scripture to address social justices， but quotes authors， and speakers who are for social justice。If you need a resource to help you comba This is probably the best book I have read this year and will be one I read over and over again。It’s no secret that wokeness has entered our society。 What is even more sad is seeing churches adapt to this ideology and call it biblical。 Owen Strachan does a phenomenal job explaining the difference between biblical Christianity and wokeness。 He doesn’t just use scripture to address social justices， but quotes authors， and speakers who are for social justice。If you need a resource to help you combat social justice， in a biblical way along with the Bible， I highly recommend reading this book。 I graciously received an advance pdf copy of the book for review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Jack Shaffer
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Dr。 Strachan gives a straightforward， fair presentation of Wokeness and Critical Race Theory using source material from its most well-known proponents and holds it up to the scrutiny of the Scriptures in order to help Christians understand what is the situation of our times。 He demonstrates how this pernicious worldview has not only permeated our culture and its institutions， but also how it is beginning to permeate the church as well。 After defining the terms， he shows first negatively why it i Dr。 Strachan gives a straightforward， fair presentation of Wokeness and Critical Race Theory using source material from its most well-known proponents and holds it up to the scrutiny of the Scriptures in order to help Christians understand what is the situation of our times。 He demonstrates how this pernicious worldview has not only permeated our culture and its institutions， but also how it is beginning to permeate the church as well。 After defining the terms， he shows first negatively why it is an ungodly worldview and then positively what the Bible states about identity and ethnicity。 The most helpful section for me was the chapter on slavery in America's past and how to understand it today。 Finally， Dr。 Strachen doesn't just give us knowledge， but he helps one to know how to respond to this evil in a Christ-honoring way。 If you are unfamiliar or vaguely familiar with CRT or the Social Justice Movement， consider this a Christian primer on these topics。 It's well organized and easy to comprehend and a timely and needed work for the church。 。。。more
Jennifer
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After reading Owen Strachan’s book Christianity and Wokeness， many lines of thought were connected so that I was left with a clearer picture of what critical race theory （CRT） was， how it came to be and what it seeks to achieve。 For instance， CRT is often compared to Marxism， and while its supporters may be quick to dispute that claim， Strachan explores it and other theories such as gender theory and critical theory further， and I found it staggering how similar these ideologies truly are when c After reading Owen Strachan’s book Christianity and Wokeness， many lines of thought were connected so that I was left with a clearer picture of what critical race theory （CRT） was， how it came to be and what it seeks to achieve。 For instance， CRT is often compared to Marxism， and while its supporters may be quick to dispute that claim， Strachan explores it and other theories such as gender theory and critical theory further， and I found it staggering how similar these ideologies truly are when comparing the historical texts to the texts of the prominent CRT authors today。 That is one of the things I enjoyed most about the book， how he let the CRT authors’ words illustrate for us the points he was making so that no one can say CRT is not that。 Another thing I loved about the book was the special focus on the Gospel and how it trumps these theories rooted in godlessness。 As Christians， we need to understand that CRT asserts the differences which divide us are more powerful than the unity we have in Christ。 Christianity and Wokeness respectfully， while firmly rooted in truth， dissects this theory and proves it cannot coincide with the Gospel and is in fact anti-gospel。 If you are unsure what to feel about CRT or are just wanting to connect the dots like me， I urge you to read this book。 Whether it’s CRT or something else tomorrow， history shows these same ideologies get repackaged over time， and when they do， we must always remember to hold fast to the Gospel and compare everything to scripture。 。。。more
Cheryl Anderson
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Christianity and Wokeness by Owen Strachan， has come along at just the right time。 After a year of events across the planet that have seemingly turned our world upside down， we hear a fresh voice pointing us back to the scriptures to make sense of it all…bringing “Christians （and any interested friends and conversation partners） up to speed on wokeness and then to give an answer to this system。” （page xxiv） Having grown up in a Christian home， the daughter of a pastor， I was taught to love my ne Christianity and Wokeness by Owen Strachan， has come along at just the right time。 After a year of events across the planet that have seemingly turned our world upside down， we hear a fresh voice pointing us back to the scriptures to make sense of it all…bringing “Christians （and any interested friends and conversation partners） up to speed on wokeness and then to give an answer to this system。” （page xxiv） Having grown up in a Christian home， the daughter of a pastor， I was taught to love my neighbor as myself， to pray for my enemies， and that all humans were created in the image of God， all equally valued because God made us and first loved us。 It never occurred to me that anyone would look at me， at the color of my skin， and declare me an oppressor without knowing anything else about me。 Yet that is what happens when a person becomes “woke。” The author takes a serious， respectful look at the ideas of CRT， wokeness and intersectionality。 He discusses what wokeness is and what it is not， and talks about how this relates to “White supremacy” and privilege。 He shows how these ideas have filtered from the culture into churches and how wokeness is a religion of its own and is anti-Christian。 He offers these reminders from scripture: "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit， according to human tradition， according to the elemental spirits of the world， and not according to Christ。" （Colossians 2:8） "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ。" （2 Corinthians 10:5） This is a must-read for Christians who seek Christ-like unity in a world artificially divided by the color of our skin。 。。。more
Lisa
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In this season of confusion and doublespeak， the average Christian may be surprised to learn that being kind is not enough。 When the clarity of Scripture is obfuscated by those supposedly within the same family， the red flags should be waving as though surrounded by neon signs。 Thankfully， this book throws us a rope comprised of facts as Dr。 Owen Strachan deftly weaves scholarly research along with Scripture， the better to equip us to see what Truth says and how far the woke narrative falls from In this season of confusion and doublespeak， the average Christian may be surprised to learn that being kind is not enough。 When the clarity of Scripture is obfuscated by those supposedly within the same family， the red flags should be waving as though surrounded by neon signs。 Thankfully， this book throws us a rope comprised of facts as Dr。 Owen Strachan deftly weaves scholarly research along with Scripture， the better to equip us to see what Truth says and how far the woke narrative falls from it。 "The stakes are high here， and we must be like the men of Issachar， knowing the Word and the times in which we live （1 Chronicles 12:32）。 First， wokeness corrupts true justice， making it distributive and not retributive。" He addresses real issues with compassion through our authoritative lens， Scripture。 "This material on justice speaks to the proposal for “reparations” that has gained some traction in our time。 Because of past American evils， the argument goes， we should pay money and grant privilege to the descendants of slaves and others who suffered （genuinely） from racial injustice。" When polls indicate a majority of professing Christians have never read through the Bible and are biblically illiterate， we see why many have fallen for the silver tongued words of the enemy who would have us believe that whiteness is the original sin。 This explains compassionate Christians believing that solidarity with this woke movement is right and even biblical when in fact， the opposite is true。 "Wokeness is not， as we have been at pains to say， benign。 It is not atheological。 It is a direct attack on the Gospel itself， and it is a replacement gospel。 There is no room for merging such teaching with the teaching of Scripture。 You choose one， or you choose the other。 This is not a system compatible with Christian faith。" I highly recommend Christianity and Wokeness to anyone needing clarity on this complex and divisive issue。 。。。more
the bard （on hiatus）
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absolutely not
Lee Button
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Dr。 Strachan has written a clear and direct analysis of how ‘wokeness’ has crept into the church。 And why the Bible rejects it。 A dictionary definition of wokeness claims it is a “state of being aware， especially of social problems such as racism and inequality and culture。” The author looks beyond this innocent characterization to explain how wokeness， partnering with Critical Race Theory， is pervading all common social structures。 To challenge this movement he writes， “My primary focus in this Dr。 Strachan has written a clear and direct analysis of how ‘wokeness’ has crept into the church。 And why the Bible rejects it。 A dictionary definition of wokeness claims it is a “state of being aware， especially of social problems such as racism and inequality and culture。” The author looks beyond this innocent characterization to explain how wokeness， partnering with Critical Race Theory， is pervading all common social structures。 To challenge this movement he writes， “My primary focus in this book is on the intellectual consequences of embracing wokeness。” As stated， the primary object in his focus is the church and the Christian’s understanding of truth。 Strachan corroborates from both the Old and New Testaments that ‘wokeness’ is an ungodly system because it rejects specific teachings of Scripture。 The following quotes reinforce the critical nature of truth。 “Wokeness advocates typically embrace what is called “standpoint epistemology，” meaning that our social location and possession of privilege will shape our handling of truth。” “This commitment relativizes interpretation， whether of the Bible or other books。 It makes exegesis a culture-driven practice。 Minority exegetes can see things that “white” exegetes cannot。” “To personalize and relativize truth according to social location is to take truth out of God and ground it in us and our world。 Truth is personal， but it is grounded in our personal God， not in our fallen stories and experiences。” Christianity and Wokeness will greatly benefit Bible study groups， especially with the discussion questions that close each chapter。 Pastors and church leaders will be educated on the nuances of wokeness and encouraged with the amount of theology taught in these pages。 The book should be of particular interest to young people in college or at work。 They may be the most affected by this expanding issue and will have in their hands a reference that clearly explains the differences between ‘woke’ socially and ‘awake’ spiritually。 。。。more
Chris
，
In “Christianity and Wokeness，” Owen Strachan provides the church with a much-needed resource。 Christians are being challenged daily to take up the mantle of “wokeness” and “social justice” as a mandatory requirement of preaching the gospel， but should they be doing so？ Owen Strachan pulls back the curtain to help Christians see exactly what “wokeness” is and why it is antithetical to biblical truth。Strachan spends two chapters explaining what wokeness is and how it has infiltrated society at la In “Christianity and Wokeness，” Owen Strachan provides the church with a much-needed resource。 Christians are being challenged daily to take up the mantle of “wokeness” and “social justice” as a mandatory requirement of preaching the gospel， but should they be doing so？ Owen Strachan pulls back the curtain to help Christians see exactly what “wokeness” is and why it is antithetical to biblical truth。Strachan spends two chapters explaining what wokeness is and how it has infiltrated society at large and the church specifically。 He then takes the time to break down the tenets of wokeness， drawing from the primary sources themselves。 Contrasting these teachings with Scripture， he demonstrates that wokeness is an ungodly ideology that is wholly incompatible with the teachings of Scripture。 Strachan then takes his readers through a biblical analysis of identity and ethnicity as it is revealed in God’s Word。 He provides the church with biblical answers as to who and what man truly is， the nature of sin （including partiality and ethnic hatred）， and points to the only possible solution between God and men， the gospel。“Christianity and Wokeness” is a great resource for Christians and the church。 In a time when so many are trying to use the world’s definitions to explain equality， fairness， justice and love， Christians need to be reminded that God has already defined them in the Scriptures。 “Christianity and Wokeness” will equip Christians to not only understand the issues at hand but to respond biblically when the world demands they acquiesce to their demands。 I highly recommend this text to Christians and churches everywhere。 。。。more
Taylor
，
This book is a well-balanced critique of the unbiblical ideologies of wokeness， as well as a heartfelt call to true believers in the faith to reject such ideologies as Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality。 Dr。 Owen Strachan writes in such a way that is easy to understand for the common believer who does not have deep theological training。 It is important for books on such topics to be easy to understand and chock-full of biblical truth。 Strachan holds fast to the Bible as God’s perfect， ho This book is a well-balanced critique of the unbiblical ideologies of wokeness， as well as a heartfelt call to true believers in the faith to reject such ideologies as Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality。 Dr。 Owen Strachan writes in such a way that is easy to understand for the common believer who does not have deep theological training。 It is important for books on such topics to be easy to understand and chock-full of biblical truth。 Strachan holds fast to the Bible as God’s perfect， holy， inspired and sufficient word。 The Word of God is sufficient to deal with the topic of Wokeness and to break down every ideology。 The Gospel of Christ is magnified in this beautiful book。 That is the important reality: The Gospel of the Lord MUST remain in the forefront of any offensive attack against unbiblical ideologies。 Strachan does this well， without producing hardline biases。 Certainly many will say Strachan hasn’t done his research， because that is what anyone will throw at a book like this。 Owen Strachan HAS done his research， and it is quality research。 This book should not be ones only foray into the breaking down of Woke ideology。 It is important to look at multiple author’s views to truly see that Strachan is not speaking his own opinion but speaking the truth in love。 If reading this book is too difficult—as reading can be a problem—Strachan has lectures he did at Redeemer Church called Wokeness & Christianity。 They’re split up into 4 parts and can be listened to。 Much of this material stems from those lectures！ May the Gospel of our Lord Jesus be magnified。 。。。more
Jonathan Roberts
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I have been excited for this book for months。 I was able to get on the prerelease team so I could read it before it came out。 Between this and Voddie Baucham’s book Faultlines believers have no reason to be surprised by our current cultural thoughts on race nor should they not be thoroughly equipped to respond。 I liked Dr。 Strachen’s posture in this book。 It is clear his love for the Bible and for his fellow man as he weaves a clear explanation of what “wokeness” is and how to think Biblically a I have been excited for this book for months。 I was able to get on the prerelease team so I could read it before it came out。 Between this and Voddie Baucham’s book Faultlines believers have no reason to be surprised by our current cultural thoughts on race nor should they not be thoroughly equipped to respond。 I liked Dr。 Strachen’s posture in this book。 It is clear his love for the Bible and for his fellow man as he weaves a clear explanation of what “wokeness” is and how to think Biblically about it。 Highly recommended 。。。more
Keller Hackbusch
，