In today’s political and cultural debates, few words spark more emotion—or confusion—than “woke.” It’s often used as an insult or rallying cry, but it’s rarely defined with any precision. Is it just about being sensitive to racism? Is it a catch-all term for political correctness? Or is it something deeper?
This post seeks to define wokeness clearly and honestly. We’ll explore its historical roots, its philosophical structure, the network of related ideas it draws from, and why it matters that Christians and conservatives understand the term—not just use it. We’ll also consider why elites often avoid the word, and whether it’s because it reveals something cult-like or ideologically extreme about the worldview it represents.
Where the Word Came From
The term “woke” has roots in African-American Vernacular English (AAVE). It was used as early as the 1930s by Black communities to describe being “awake” or alert to racial injustice and discrimination. Folk singer Lead Belly (Huddie Ledbetter) popularized the expression in the 1940s when he urged Black Americans to “stay woke” in the face of racial violence, particularly when traveling through the Jim Crow South.
At its origin, it was a call to awareness—of danger, of injustice, of systemic racism. In that historical context, staying woke was about vigilance for survival and civil rights.
However, like many terms, “woke” has evolved. Over the last few decades, especially from the 2010s onward, the word was adopted by progressive activists and academics, expanding its scope far beyond racial justice. It came to include gender identity, climate change, immigration, sexual orientation, economic systems, and more.
In this broader form, wokeness became not just a moral stance on racism, but a total worldview—a framework for interpreting all of society in terms of power, privilege, and oppression.
What Wokeness Means Today
Wokeness is the belief system that sees society as a structure of oppression, where people must be awakened to systemic injustices in order to dismantle those structures.
It views human relationships not primarily through the lens of moral responsibility or divine image-bearing, but through systems of power. Race, gender, sexuality, and class are seen as the fundamental organizing principles of society, and every interaction is analyzed in terms of these power dynamics.
Wokeness insists that being truly moral means becoming conscious of these systems—and working to overturn them. In this way, it mimics a form of religious conversion. The “woke” are the enlightened ones, and the rest are still asleep or resisting the truth. That’s where the comparison to Gnosticism arises: like the ancient Gnostics, the woke claim a kind of hidden or superior knowledge that makes them spiritually or morally elevated above the ignorant masses.
Synonyms and Related Terms
While “woke” is often used as shorthand, it intersects with several other related terms and ideologies:
- Progressivism – A political philosophy that emphasizes reform, equality, and government intervention to correct social wrongs. Not all progressives are woke, but most who are woke identify as progressive.
- Political Correctness – The demand that language and behavior be altered to avoid offending particular groups. While it began with good intentions (like rejecting racial slurs), it has evolved into policing speech, redefining terms, and censoring dissent.
- Social Justice – The pursuit of equity in wealth, opportunities, and privileges within society. Originally rooted in Christian ethics (especially Catholic social teaching), it has been co-opted by secular activists who emphasize redistribution, group rights, and identity over individual responsibility or biblical justice.
- Neo-Marxism – An updated form of Marxist theory that replaces economic class with identity groups. Instead of bourgeoisie vs. proletariat, it frames the world as oppressors (white, male, straight, Christian, capitalist) vs. oppressed (people of color, LGBTQ+, non-Western, socialist).
- Cultural Marxism – A term used to describe the application of Marxist theory to culture rather than economics. Instead of focusing solely on class struggle, cultural Marxists analyze and seek to deconstruct Western traditions, Christian values, the nuclear family, and national identity. Though the term is sometimes contested in academic circles, it aptly captures the movement’s goal: to radically transform society by subverting its cultural foundations. This is often done through media, education, art, and law.
- Critical Theory – The intellectual backbone of wokeness. Developed by Marxist scholars in the Frankfurt School, it questions and critiques all traditional institutions, beliefs, and power structures as tools of domination. Its offshoots include critical race theory, gender theory, and queer theory.
- Intersectionality – A framework that analyzes how various forms of oppression (racism, sexism, transphobia, etc.) overlap and compound. It is used to argue that those with multiple “marginalized identities” deserve more cultural and political authority.
- Gender Ideology – The belief that gender is a social construct and can differ from biological sex. This belief fuels transgender activism, pronoun enforcement, and the push to normalize non-binary or fluid gender identities.
Why the Word Matters
Some people on the political Left object to the use of the word “woke.” They argue that it’s vague, used unfairly, or a form of dog-whistling. Others claim that critics use it simply to mock compassion or civil rights.
But the truth is, wokeness captures something that more sanitized terms like “progressive” or “social justice advocate” do not. It points to the moral intensity, ideological rigidity, and yes, the quasi-religious nature of this belief system.
Progressives prefer other words because “woke” reveals the cult-like underpinnings of their worldview. It implies a kind of self-righteous enlightenment and intolerance of dissent. In this way, it exposes the Gnostic element—the idea that the woke have special knowledge that others must be brought into (or punished for rejecting).
Some also shy away from the term because of its Black cultural roots, worrying that critics use it to dismiss concerns about racism or civil rights. But that’s not the problem. The issue isn’t the original meaning of the word—it’s the expansive ideology it now represents. What began as a call to vigilance against injustice has become a weapon to deconstruct truth itself.
Wokeness and Cult-Like Behavior
There is a reason some conservatives and Christians refer to wokeness as a cult. It checks several boxes:
- Conversion experience: “Becoming woke” involves recognizing one’s privilege and being “awakened” to systemic injustice.
- Original sin: Whiteness, maleness, heterosexuality, and other “dominant” traits are treated as built-in guilt.
- Rituals and sacraments: Public apologies, land acknowledgments, pronoun declarations, and virtue-signaling behavior mimic religious rites.
- Blasphemy laws: Saying the wrong thing—or even quoting someone else who did—can cost you your reputation or career.
- Heresy and excommunication: Those who question woke dogma are “canceled,” shamed, or pushed out of polite society.
It’s not that every woke person is consciously part of a cult. But the system itself functions as a closed moral universe—complete with sacred language, high priests, and severe punishments for dissent.
The Christian Response
From a Christian worldview, wokeness is a counterfeit gospel. It offers a diagnosis of human sin (oppression), a savior (activism), and a version of salvation (social transformation). But it leaves out the most important truth: our problem is not just social injustice—it is sin against a holy God.
Scripture teaches that true justice is rooted in truth, and especially in biblical truth. Justice means giving people what they are due—not based on group identity, but on God’s standard of right and wrong. The biblical vision of justice includes impartiality (Exodus 23:3), personal responsibility (Ezekiel 18:20), and love for neighbor (Luke 10:27), not group resentment or cultural revolution.
Christians should oppose real racism, real abuse, and real injustice wherever they occur. But we must not trade the eternal truth of God for the ever-changing dogmas of political movements. Wokeness preaches a gospel of activism and grievance; Christ offers a gospel of grace and peace.
Conclusion
Wokeness is more than a buzzword. It is a moral framework, a political strategy, and a substitute religion. Its roots are in critical theory, its fruit is division, and its goal is to reorder society by tearing down traditional beliefs—especially those rooted in biblical Christianity.
To be “woke” today doesn’t just mean being kind or aware. It means buying into a system that sees truth as oppressive, speech as violence, and faith as bigotry. That is why we must be clear about what the term means—and why Christians must respond not with silence, but with courage and clarity.
The Apostle Paul warned against being “taken captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition… and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8). That warning could not be more timely.
S.D.G.,
Robert Sparkman
rob@christiannewsjunkie.com
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Historian and author Victor Davis Hanson describes the origin and history of the woke movement.
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