I am a WOKE Christian.  Now before you get all judgmental on me, let me explain.  The original use of this word was back in the 1940s quoted in the Atlantic.  It quoted a black United Mine Worker as saying, “Waking up is a damn sight better than going to sleep, but we’ll stay woke up longer.” It was a way of saying I am aware of social injustice.  It has been adopted, for the most part by minorities of all races and ethnicities. But the meaning is still the same.  To be aware of how society marginalizes and makes efforts to minimalize anyone who is different. In the 1960s, WOKE could more generally mean “well-informed” in Black English, but it still strongly aligned with political awareness, especially in the context of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950–60s and appearing in the phrase, “stay woke.”

So what do I mean when I say I am a WOKE Christian?  There are so many in our society that has been and is both marginalized and minimized because of perceived differences. When I say I am WOKE, I am stating for the record I am aware of social injustice.  I believe the spectrum of talent, intelligence, and drive includes everyone.  Those who are WOKE, exclaim that all those in the spectrum of life are not given the same access to opportunity. 

Restriction of opportunity has been pictured as prejudice, racism, hate, and discrimination, of which I can neither support nor permit in my life as I live in my Faith in Jesus.

Facebook, the news, and politicians all seem to be screaming at me.  Each trying to emphasize the terrible nature and reputations of opposing politicians.  Republicans or Democrats both have their problems.  Both would require my vote for them to the exclusion to the other.  They have become so apart and divisive, there is no middle ground.

Now, this is where I get into trouble.  I am trying, as a Christian, to understand the differences between the two prominent political parties and their stands on the access of opportunity.  Is one party trying to limit access to all? Is one party providing pathways to opportunity over the other? A comparison is needed to determine the most “limiting” faction.

As a Christian, I must start my examination by saying, “everyone has sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God,” Romans 3:23 and that Jesus died for everyone 1 John 2:2.  This includes those who run for political office. Every candidate has equal access to the grace of God.  And lastly, it is not my place to judge anyone based on their faith; that is God’s job, not mine.  All politicians are limited by a sinful nature. I must concern myself with the policies and promises, not the moral content of their personal lives.  It is not my place to judge the spiritual nature of another.

Therefore, I must, if I am WOKE, vote for the candidate I believe will do the best job to overcome injustice in any form and restrictions of access and opportunity.  It falls on the rule of law, justice and, equality.

I am not saying I must set aside biblical principles.  Politics matters to God. Politics and the choices they make can well mitigate some of the effects of a fallen world. The society around us should multiply and flourish. After all, Jesus, in everything he did was a motive to uplift or make better.  He healed lepers, gave hearing to the deaf, opened the eyes of the blind.  Every effort in his life, death, and resurrection was to redeem, restore, and empower. Jesus was WOKE. It did not matter if they were Hebrew or Gentile.

Recently the President of the United States was found not guilty of charges set against him.  Some would say it was just politics. And mostly I would agree.  I think the whole thing was about limiting access and therefore an opportunity for him to do the job he was elected to do.  I think the process was not about the abuse of power but simply a difference of opinion.  It was a process wrought by fallible people with fallible judgments.  It was more about a self-perceived set of standards.

Character has always been a factor on the political stage. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and every other president had their detractors.  Some voters that did not vote for President Obama only on the criteria of his skin color. These restrictors of access are accountable to God.

Again, I am a WOKE Christian.  My vote is not based on perceived character. I do not know what is in the heart. Only God can do that.  I vote for the person who is most likely to give equal opportunity and access to everyone who is being governed. And for me, that specifically includes my right to shout I am a Christian and I understand and care.

So, who is the most WOKE in politics today?  The pickings are few. If I would take out the judgmental aspect of my choice, I am left with a decision of which would increase the opportunity of all.  What is the track record for this specific quantifiable question? Which one will set the standard of access?  And which one limits access and therefore opportunity to thrive.

Let’s start with the big one; Pro-life V Pro-Choice.  Which would seem to limit access and opportunity?  I must say taking a life severely restricts the access and opportunity for the child.  To abort a life up to the minute of birth is simply not WOKE.

One party seems to welcome all, including all faiths, ages, races and sexes and the other jumps over the moon when a Catholic schoolboy wears a MAGA hat to a rally.

One party seems to be promoting religious freedom for all faiths, even for Christianity. Christianity seems the most beleaguered and limited and ridiculed.  One party sees the value of faith the other tries to marginalize and mock faith of any kind.

Of the two parties in this contest, one fought for both the 1964 Civil rights Act and the 2018 justice reform to reduce mass incarceration.  One party was founded as the Anti-Slavery party and the other voted against every effort to open access and opportunity to the enslaved population.

Of the two opponents in the political world, one encourages the right to disagree and make voices heard and the other seems to what to silence civil discussion even on college campuses.

I applaud the need for every person to have access to healthcare, but in the application it impacts access. All the rhetoric talks about healthcare but it really is about insurance. It is about who pays.   A Faith based Hospital is required to conform to a single standard that allows for abortion and the right to die measures. 

One party has given us the elimination of terror threats from across the world and the other gives us unisex bathrooms.  One believes marriage should be between a man and a woman, while the other says it doesn’t matter.

Not only has Trump not drawn us into a nuclear war, but he also relegated ISIS and Iran’s murderous General Soleimani to the dustbin of history. Not only has he pursued regulatory reform and created millions of new jobs, but his administration also heralded the lowest unemployment rate ever recorded for Latinos and African Americans. Combined with sweeping criminal justice reform, Trump’s policies are not just symbolic, but real steps forward in our country’s enduring quest for racial equality. Not only has Trump sought tax relief for families and children, but he has also been the greatest protector of unborn lives since the atrocity of Roe v. Wade. Meanwhile, Mitch McConnell’s Senate has confirmed 187 qualified, originalist federal judges.

Neither party has the high ground as models of Christian virtue and sinlessness. I must choose one over the other.  President Trump may well not deserve it, but nobody does if the only qualification is being an unbroken, infallible, sinless, politically correct automaton.

We live in a broken world; sin, hate, prejudice, and discrimination is rampant.  Our lives are our decisions.  While President Trump is a most unlikely banner holder for the WOKE, our lives are better for it.  Millions of forgotten and disenfranchised men and women of all races and creeds and faith have been renewed and are blossoming through the actions of this man.  And it is this blossoming of circumstances that ultimately matter most. “I am WOKE”.