(OPINION) A pastor and podcaster recently provided valuable advice to Christians searching for a new church, cautioning them about specific warning signs that indicate a church might be embracing “woke” ideology.
Pastor Lucas Miles is the author of the book Woke Jesus: The False Messiah Destroying Christianity, which is scheduled for release next month.
In a May 4 episode of the “Politely Rude With Abby Johnson” podcast, Miles shared tips for Christians on how to discern the red flags when church hunting. It’s crucial for believers to be aware of these red flags and exercise discernment when evaluating potential churches, he said.
Miles contends that “churches have been invaded” by various ideologies, such as the Black Lives Matter movement, the LGBT movement and critical race theory.
“Of course, the very obvious things. If the flag is rainbow colored, or if there’s a BLM flag flying above the cross outside, then that might be something to note,” Miles said.
Miles emphasized the importance of asking a set of crucial questions before Christians decide to join a church. He stressed the need for careful observation of signs that may indicate a church’s alignment with “wokism.”
“You want to listen for language, maybe, of critical race theory, Miles told Johnson, a pro-life activist. “So, are they talking about white fragility?”
“Are they using this word ‘diversity’ all the time? Are [the church leaders] more focused on that than [they] are about just loving people because Christ has called us to love everybody?”
Miles emphasized that a church rooted in biblical principles will not embrace a distorted understanding of grace and truth as its fundamental theology.
“Is there still a handle on grace and truth? So, one of the things I always tell people is that … the Bible tells us … ‘The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ,’” Miles shared.
According to Miles, any deviation into heresy tends to occur through two avenues: an excessive emphasis on grace or a problematic distortion of the truth. He emphasized the importance of remaining vigilant in both aspects of the equation.
“If you are elevating grace over truth, you become a progressive. If you elevate truth over grace, you become a bigot. We need both of those in full force,” he said. (READ MORE)
