It’s difficult to imagine this issue would rear its ugly head in any Bible-believing church—especially a Pentecostal one—but there is a major atrocity I believe tragically has infiltrated many sanctuaries across our great country.
The best words I can use to describe this problem is the “Christian left.”
There are a lot of Christians out there that are espousing things I don’t really believe add up to the Word of God. And sometimes, it’s hard to understand.
That’s why I decided to bring Lucas Miles back on to my Strang Report podcast. The last time I had him on, we talked about how liberal thought has hijacked the church in recent years. We discussed how the influence of our culture and other theologies and beliefs is sparking division within the church. It’s the definitive work of the enemy, and it’s the exact opposite of what God wants when He comes back soon for His bride.
The author of The Christian Left and an ordained pastor with more than 20 years of ministry experience, Miles says the church has fallen into compromise in many, many ways and, in a lot of cases, believers aren’t even aware of it. That is exactly why he wrote the book.
“This is a book that I hope will correct a problem in the church,” Miles told me on my podcast. “And in order to really correct it in the right way, I had to address some of the individuals that are perhaps creating these problems in the church, which certainly puts a little bit of a target on my back.
“I have been preaching for 20-plus years, and at the same church for 17 of those years. I’ve seen a rising, what the New York Times is calling ‘liberal Christianity,’ and I’m seeing very few people brave enough to address it. I really felt like the Lord prompted my heart and He asked me, ‘do you want to undertake this?’ I believe God give us a choice sometimes. It is a challenging topic, but I didn’t want to miss what God has for me, so I took it on.”
Miles says that there has been a “leftward drift” in the church for many years. It’s just been so gradual and subtle that many people have not noticed it.
There are now a lot of believers that refer to themselves as “evangelical Democrats,” or so the stickers on the back bumper of their cars say. But there are a lot of Republicans that are liberal, too. We’re not just talking about liberal politics; we’re talking about attitudes within the church.
So, what is the definition of the term “wokeism?” Miles says this:
“There was a definition I used in my book, and I pulled it from a book called Woke Christians. The author refers to Christians who embrace sort o a pro-choice position on abortion, as well as gay marriage, and also things like BLM. Beyond that, wokeism is really the recognition or consciousness of heightened political correctness as well as a consciousness of an oppressed society.
“I think it’s really a false consciousness of an oppressed society. But it frames a lot of how the woke community operates because they see themselves and many of those around them in some sort of victim state. It really divides society into groups—the oppressed and the oppressor—and anybody that doesn’t look like you is most likely the oppressor. As a woke Christian or individual, you are the oppressed. It’s rather pessimistic because it doesn’t really give any opportunity for redemption or forgiveness.”
For more of my fascinating interview with Lucas Miles, listen to the entire episode of the Strang Report at this link. Be sure to subscribe to the Strang Report on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast platform for more words that will inspire and challenge you in the power of the Holy Spirit. {eoa}
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