Key Life Network

Steve Brown: Wokeness, when it's Christian, is wonderful. Let's talk about it on Key Life.

Guest (Male): That was Steve Brown and this is Key Life. We’re dedicated to the teaching that the only people who get any better are those who know that if they don’t get any better, God will still love them anyway. Steve is an author, seminary professor, and our teacher on Key Life.

Steve Brown: If you’ve been listening, we’ve spent a long time, two weeks in fact, just getting this plane in the air for what we’re going to do over the next few weeks. We’re going to be talking about the lies that all of us have believed and how they cause guilt and shame and regret and fear. But we’ve been talking just about the subject as we begin to look at those lies. And next week, we’ll get into those lies.

But we’re talking about assumption. I assume when I write a book or when I do a broadcast that all of the Bible is true. I’ve been doing this religious thing for a very, very long time. And I can’t tell you how often I change my mind. Do you know why I change my mind and even said so in the pulpit? Because somebody opened the Bible and said, "Steve, let me show you something. Let’s see if what you said is true." And I found out it wasn’t. And as soon as I was back in the pulpit, I said so.

At the very heart of the Christian faith is truth—propositional truth, doctrinal truth. And truth is not what you believe to be true. Truth is what is anyway. And then if you were listening yesterday, we talked about how or I talked about how I like to argue and most of the time win the arguments and how I’ve repented because we have to start right now. If we’re going to be examining truths that all of us at one time or another have believed, we gotta start with another assumption. And that is the people who have told lies, me included, we need to cut slack for each other or we’ll never get to the root cause of guilt and shame and fear and regret.

On our talk show, we recently interviewed Preston Sprinkle about a new book he’s written, *Does the Bible Support Same-Sex Marriage?* It is a compassionate and cogent defense of traditional marriage. He devotes the first chapter of his book to having a fruitful conversation. And in the introduction, he writes that the reader should read the first chapter even if they don’t read the other chapters.

Preston Sprinkle writes in that chapter, "I used to think that good conversations happened only when two people agreed. But a profitable conversation is not one where everyone has to agree. That would be unrealistic and not always helpful. A profitable conversation rather," he goes on, "is where everyone feels understood and honored, even if the disagreement remains. Unprofitable conversations are the ones when people aren't actually listening to what others are saying, where both sides focus on defending their viewpoints rather than exploring what's actually true and where people feel more degraded and angrier when the conversation is over." And then he says, "Somehow, how we believe is just as important as what we believe."

Later on, we’re going to talk about some lies surrounding forgiveness and mercy. But for now, maybe the first step in dealing with guilt and shame and fear and regret is not only to stop believing the lies that we’ve been told but also to forgive and to listen to those we believe have told us those lies.

The final basic assumption of what I’m going to be teaching over the next few weeks and in the book is that there really is a kind of wokeness. Christian wokeness is different than the wokeness so popular in culture. In fact, being awake is a biblical concept and it’s taught throughout the Bible. Paul wrote that "the hour has come for you to awake." Romans 13:11. Again, he says, "For anything that becomes visible in light, therefore it says, 'Awake, oh sleeper, and arise from the dead and Christ will shine on you.'" Ephesians 5:14.

Isaiah wrote, "Awake, awake, put on your strength." Isaiah 52:1. In Revelation, John wrote, "Wake up and strengthen what remains and is about to die." Revelation 3:2. Finally, Jesus said, "Stay awake at all times." That's Luke 21:36. Christian wokeness is the clearing of one's mind, not of the Christian faith, but of the toxic side of what is given to us by both Christians and non-Christians.

Scripture is replete with the worldview that when understood is the basis of some of the best news the world has ever heard. But religion, both the church kind and the political kind, can make you fearful and guilty and afraid and filled with regret. "For the word of God is living and active," the scripture says, "sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and the intentions of the heart." That’s Hebrews 4:12.

As a young pastor, I considered myself an intellectual of sorts. I was theologically trained in graduate school and I was certain that I had ideas and concepts that would change people’s lives. It didn’t. You know what they did? They yawned. Now I’m going to spare you the details, but bottom line, I decided that I had no authority and made a volitional choice that the Bible would be my authority. After that, I started teaching what the Bible said without having the foggiest idea of what it actually said.

I started in the Gospel of John, pretty much stayed one verse ahead of the congregation. You know what happened? God happened. Surprised me incredibly. Health happened. Forgiveness happened. Love happened. And life happened. A lot of folks in that congregation wanted a new pastor. And they got one. That was me. It was as if we had all woken up from a deep sleep and a bad dream.

Now, I don't know about you, but I'm tired of the lies and the destructive false narratives. One of the reasons I study the Bible, aside from the fact that the major aspect of my job description is that of a Bible teacher and I need the job, one of the major reasons is that scripture is a safe harbor of truth. Of course, I read the Bible for comfort, guidance, instruction on how to live a very complicated and difficult world.

But having one place where I don't have to watch out for the lies and nonsense is a major gift in my life. When political, religious, and social talking heads speak, I've learned to be very careful about what I've been told. In almost every case, there's an agenda or a narrative that skews truth. God's agenda is truth. I read the Bible to be woke. I read the Bible to be awake and to stay that way every day.

When Jesus said, "I am the truth," he was saying that he was the embodiment of truth and that all he lived and said and wrote was true. He is the ultimate author of truth. Hebrews 12:2. And I have learned to trust him. Not only that, I love the Bible and I love to open it because it never lies. You think about that. I'm in.

Guest (Male): Thanks, Steve. And with that, we wrap up week two of our series. Hope you’re enjoying it and as Steve has said, please let us know what you think. Your input can actually have an impact on Steve’s final book. And do join us tomorrow for Friday Q&A. Of course, that’s when Steve and Pete will tackle big questions that you have sent in. Among those on tap for tomorrow: what part of me goes to heaven? That’s a great question, right? Do join us.

Well, have you met Chad Bird? When you see him, your immediate thought is that is an impressive wizard-level beard. But then you hear him teach and you think, man, this guy has a deep understanding of the Bible and really gets grace. We recently spoke with Chad on our talk radio show, Steve Brown Etc. His new book is called *Untame Prayers: 365 Daily Devotions on Christ in the Book of Psalms*. If you ever feel like you can’t be 100% honest with God, you need to hear this conversation. And we’ll send it to you on CD for free. Just call us right now at 1-800-KEY-LIFE. That’s 1-800-539-5433.

You can also email Steve at steve@keylife.org to ask for that CD or to mail your request, go to keylife.org/contact to find our mailing addresses. Just ask for the free CD featuring Chad Bird. Finally, would you partner in the work of Key Life by giving? Just charge a gift on your credit card or include a gift in your envelope. Or of course, you can now give safely and securely by text. Just text KEYLIFE to 28950 then follow the instructions. Key Life is a member of ECFA in the States and 4C in Canada and Key Life is a listener-supported production of Key Life Network.