The Write Place

Perhaps you have noticed the bizarre division and confusion in the world exists just as much in the church. Previously I detailed two forms of heresy when it comes to engaging with the culture (you can find it here). We ought not be surprised when we understand what this attack is. False teachers use the same words, but will always load it with new meaning to create confusion and division.

We see examples of this from the very beginning of the Church’s history. One such example can be seen in 1 John 4:2-4

“By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. ⁴ Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”

Have you ever asked why John gives a specific test not about what name they use, but about Jesus himself? Who he is and what has he done?

False prophets said they followed Christ, and used the same terms, but didn’t mean the same thing. John then tells the church to do something we are to do today, and that is not trust the words but ask for definitions. False teachers were encountered immediately by the church, even questioning the apostles (2 Corinthians 11:4-5, 10-15). I hope you’ll see that when the devil comes, he doesn’t come with a neon sign declaring who he is. Neither can you expect him to tell you in honest words what he is up to. The devil comes instead as an Angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), right down to using the very words we do, but with completely different meaning.

You may have seen some of their tactics in practice even if you do not know them by name, like the Mott and Bailey. The simplest way to remember it is the field (Mott) and the for The Bailey). The fort is the seemingly nice word or idea that is safe to push. The field (the mott) is where they can go on the attack. If the attack is failing they will simply go back to the fort making even the one asking a question look bad.

False teachers today may talk about Justice, racial justice, social justice, Love is Love or other nice sounding words. When you push back on any of their ideas, they will say “you are against justice!” or “You are for hate!” but something is missing. What is Justice? What is love? What do these mean? You can see how they avoid actually answering anything, turning the issue back on the other person to make them look bad. This way they don’t need to make case and they can be the good guy. It is by this misrepresentation, changing of definitions, and attacks on the person that most heretics operate today.

The school of Critical studies, known as Wokeness (and their various communist associates in history) follow this same formula. Many will call themselves Christians, using otherwise Christian terms. When you press their terms to get at their actual meaning though, you see they are foreign and alien.

Terms like Justice for the Woke involve merely external oppressions. The first time this idea was floated was by the Serpent in Eden (Genesis 3:1-6). What is the devil’s accusation of God, if not the claim that he is holding them back with the unfair rules of the universe he created?

What evil oppression that does exist, fits the biblical formula of coming from the depraved hearts of individuals. The false teacher will use Christian language because their ideas when exposed, cannot stand up (hence John’s test in John). The demonic reality behind it is joined with the simple reality that these are the strategies they need to get what they want from a Christian culture like that in our churches.

The popular “True you” and “Love is love” are part of the woke ideology.
If there is an evil system claim, ask for definition. If it does not follow from the idea that all human hearts are corrupted, it is not Christian. If it proposes not heart change but new laws, repayment from the non-offender to punish the biblically innocent, it is then rooted in this “not me but you” mentality.
False prophets and wolves will come in, seeking whom they may devour, they will deny the Christ who bought them.

The failure, even refusal of Christians today to actually discern who or what is coming in has resulted in the decay of Christianity that we are experiencing. Whether it was towards the health and wealth charlatans, or this woke religion today, Christians particularly in the West have forgotten how to fight. After almost two millenia of Christendom, we have forgotten what it’s like to not have the culture doing the heavy lifting for us. The Woke movement is a works salvation that uses Christian language, excuses sin, and parodies Christianity in this context. By using Christian words with demonic meanings, the Woke movement has infiltrated the Christian mind that the church for so long stopped forming.

Let’s take a look at one contemporary example.

“There is no neutrality in the racism struggle. The opposite of racist isn’t not racist, it is ant-racist. What’s the difference? One endorses either the idea of racial heirarchy as racist, or racial equality as an anti-racist. One either believes problems are rooted in groups of people as a racist or locates the roots of problems in power and policies as an anti-racist. One either allows racial inequities to persevere as a racist or confronts racial inequities as an anti-racist. There is no in between safe space of not racist. The claim of not racist neutrality is a mask for racism.”

-Ibrim X Kendi, How To Be An Anti-Racist

This may seem a more agreeable line of thought, but Ibrim X Kendi provides us an unfortunate modern example of a charlatan. This is the Bailey, or fort that is a defensible position. Who would say they are for racism? Very few as the consensus of the culture is that it is wrong (lived well or not). Notice also the false choices, you can say racism exists in the heart. He leaves you with the option that racism exists without racists. But let’s also turn to see the real definition by the mott/field as he reveals what he means by his planned solution.


““The only remedy to racist discrimination, is ant-racist discrimination. The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination. The only remedy to present discrimination, is future discrimination.”
Ibrim X Kendi, How To Be An Anti-Racist

His solution is more sin (that of favoritism). Apparently punishing people for their ethnicity is not wrong, it’s moral if it’s for a past slight they did not or do not individually commit (Leviticus 19:14-16, Deuteronomy 16:19). He didn’t get there by mistake because he is pulling a the mott and bailey. This “solution” violates biblical justice as given to man to execute, where only the guilty individual is punished (Deut. 24:16, Ez.18:20). He is attempting to punish entire groups of people for real and perceived sins of the past, sins they did not commit.

He claims the label of Christian, but you can see in his real beliefs that he is not against racism, just for his own racism. “Anti-racism” means supporting his programs, which won’t work, leaving the door open for them to be tried again. People after all, rarely will solve a problem when they can make money on it being a problem. There is incredible irony in how he claims anybody who benefits from the American system is a racist, and he gets paid tens of thousands of dollars by that system to call it racist (making him by his definition, racist). Dr. Kendi simply put, is a con man who has to use the label of Christian to get you on the hook.

Truly he proves the scriptures when it tells us in Philippians 3:18-19

“ For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹ Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.”

The solution is given us in many places, but 2 John illustrates it in a wonderfully simple way.
2 John 6-11

⁶ And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. ⁷ For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. ⁸ Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we^[a] have worked for, but may win a full reward. ⁹ Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, ¹¹ for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.”

Ask what people believe, in detail. The Apostle John spoke concerning to a group that denied Jesus came in the flesh. So, to find out which Jesus they serve, ask them the meaning of their words. If it is a different Christ, they are false teachers. We need to stop assuming the Devil comes showing himself the Devil, and not disguised as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).

Remember it is not just blessed are the peacekeepers, but blessed are the peacemakers, and peacemakers will have to fight. Shepherds are called to fight and Christians are called to discern (study self-approved, discern). If we live out this calling, we will win and spread the Gospel and it’s influence. If we are faithful in these matters, justice actually will prevail.