The creeping plague of wokeness has infiltrated many churches like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It doesn’t always announce itself with a flashing neon sign but seeps in, subtly reframing priorities, redefining terms, and reinterpreting Scripture. What typically begins as a seemingly harmless nod to cultural relevance quickly metastasizes into a full-blown infection that eats away at the lifeblood of the church—the gospel itself.

Before long, the gospel is reduced to nothing more than a prop for a social and political agenda, and the pulpit becomes a platform for progressive propaganda. If you’re paying attention, the signs are there—glaring and undeniable—like warning lights on a dashboard that too many are choosing to ignore. Here are five signs that a church is going woke.

1. Social Justice Takes Precedence Over the Gospel

One of the most obvious signs is the shift in focus from proclaiming Christ crucified to pushing the latest social justice trends. Sermons that once called sinners to repentance now sound like TED Talks on dismantling “systems of oppression.” The message of salvation is sidelined, replaced by endless tirades about equity, privilege, and “dismantling power structures.” The gospel—the very heart of the Christian faith—is treated as if it’s insufficient, a relic of a less enlightened time that must be updated to suit the ever-changing whims of modern society. How many churches now preach activism over atonement? How many pastors have traded their Bibles for buzzwords?

2. Biblical Sexual Ethics Are Compromised

Churches that once stood firm on God’s design for marriage and sexuality are now bending the knee to the rainbow flag. Some churches may give lip service to biblical sexual ethics, but water it down with “love over doctrine” or “we welcome everyone” language.

They rationalize their compromise with platitudes about “inclusion” and “affirmation,” as if love means applauding sin instead of calling people to freedom from it. Some will even argue that Jesus would have done the same, as if the Lord who called people to “go and sin no more” would suddenly celebrate what He died to redeem them from. Do these leaders truly believe they’re more loving than Christ Himself? Or is it just easier to sell out the gospel than to face the wrath of the Twitter mob?

3. Language Reflects Leftist Ideology

The language of wokeness is another glaring red flag. It often starts with “third way” or “middle ground” idealism. But once you start hearing words like “intersectionality,” “reproductive justice,” or “toxic masculinity” tossed around in Bible studies, you can be sure that the gospel has taken a backseat to ideology.

The vocabulary of the woke church isn’t just borrowed from the secular left—it’s designed to smuggle in its worldview under the guise of Christian compassion. “Equity” becomes the new gospel, “diversity” the new Great Commission, and “justice” the catch-all term for whatever the culture demands today. When was the last time you heard a woke church talk about sin, repentance, or the wrath of God with the same enthusiasm it devotes to “privilege”? The only “sin” is conservatism.

4. Scripture Is Reinterpreted Through a Cultural Lens

Arguably the most dangerous sign is the reinterpretation of Scripture through the lens of culture. Well-known Bible stories that we once used to proclaim eternal truths are now twisted to fit modern social justice narratives. The parable of the Good Samaritan becomes an argument for open borders. The command to “love your neighbor” is reduced to affirming every sinful behavior under the sun.

Even the cross itself is reframed—not as the place where God’s justice and mercy meet, but as some vague symbol of solidarity with the oppressed. The Bible is no longer the ultimate authority, it’s now a tool to prop up whatever leftist demands are fashionable that week.

5. Division Is Sown Among Believers

And, of course, wokeness wouldn’t be complete without sowing division among believers. Under the mask of pursuing “racial reconciliation” or “justice,” woke churches adopt the language of Critical Race Theory, dividing people into categories of “oppressors” and “oppressed.”

Unity in Christ is replaced by identity politics, where your skin color determines your moral standing and repentance is demanded for sins you never committed. Instead of proclaiming the unity of all believers in Christ, they perpetuate division, resentment, and guilt. How can a church preach reconciliation to God when it can’t even reconcile its own members?

The woke church is a counterfeit church that does not represent the true body of believers nor does it fulfill the mission of the true church. It replaces the gospel with a false religion that offers no salvation, no forgiveness, and no hope. It exchanges the eternal truth of God’s Word for cultural zeitgeist. It preaches a false christ who doesn’t demand repentance, a God who doesn’t judge sin, and a gospel that doesn’t save. And the worst part? It does all of this in the name of love, as if leading people further into darkness could ever be loving.

The signs are there for anyone willing to see them. Social justice eclipses the gospel. Biblical ethics are abandoned. Woke language dominates. Scripture is distorted. Division is sown. These are the marks of a church that has abandoned its call to be salt and light, a church that has sold its birthright for a mess of cultural pottage.

If you see these signs in your church, don’t ignore them. Don’t rationalize them away. Call them what they are—a betrayal of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And then, if nothing changes, run. Run to a church that still proclaims the unchanging truth of God’s Word, no matter how unpopular it may be. Because the woke church is a house built on sand, and when the storms of judgment come, it will not stand.