Justice Isn’t Woke. It’s Biblical. Identity Isn’t Politics. It’s the Gospel.

Even if our beliefs differ, I hope you find this thoughtful, challenging, or grounding in some way.

The church is called to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), yet it often fails to engage with struggles that don’t directly affect its members. In many Western churches, topics like racial injustice, gender-based harm, or identity are treated as distractions or dismissed as political. Rather than listening and responding with compassion, these struggles are labeled “woke” or irrelevant. This weakens the church’s witness and distances it from the real-life experiences people are navigating.

I recently heard a pastor say, “It’s hard to be a man in today’s society,” framing it as a complaint and offering it as a point of relatability. While there is some truth in that, the statement seemed dismissive and incomplete. Men, like women, face complex challenges in a broken world. But the issue isn’t just that men are struggling. Society is reckoning with a long history of power being misused to suppress and harm many, including women, even within parts of the church. Everyone is grappling with this shift, sometimes resisting the need to listen to the grievances of others, change, or take responsibility for their part. There is a visible tension between genders, both online and in real-life interactions, yet in the pulpit, clarity is often absent. These unresolved dynamics have contributed to reactionary movements that push the conversation further into extremes.

These are nuanced and difficult topics, but Christians often reduce them to slogans or generalizations. When we do that, we end up politicizing what should be pastoral and spiritual. Instead of examining root causes or engaging people’s lived experiences, we retreat behind cultural talking points and dismiss what doesn’t feel familiar.

We are missing an opportunity to anchor these issues in scripture, instead of helping people form a deeper understanding of God’s word and His design for humanity. For example, Genesis 3:16 gives us insight into how brokenness disrupted relationships between men and women—where love, desire, and power became entangled. If we ignore this biblical context, we also ignore a meaningful way to understand today’s gender tensions. We leave congregants vulnerable to false teachings that use scripture to justify control or mask harmful desires as righteous intentions.

But this issue is not just about gender—it’s a sign of the times. Matthew 24:12 warns, "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of many will grow cold," As relational and gender struggles intensify, this passage speaks to the deeper spiritual erosion we’re witnessing today. This is an opportunity for pastors to caution their congregations about the deception at play, encouraging them to discern the underlying forces shaping these conversations. Are we truly seeing these shifts through the lens of scripture, or are we being led astray by ideologies that distort God's design? Cue theological debates about whether or not women should preach. The lack of discernment in addressing these matters only fuels the growing divide and confusion.

The same pattern shows up when Christians approach discussions about race as well. Social injustice, especially Black injustice, is often dismissed as “liberal” from the pulpit. But these realities are tied to deep-rooted spiritual strongholds: racism, superiority, captivity, and dehumanization. These patterns reflect not only cultural history, but the brokenness of humanity and the influence of spiritual forces that have long distorted God’s original design for relationships and identity. So why aren’t they taught this way?

At the same time, churches today are being pulled between two extremes. On one end, far-left feminist rhetoric distorts scripture and blames it for systems built by people. On the other end, far-right “manosphere” ideologies attempt to devalue women into reductive stereotypes, ignoring that both male and female were created to reflect God's image. When the church avoids addressing these distortions or fails to offer clarity in the face of them, it leaves people entitled and misled. And when leaders claim to preach truth while ignoring cultural pressure points, we miss the mark.

If young people and others in our congregations are more fluent in trending cultural commentary than in scripture, that is not just a sign of change. It is a leadership issue.

When we frame these issues as merely political, we cloud the gospel’s clarity. We miss a chance to speak to culture in truth, with real hope. Instead of leaning into these hard conversations, many pastors choose to avoid them altogether, distancing themselves from their congregations and those who need scripture in context with the conversations they’re grappling with daily.

I don’t expect perfection, but I do expect more from our leaders, especially when their words shape how people see God. It is painful to watch Christian spaces treat the biblical call to care as political overreach. Have we forgotten that the early church was known for serving the poor, the sick, and the outcast? That Christians played vital roles in civil rights movements and created support systems for those in need? These were never just cultural actions—they were responses to God’s heart for justice and mercy.

I know these conversations can be uncomfortable. While I don’t believe most Christians intentionally ignore the pain of others, our approach to these topics often stems from a lack of exposure. But exposure is something we can seek, and understanding is something we can grow in. We don’t need all the answers, but we must care enough to listen, pray, and ask better questions with discernment.

Instead of minimizing others’ struggles, we could ask: What does Christlike leadership look like in this moment? How can I use my voice to support, guide, and heal? How can I invite the Holy Spirit to help me discern truth through the noise?

When the church ignores real social struggles because they feel unfamiliar, it fails to carry others’ burdens and risks losing those longing to understand how the gospel applies to their lives today. The call to bear one another’s burdens includes stories different from our own. We are not called to imitate the culture wars but to engage with truth and grace.

We are meant to lead, not by staying silent or picking sides, but by stepping forward with humility and wisdom, modeling the character of Christ in how we teach and how we love. We are living through a critical moment in history. The time for surface-level sermons has passed. If we do not lead with light and love, we are not truly leading at all.

In a world oversaturated with increasing ego, defensiveness, apathy, deflection, and transactional responses to human suffering, the church should be known for offering truth and clarity with love, thoughtful engagement, and the gospel. We are called to reflect the heart of Christ—not by politicizing suffering, but by entering into it with compassion. This is the gospel. The world is watching, and how (or if) we respond will speak louder than words.