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Let’s get right down to business. This is what the Bible says:
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
2 Corinthians 10:3-7
If you believe this Scripture, then the logical conclusion is that you need to figure out who you’re fighting against. We know that Satan is our enemy, but who is he using and how is he using them to deceive you? If you want to be a strong woman in a strong home, you’ve got to ask yourself:
Who is telling me lies?
There is a very real war being waged on the battleground of your mind. Satan is up to his same old game, trying to get you to question if God really said what you know very well He did say. (Remember when he did that to Eve in the garden? “Did God really say that you can’t eat that fruit, pretty lady?”) So take a quick second and read that first verse again. We are not waging war according to the flesh. There is a war for your soul and much of it is being fought on the battleground of your mind.
I want to touch on three false narratives that you need to be aware exist. We’re not going to go real deep into any of them just yet. But you need to know that Satan is hard at work trying to get you to question if God really meant what He said in Scripture. In no particular order, here are three false narratives you might be falling for:
1. Critical Theory
Critical theory is something that every strong woman needs to know about because it’s this narrative that is driving current events, especially in the US right now. It is a system of thought that puts every person into one of two categories: the oppressors and the oppressed. This video puts it in really simple terms.
A really smart Christian apologist named Neil Shenvi, a quantum physicist turned homeschool dad, has a lot to say about critical theory. He has a wonderful website with a simple explanation of critical theory that you can find here. He explains critical theory like this:
Contemporary critical theory views reality through the lens of power, dividing people into oppressed groups and oppressor groups along various axes like race, class, gender, sexuality orientation, physical ability, and age.
Neil Shenvi on shenviapologetics.com
Why should I care about the false narrative of Critical Theory?
Simply put, you should care about critical theory because it is the system of thought that is driving everything you see on the news. It’s behind every ad you see online or on TV. Critical theory is behind all the modern movements and politics and books you’re exposed to. It’s even coming from the pulpits of some of your churches.
You should care about critical theory because it is the theory that is pushing everything that you’re seeing played out in culture. Critical theory splits us all into categories, dividing us into the oppressors vs. the oppressed. This stems from what you see on the news, what you read about on blogs, and see posted on social media. Then critical theory carries over into your churches, your children’s schools, and your conversations with friends over coffee.
And then, the worst part is that while it appears to elevate love and justice, critical theory actually divides us and makes many of us really, really angry.
If you don’t know about critical theory or you think it’s no big deal, you are right where Satan wants you, ready to be manipulated. We’ll be exploring critical theory more in the days to come, but you’d be really wise to listen to Allie Beth Stuckey’s interview with Neil Shenvi and start doing a little research of your own.
2. Social Justice
There’s a lie being told about social justice and it looks really nice on the outside. This lie is being wrapped in shiny paper and tied up with a bow and presented to you as a gift. It’s a lie that is seeking to manipulate you right now. This lie is that as a Christian you should be pursuing justice for oppressed people here on earth because that’s what love looks like.
Now, before I go any farther let me be very clear. As Christians, we should care very much about the oppression of humans who are all created in the image of God. Here comes the tricky part. If we care more about the physical oppression of our fellow human beings than we care about their spiritual oppression, we don’t love them at all.
Your enemy seeks to manipulate you through the false narrative of social justice by magnifying the light that shines on earthly, social oppression in an attempt to dim the light that shines on the actual good news that Jesus came to save us all from our sin. Advocates of social justice want you to believe that the greatest way you can love your neighbor is by meeting their earthly needs when actually the greatest way you can love your neighbor is by sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Some might respond to what I’ve just said by telling me that I’ll never have room to share the gospel if I don’t care about the earthly needs of the people I’m trying to reach. I agree. The danger is this: Too often, in our efforts to help people with their physical needs, we often stop short of sharing the actual good news.
Why should I care about the false narrative of Social Justice?
To sum it up, the push for social justice actually prevents people from hearing the actual good news that Jesus came to save us from our sin. Social justice deceives us by patting us on the back when we donate money to drill a water well in a foreign country or when we volunteer at our local food bank. We do these good things and we never open our mouths to tell the people that they are dying in their sin. We don’t ever tell them that Jesus has come to save them, not from their hunger or thirst, but from their sin. Social justice manipulates us because while we are busy doing the good things, we are often silent about the good news.
I love Voddie Baucham’s perspective on social justice:
3. Prosperity Gospel
You’re probably not the type that’s suckered into schemes that involve ministers with multi-million-dollar private jets or TV preachers that ask you to sow your “seed money” to receive some sort of blessing of your own. Most of us are aware of those types of blatant lies. But there’s another kind of false narrative that’s being pushed with the prosperity gospel.
This false narrative is sneaking into your home through the books you read, the influencers you pay attention to, and even the music playing in the car on your way to work. Proponents of this subtle prosperity gospel would have you believe that you deserve happiness and wellness. These teachers often pick and choose Scriptures, taking them out of context to make it seem that God’s greatest desire for you is prosperity, good health, and success.
Here’s the problem with that philosophy. God’s greatest desire is not your good health, prosperity, or success! His greatest desire for you is that you would repent of your sin, trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and follow Him as Lord of your life. When the enemy can effectively divert your focus away from your desperate need for Christ and set your gaze on pursuing your personal prosperity, he has you right where he wants you: deceived.
Remember, this deception is subtle.
The lies don’t sound like lies! They sound like feel-good truth. The enemy starts telling you that you are enough! That sounds good, right? That sounds like something you want to believe, especially as a strong woman. There’s just one problem: You are not enough! In fact, you are totally broken and incomplete on your own. You will never be enough. (Check out the fantastic book, You’re Not Enough (And That’s Okay): Escaping the toxic culture of self-love.)
But let’s say that you buy into the lie that you’re enough. This weakens your response to the next lie, the lie that says you deserve good things, happiness, wellness, and prosperity. When you believe that you’re enough, the logical assumption is that because you’re enough, you deserve prosperity. Many proponents of this false narrative would even go so far as to tell you that you can speak this prosperity into existence and it will be true. This is an incredibly dangerous system of thought because, like the false gospel of social justice, it takes your focus off of your sinful state and need for a savior, and drives you to pursue personal prosperity. Not only that, but it leaves you feeling completely hopeless and confused when you don’t get that good health, success, or prosperity.
Check out what John Piper has to say about this kind of deception and manipulation:
Why should I care about the false narrative of the prosperity gospel?
If you want to be a strong woman with a strong home, you’ll need to be certain of who you are in Christ and what He desires for you. I love John Piper’s point in the video above about the doctrine of suffering. Suffering is a huge part of what it means to follow Jesus Christ. If the system of thought that you embrace does not account for the doctrine of the suffering of the believer, you just might be manipulated by a false narrative. If you’re deceived about your identity in Christ, you’ll be manipulated into focusing on your personal prosperity instead of motivated to identify with the sufferings of Christ.
Conclusion
We know that this world will be full of false teaching and deception. (See Weak Women, Strong Women.) If you don’t recognize who the deceivers are, it’s likely that you’re neck-deep in deception yourself. I want to help!
Critical theory, social justice, and the prosperity gospel are the top three false narratives seeking to manipulate you right now. The battleground is your mind. Satan would love for you to stay uninformed and apathetic to the truth. Don’t give him that victory.
My goal here is not that you necessarily agree with everything I say. But if I can get you to think about who the deceivers are in your life and what false narratives they are attempting to use to manipulate you, I will have accomplished my goal.
The best way that you can learn to identify the false teaching being pushed at you is to spend time with God every day in the Word and in prayer. I’d love to send you a copy of “Time with God” to help you cultivate your relationship with the Lord. Just click here to give me your email address and I’ll send the 10-page downloadable guide, “Time with God”, straight to your inbox!
Thanks for joining me at The Strong Home! I hope you’ll stay and look around awhile. Don’t forget to find us on Facebook and Instagram and leave all your thoughts and comments below!
