The Tower of Woke: How Human Arrogance Turns Wisdom into Folly

By Dr. Tim Orr

Imagine a world where people are so confident in their wisdom that they redefine the most basic truths about humanity. Male and female, truth and fiction, justice and fairness—concepts that once seemed immovable are now subject to the shifting winds of cultural opinion. We live in a world where the pursuit of justice and equality has often morphed into ideological absurdity. The Bible warns us that human arrogance, the belief that we can build our towers to the heavens, always ends in folly. From the Tower of Babel to modern woke ideologies, history and Scripture reveal what happens when humanity attempts to outsmart God: confusion, division, and chaos. The question is, are we wise enough to recognize our folly before the tower collapses?

Biblical Roots of Arrogance

The story of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) is a classic example of human arrogance. United by a common language and ambition, humanity sought to build a tower reaching the heavens—a monument to their greatness. Their goal was to make a name for themselves rather than glorify God. The result? Confusion and scattering as God intervened to humble their hubris.

Proverbs 16:18 warns, "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall." The Bible consistently portrays arrogance as a precursor to folly. When humanity ignores God’s design, it invariably leads to chaos, often turning even the most brilliant schemes into absurdity.

Woke Ideology: A Modern Tower of Babel

The biblical account of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:1-9 provides a profound metaphor for the current cultural moment dominated by woke ideology. At Babel, humanity sought to unite and build a tower to reach the heavens, not for the glory of God but to glorify themselves and assert their autonomy. Similarly, woke ideology—though often couched in the language of justice and equality—frequently reflects humanity’s arrogance, a desire to redefine truth and morality apart from God’s design.

The Parallels Between Babel and Wokeness

1. Rebellion Against Divine Order: The people of Babel rejected God’s command to "fill the earth" (Genesis 9:1), choosing instead to consolidate their power and resist divine authority. Woke ideology echoes this rebellion by seeking to redefine fundamental truths about human identity, morality, and reality. For instance, the assertion that individuals can redefine their gender or that truth is subjective challenges the objective order God established in creation. In Genesis 1:27, God created humanity in His image, male and female. By rejecting these distinctions, woke ideology replaces divine authority with human self-determination.
2. The Illusion of Unity: At Babel, the people sought unity for their glory, proclaiming, "Let us make a name for ourselves" (Genesis 11:4). Similarly, woke culture promises a vision of unity and inclusion but often achieves the opposite. Dividing society into oppressor and oppressed categories fosters resentment and tribalism rather than true reconciliation. The push for ideological conformity under the guise of unity mirrors Babel’s attempt to create a one-world culture, yet it results in fragmentation and confusion. The proliferation of conflicting definitions, identities, and standards in woke ideology illustrates the chaos of Babel.
3. Redefining Language: The story of Babel revolves around language. God’s intervention disrupted their communication, causing confusion and scattering. Woke ideology similarly redefines language, altering the meaning of words like "justice," "equality," and even "woman." For example, "justice" in woke parlance often means equity of outcome rather than fairness, and "tolerance" demands unquestioning affirmation rather than mutual respect. This manipulation of language creates confusion and stifles dialogue, just as God’s intervention at Babel disrupts human communication.

Specific Examples of the Babel Spirit in Woke Ideology

1. The Redefinition of Identity One of the hallmarks of woke ideology is its focus on identity—whether racial, gender, or sexual. While the Bible affirms the intrinsic value of every individual as made in God’s image, woke culture often reduces people to their group identity. Critical Race Theory, for example, emphasizes systemic oppression and frames individuals primarily as either oppressors or victims based on race. This oversimplification dehumanizes people and ignores the biblical call to see others as bearers of God’s image (Genesis 1:27; Galatians 3:28). The transgender movement provides another striking example. By asserting that gender is a social construct detached from biology, it denies the objective reality of God's creation. This redefinition not only leads to confusion but also results in policies and practices—such as biological males competing in women’s sports—that defy common sense and fairness.
2. The Pursuit of a Secular Utopia Much like the builders of Babel who sought to create a utopia on their terms, woke culture often promises a world free of inequality and injustice. However, these promises rest on flawed foundations: the assumption that human systems and ideologies can perfect society without addressing the root problem of sin. By placing faith in human efforts rather than divine transformation, woke ideology mirrors Babel’s hubris. The result is not harmony but frustration and disillusionment as these utopian visions inevitably fail.
3. Cancel Culture as a Tower of Moral Superiority Cancel culture is perhaps the most obvious manifestation of the Babel spirit in woke ideology. Just as the builders of Babel sought to elevate themselves, cancel culture elevates individuals or groups as moral arbiters. Those who deviate from the approved narrative are ostracized, shamed, or silenced. This self-righteous behavior recalls the Pharisees, whom Jesus condemned for hypocrisy (Matthew 23:27-28). Cancel culture’s insistence on ideological purity creates an atmosphere of fear and conformity, stifling genuine dialogue and repentance.

The Consequences of Woke Arrogance

1. Division and Confusion: Just as God scattered the people of Babel and confused their language, woke ideology often leads to division rather than unity. Its insistence on intersectionality—a framework that examines how various forms of oppression overlap—can create a hierarchy of victimhood, pitting marginalized groups against one another. For example, tensions between feminist and transgender activists illustrate how woke ideology’s internal contradictions breed conflict.
2. A Fragile Foundation: Like Babel's, the tower of woke ideology is built on a fragile foundation. Its rejection of objective truth and moral absolutes leaves it vulnerable to collapse. As cultural norms shift, what is considered "woke" today may be condemned tomorrow, leading to constant anxiety and instability for its adherents.
3. Moral Blindness: Romans 1:21-22 warns that those who reject God’s truth "became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools." Woke ideology often exemplifies this moral blindness, where the pursuit of justice leads to injustices like the silencing of dissenting voices or the harm caused by experimental gender treatments for children.

The Biblical Alternative

The story of Babel concludes with God scattering the people, but the Bible offers hope for restoration. At Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13), the Holy Spirit reverses Babel’s confusion, enabling people of different languages to hear the gospel in their tongue. This event symbolizes the unity from submission to God, not human arrogance.

The gospel can only achieve true justice, reconciliation, and unity. Ephesians 2:14-16 declares that Christ "is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility." Unlike woke ideology, which often exacerbates divisions, the gospel offers a path to genuine healing and restoration.

Conclusion

In a world increasingly captivated by its own intellectual and moral superiority, the story of Babel serves as a sobering reminder: human wisdom without God leads to confusion and collapse. Woke ideologies, for all their well-meaning intentions, cannot fix what is broken in the human heart. Only the gospel offers true justice and reconciliation, not by dividing us into oppressors and oppressed but by uniting us under the cross. The builders of Babel sought to make a name for themselves, but their tower became a monument to their foolishness. As Christians, we are called to build not on the sinking sand of human arrogance but on the solid rock of God’s truth. Let us offer the world a better way, pointing them to Christ—the one who dismantles the towers of pride and rebuilds lives on the foundation of His grace.

Tim Orr is a scholar of Islam, Evangelical minister, conference speaker, and interfaith consultant with over 30 years of experience in cross-cultural ministry. He holds six degrees, including a master’s in Islamic studies from the Islamic College in London. Tim taught Religious Studies for 15 years at Indiana University Columbus and is now a Congregations and Polarization Project research associate at the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University Indianapolis. He has spoken at universities, including Oxford University, Imperial College London, the University of Tehran, Islamic College London, and mosques throughout the U.K. His research focuses on American Evangelicalism, Islamic antisemitism, and Islamic feminism, and he has published widely, including articles in Islamic peer-reviewed journals and three books.