Nothing Woke Under the Sun

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 1:9

Woke: “aware of and actively attentive” – Merriam-Webster.com

Woke: “having or marked by an active awareness” – Dictionary.com

Many in the culture feel that they’ve been awakened (i.e., “woke”) to an awareness of new truths that will change the world. Unfortunately for their feelings of great revelation, nothing of their newfound insights is anything new under the sun.

For instance, the term “woke” is nothing new. It can be traced back to a 1938 song by folk singer Huddie Ledbetter. It was then somewhat popularized by a 1962 New York Times Magazine article “If You’re Woke You Dig It” by novelist William Kelley. Around the turn of the century, the term applied to being aware of potential infidelity, and now exists in the vernacular with its current connotations.

The current push of woke culture in identity politics and social justice is also nothing new. When the ten northern tribes separated themselves from Judah and Benjamin, their first king, Jeroboam, quickly realized they needed a new identity or else the people would return to follow the house of David (I Kings 12:26-27). His brilliant idea was to make “two golden calves; and he said to the people, ‘It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt’” (I Kings 12:28). Even this was nothing new as it was exactly what their ancestors did in their rebellion at Mt. Sinai (Exodus 32)!

Another example of woke culture can be found during the French Revolution. Construction of Notre-Dame cathedral began in 1163 and was completed in 1345. The cathedral stood as a prominent symbol of the Catholic faith for over 400 years until the revolution. In the late 1700s, revolutionaries had spread violence throughout the land, leading to a breakdown of law and order with attacks on aristocratic properties. As a new National Assembly, King Louis XVI, and Marquis de Lafayette worked on a new constitution, the economy worsened with food shortages and more violence. The government finally approved an end to feudalism, extended voting rights, and imposed state control of the Catholic churches. 24% of the clergy pledged their allegiance to the government; the rest stood in opposition to the government takeover.

In Nov. 1791, the Assembly gave the remaining clergy 8 days to comply or face conspiracy charges. King Louis vetoed the decree. In April 1792 as French armies were attacking Austrian and Prussian forces, the Assembly again threatened the clergy to swear an oath or be deported. King Louis again vetoed their decree. In August, the Assembly voted to “temporarily relieve the king”. The French First Republic replaced the monarchy in September, and King Louis was placed on trial. On Jan. 17, 1793, the Assembly condemned Louis to death for “conspiracy against public liberty and general safety”, and executed him on Jan. 21. The Committee of Public Safety became the reigning power, which led to the “Reign of Terror”, seeking the elimination of counterrevolutionaries, resulting in over 16,600 executions by July 1794. Again, all of this was done for “public safety”.

In the midst of this, Notre-Dame was seized and rededicated to the Cult of Reason in 1793, France’s first state-sponsored religion of atheism. They beheaded 28 statues of Biblical kings in the cathedral, tore down all the other statues, and the Goddess of Liberty was erected and enshrined. Eventually, a compromise was attempted with a new state religion of deism called the Cult of the Supreme Being.

When Napoleon Bonaparte seized power, he banned both cults and restored Notre-Dame to the Catholic Church in 1801-2, though the building itself remained and still is property of the state. The cathedral was in such great disrepair after the Napoleonic Wars that Victor Hugo wrote and published The Hunchback of Notre-Dame in 1831, generating great support for its restoration, which was so ordered by King Louis Philippe in 1844.

Fast-forward to today, and there’s nothing new under the sun. After the tearing down of statues and in the midst of ever-increasing violence, food prices, shortages, etc., a Nov. 26, 2021 article in London’s The Telegraph entitled “Notre-Dame interior faces woke ‘Disney’ revamp” claimed the addition of several “woke” and “politically correct Disneyland”-type displays in the current renovations and restorations from the 2019 fire.¹ The question today will be how many of the clergy this time will stand up against the forces seeking to eliminate the vestiges of Christianity.

While CTF does not condone Catholic church polity nor hold to several of Catholicism’s tenets (especially its acceptance of evolution),² we do want to sound the alarm for Christians throughout the world, including America. Cultures, governments, etc. can quickly turn on us. For a frightening example, consider the treatment of minister Artur Pawlowski in Canada.³

Therefore, have you resolved in your heart, in your family, in your church to “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deut. 31:6)?

1. Henry Samuel, “Exclusive: Notre-Dame interior faces woke ‘Disney’ revamp”, The Telegraph, 26 November 2021, <https://www.telegraph.co.u/worldnews/2021/11/26/notre-dame-

risks-becoming-woke-disneyland-controversial-renovation/>, accessed 14 April 2022.

2. Consult: <https://www.catholicbridge.com/catholic/catholic-creationism.php> or <https://catholicexchange.com/brief-exploration-catholic-position-evolution/>

3. DailyMail.com, “Pastor jailed for speaking to Canadian Freedom Convoy says he was kept in cage, made to sleep on a concrete floor, deprived of his Bible and repeatedly strip-

searched”, 10 April 2022, <https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10704959/Pastor-jailed-speaking-Canadian-Freedom- Convoy-says-sleep-concrete-floor.html>.

DailyWire.com, “Canadian Pastor Who Faces 4-Year Jail Sentence For ‘Inciting’ Church Warns Americans: ‘The Enemy Is Not Hiding Anymore’”, 23 August 2021,

<https://www.dailywire.com/news/canadian-pastor-who-faces-4-year-jail-sentence-for-inciting-church-warns-americans-the-enemy-is-not-hiding-anymore>, accessed 14 April

2022.

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January 2026 Printed Newsletter

January 24, 2026

Lighthouse in front of a Milky Way Galaxy sky

Providence

By Matt Miles • January 23, 2026

As we begin a new year, it brings new potential and a figurative “clean slate”. Yet at all times it is always good to remember that the Lord never changes and neither does His purposes. His desire is that all come to Him for salvation. As it is not all will seek their Creator, yet He is always at work around us guiding life through the present sinful, cursed world. His purposes are always to bring glory to himself as our Great Almighty Lord God. This divine guiding, moving, and protecting of His Spirit in the affairs of life is called Providence , our theme for the year here at Creation Truth. His Providence has always been at work since the beginning, guiding for the purpose he has designed us for. Over the course of history, we as people have missed it or chosen not to follow it. Providence of the Lord is what guided His people out of Egypt to the Promised Land. Even while suffering judgment for their sin in the desert, there was Providence , providing for their needs with daily manna and encouraging them on to the Promised Land. At just the right time, Providence bestowed to us a Savior, Jesus Christ. Never would we have planned or made provision for the Savior of the world in the manner He came to earth. All of His work while in the flesh was done to point us to Him and His Glory. Providence was fulfilled on the cross for all eternity with the way for all to find the Lord and salvation, to be guided out of death and overcome the trial of this life through His death, burial and resurrection. Providence , 250 years ago, guided our country’s forefathers to seek a land to freely worship their Creator and Savior, with freedom from tyranny and a pursuit of liberty for all. Even though not all were followers of the Lord, it was still more than evident that they knew His Providence had a protecting hand on us. Only by His great Providence did we become a country, for the Lord knew we would become a beacon of that freedom and, ultimately, the only true freedom that comes from Christ. Through many trials and failures in history we have sinned before our Lord, and we must continually repent and seek Him for forgiveness. His Providence has allowed our nation of people from many tongues and tribes to melt together. We have been, and I pray continue to be, the largest Christian nation in the world, proclaiming who He is before all else. This year, as we focus on His Providence , may you seek Him and be reminded of all the times He has guided, protected and blessed you for His name. David wrote in Psalm 31:3-5 of the Lord’s Providence : “For You are my high rock and my fortress; For Your name's sake You will lead me and guide me. You will bring me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength. Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have ransomed me, O Yahweh, God of truth.”(LSB) We at Creation Truth Foundation look forward to another year of opportunities to serve, champion, and exalt His Name. May you be guided, protected and blessed through Providence this year.

A Miraculous Storm-part 1

By Ryan Cox • January 23, 2026

EACH OF THESE ARTICLES ARE EXCERPTS FROM AMERICA’S EPIC ADVENTURE TM - CTF'S NEWEST VBS CURRICULUM From Lesson 1: The Pilgrims, Walking by Faith in the Lord – Proverbs 3:5-6