The year 2020 has coined many new words.

The most recent is Cancel Culture.

So what is cancel Culture?

Cancel culture refers to the widespread practice of withdrawing support for (canceling) public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive. Cancel culture is on social media in the form of group shaming.

Cancel culture is not new. We have been canceling people, events, and more for decades.

We canceled prayer in schools in the ‘60s.

In the 1963 Murray v. Curlett case, the Supreme Court expanded on its 1962 decision to ban mandatory Bible readings in schools, thus finishing the government’s drive to remove the Christian faith from its education system.

The Supreme Court ruling canceled prayer in the education systems of America. It was only the beginning of cancellations. Ever since Christ came to earth, the cancel culture surfaced to cancel all that was sacred and holy. Satan and the secular Culture intends to cancel out the church and all that is holy.

Simply put, cancel Culture is one of Satan’s latest weapons to divide the world and distance us from God. and one another. We are in a spiritual war with Satan and engaged in a war against division.

We do not believe that cancel culture is focused on race.

Cancel culture is not a race issue only. It is primarily a politically based bias.

Our nation is divided more than ever

There’s no question that we live in a divided world. For many years we have separated on political views, religion, and more. But violence and uncontrolled vitriol are excessive.

The fear is real.

“Cancel culture has become a sort of a source of fear for many Americans where we live in a culture that you are somehow afraid that if you say the wrong thing that your life could be changed forever.” -Former presidential candidate, Andrew Yang

Cancel culture is the new normal. Many are afraid to voice or tweet their opinion. One tweet has the potential to make you a public criminal.

Social Media

We cancel everyone and everything that challenges our opinion. Social media leads the way to cancel cultural opportunities. How easy is it to hide behind an AKA and an Apple keyboard.

Seen this lately? “If you disagree, just unfriend me.”

Canceling things you don’t like or disagree with is not healthy. Erasing history is like removing the best teacher of your life.

Some things should be canceled

Of course, there are arguably some people who deserve to be canceled; the Harvey Weinsteins and R Kellys of this world, those so toxic that no amount of measured conversation — not that they would engage in it — would make a difference. But for the people who get canceled for tweeting a contentious joke, or a view which strays from the accepted norm, maybe it’s time to think about how we engage with them.

So we unfriended, Aunt Jemima. Really? Aunt Jemima was everybody’s aunt. She was once a friend in every home in America.

The family of Aunt Jemima did not want her erased from history.

The cancel culture mob erased Aunt Jemima to her family’s dismay and many black leaders. It seems Quaker Oats, who benefited from Aunt Jemima, was too quick to listen to the cancel mob. Afraid of the backlash, they canceled her. In doing so, they erased her efforts as the co-founder of the largest church in America, as of 1900. They eliminated the first black corporate spokespeople and one of the first female spokespeople as well. They canceled her years of hard work as one of the early civil rights activists.

Two decades ago

Remember, Amy Grant? Canceled. Amy divorced her husband, and the evangelical church canceled her like a newspaper subscription. Christian voices called for a boycott of her music, and they got it.

Fast forward to Kanye West. Yes, Kanye West.

The most disingenuous attempt to cancel West appeared in the New York Times. 

“I’ve been canceled before they had cancel culture.” -Kanye West

Kanye turned out to be more powerful and popular than the culture that tried to cancel him.  The cancel culture is consensus-based. The consensus makes the choice. We have seen very few things go well when a crowd is in charge.

 We are not referring to peaceful protests.

We believe in peaceful protests and the right for everyone to stand up for noble and just causes.

Mobs in the Bible

 How do Christians handle the mob?  The mobs in the Scripture canceled the best man who ever lived. This tells us that mobs do not always get it right.

Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, said to them, “You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man; no, neither did Herod, and nothing deserving of death has been done by Him.” But they shouted, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Then he said to them, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him.” But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He is to be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed. So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested. (Luke 23:13–24, NKJV)

So how should Christians respond to Cancel Culture? Christians are called to love their neighbor as they love themselves. Believers do not keep a record of wrongs. The cancel culture stalks social media for any comment that would warrant a cancellation.

Cancel culture uses the failures or mistakes of others against them. Jesus responds differently. Jesus does not cancel us. Jesus cancels our sins. Jesus does not cancel our mistakes. He restores them.

The sins and scandals that cancel culture choose not to forget, Jesus chooses not to remember. That’s the big difference between Jesus and cancel culture: while our Culture (including the church) cancels people who have done terrible things, Jesus cancels the horrible things that people are canceled for. –Tullian Tchividjian

Jesus was a cancel advocate

We may have an excellent reputation, and our social media ranking off the chart. People can think you are the holiest person on earth.

But the Scripture tells the real story. God could have canceled all of us. We all deserve to be canceled.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23, NKJV)

Jesus canceled some things too.

• Jesus canceled our debt of sin
• Jesus canceled guilt
• Jesus canceled condemnation
• Jesus canceled the power of death and the grave
• Jesus canceled shame

He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:14, NIV)

Jesus did not cancel us. He forgave us.

We should try forgiveness, it works better than canceling people’s lives.

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