Cancel Culture
Most would agree the current “cancel culture” in America is a dangerous trend that will eventually lead to a few, powerful people and organizations dictating who is hired, what is said, taught, listened to, or tolerated and result at best in benevolent dictatorships where people are afraid to express what they really think for fear of consequences and, just "shut up," to go along and “get along” with whatever the current narrative might be.
From political, business, and media personalities being fired, impeached, lied about, or stripped of financial and personal influence, to continual church closures or restrictions on singing, we are watching an attempt to silence intellectual honesty and palatable discourse that leaves entire civilizations with dissected truth.
However, this has been going on since creation. From Nimrod who attempted to build a tower of worship and cancel the living God to first-century Rome where Christians actually turned in other Christians because they feared Nero’s torture; to the crusades, the holocaust, world wars, and the present day, there have always been those willing to silence opposing voices so they are the only ones left standing.
Christians are decrying how news organizations or social media platforms are limiting or deleting opposing values. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve received a message telling me to read something before it gets taken down. We’ve even had certain things flagged because a “human” or electronic algorithm didn’t approve. However, we must remember culture often times becomes a reflection of the keeper of the culture, the body of Christ.
Whenever believers are silent and fail to act or are living opposing lifestyles to what they say is believed, someone or something else eviler will fill the void. And remember, the Lord does not look at the world system to determine his actions, but he does look at His people. Hence, if my people…I will heal the land.
We may shake our “spiritual fists” all we want, but the current cancel climate is really a reflection of a cancel culture that exists among believers. If we disagree with someone on a minor theological, spiritual, practical, or leadership point, we cancel them. We refuse to listen any longer, we put our money elsewhere and move on to our next spiritual guru.
If someone teaches something we think is in error, instead of having a congenial conversation about the issue, we walk out the opposite door to avoid passing them and go home and discuss it with family members and specifically our children, to prove our spiritual superiority; not realizing we are dissing God to the next generation and wonder why, when they turn 18, they want nothing to do with church. If we don’t like what someone is wearing, their choice of style, music, eschatology, or really anything, we certainly couldn’t sit and eat with them because to be in their presence would mean we agree with everything they say.
If this is the case, then we probably all need separate addresses for our families and marriages because no husband, wife or child will always, 100% agree with each other on every point. We know that, but somehow can’t give the same grace to another believer who might see something differently. I’m obviously not talking about disagreement on the essentials such as Jesus being the only way to heaven, the scriptures inspired, or the one true God. Even then we shouldn’t avoid someone hoping we could help them see the truth.
This may upset someone, but I don’t need to agree with every point of someone’s belief system to have the proverbial “time of fellowship.” This is why some people roam from church to church and ministry to ministry thinking they are offending God and fearful something bad might get on them if they can’t always see eye to eye. The fact is they may be living in a spirit of personal offense because someone they looked up to didn’t meet all their expectations. This is unfortunate because they may not grow in a certain area of life where the Lord wants them to mature as he does with all of us.
Let’s be honest- none of us have it all right. I suspect when we get to heaven, the Lord will correct some of our errors and set us straight. But we’ll be in heaven. That’s the joy of this journey of continually learning about Jesus. Someone once said there will be one fact and 2 surprises in heaven:
Fact number 1- they’ll be people you knew would be there; Surprise number 1- They’ll be people present you didn’t think would be there; Surprise number 2-There will be people in heaven that didn’t think you’d be there! Ha!! So, let’s love one another fervently with pure hearts and do what God has called each of us to do and leave the criticism and canceling of other believers in our prayer closet. To our own master, we individually stand or fall.
Put up with one another. Forgive one another if you are holding something against someone. Forgive, just as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13 NIV
How truly wonderful and delightful to see brothers and sisters living together in sweet unity! It’s as precious as the sacred scented oil flowing from the head of the high priest Aaron, dripping down upon his beard and running all the way down to the hem of his priestly robes. This heavenly harmony can be compared to the dew dripping down from the skies upon Mount Hermon, refreshing the mountain slopes of Israel. For from this realm of sweet harmony God will release his eternal blessing, the promise of life forever! Psalm 133 TPT
