–– Paul Schlehlein
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The Egyptian pyramids have yet to be cancelled. If Cancel Culture has its way, the Great Sphinx may be next.
Thousands of years ago, the Egyptians believed Pharaoh was a living god. The people spent centuries making elaborate tombs to comfort their king in the afterlife. Architects used millions of limestone blocks to construct the massive pyramids. Khufu’s Great Pyramid alone contains 2.3 million blocks of stone, each piece weighing more than a ton. The Great Pyramid stands as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and remained the tallest structure in the world for 38 centuries.
Ramses II, father of more than fifty sons and Pharaoh of Egypt for sixty-seven years, inscribed these words on his throne: “I am [Ramses II], King of Kings. If anyone would seek to know how great I am and where I lie, let him surpass one of my works.”
His works were great indeed, in part because he constructed these awesome structures on the backs of thousands of slaves. Slavery? Doesn’t this mean we should raze them to the ground? Today, there aren’t many calls for the demolition of the pyramids, mostly because it doesn’t fit the narrative. But the questions remain: Should we cancel others? What is Cancel Culture? Is Cancel Culture new?
WHAT IS CANCEL CULTURE?
Cancel culture is an attitude common in today’s society that boycotts, shames, de-platforms and punishes individuals, businesses, books, media or other entities that speak about or believe ideas contrary to the status quo. Do you deny the transgender pronouns? Cancelled. Did you resist the COVID masks and vaccines? Cancelled. Do you dismiss the notion that racism plays a part in upcoming elections? Cancelled Do you oppose abortion mills like Marie Stopes and Planned Parenthood? Cancelled. Do you object to race-based policies like Black Economic Empowerment? Cancelled. The consequences could be many: loss of employment, Twitter jail, broken contracts, or public censure. Cancel Culture says: “Fall in line, or else.”
FOUR RESPONSES TO CANCEL CULTURE
How should Christians respond to Cancel Culture? Here are four words.
First, remember. We must keep in mind that we’re not the only era facing Cancel Culture. The world has always sought to silence the truth. Haman sought to censor Mordecai. Nebuchadnezzar aimed at muzzling the godly Trio. Herodias didn’t like John the Baptist’s narrow view of marriage (Mk. 6:17-28), so she cancelled him by cutting off his head. The people at Nazareth didn’t like Jesus’ message of impartial grace, so they tried to cancel him by throwing him off a cliff (Lk. 4:29).
Christians are exiles in a fallen world (1Pt. 1:2). They mustn’t be surprised when the world hates them (1Jn. 3:13) and wants to shut them down. Ironically, the more a society pushes tolerance, the more intolerant it becomes. Just ask the North Koreans, Cubans, and most Muslim nations.
Second, forbear. We should allow for a difference of opinion. Freedom of speech and freedom of religion are Christian ideas. Yes, according to Scripture we must confront sin. But Cancel Culture goes a step further. It demands and judges too quickly without considering the context. It doesn’t speak in love but only scorn. It only chastises some sins, and those are the infractions the culture doesn’t like.
Scripture says we must rebuke legitimate sins, but never publicly disgrace. Even with church discipline, there are several steps in the process before it reaches public admonition before the local church. (Mt. 18:15-17). Even then, the goal is restoration (1 Cor. 5) built upon repentance.
Third, teach. The right response to vitriol is not more vitriol. Shouting matches are not Christian. The right counter to Cancel Culture is not fear or anger but truth. Respond to Sally’s stupid arguments with arguments that are clear-thinking.
When the Pharisees pushed the absurdity that Jesus was casting out demons with the power of demons, he parried their claims with cool, calm logic (Mt. 12:25)—the way Christians should reply when women say they have the right to kill the baby in their womb. Your answer should be: ‘Let’s talk about it.”
As 1 Peter 3:15 says, if anyone asks us about what we believe, always be ready with a clear answer. The apostles refused to quiet down their message even after they were flogged (Ac. 5:40). They kept on teaching.
Fourth, forgive. Pardon others, often, and with joy. But there is no redemption in cancel culture. It only wants to smear, ruin and chastise those who will not kneel before the modern zeitgeist. Yes, really great men followed some of the errors of their day. Forgive them, don’t pull down their statues. Yes, so-and-so told an off-colour joke two decades ago and posted it on his feed. Forgive and don’t call for their job.
Lick your pencil and write it down. No one was better at forgiveness than Jesus. He could have cancelled all of us. As the catechism says, every transgression deserves God’s wrath and curse. Instead, he went to Calvary, forgave and gave us the ability to obey Colossians 3:13, “Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”