Countering the Cancel Culture
Someone said it was a good year for cancelling. They may be right in that the number of moments in the Cancel Culture war seemed to have escalated in 2020; it feels like everyone jumped on the bandwagon. No doubt the movement has been fueled by three unique factors merging into a perfect storm. First, the toxic behavior of social media where people feel free to post their unhinged thoughts without fear of backlash. Secondly, cultural norms have and are shifting faster than our comfort zones can process. And thirdly, a pandemic that has forever changed our world. Whether you believe the pandemic is a real threat or hyped up fake news, the result is the same: we are in a very different place coming out of pandemic than we were two years ago going into the pandemic.
Cancel Culture is a form of group shaming, usually issued to a public person or company for decisions or actions that are deemed offensive (yea, I Googled it). One might say that the shaming is an attempt to reform behavior through pressure, while others admit it’s simply a political power-grab. While the term, “cancel culture,” has only recently been coined, the idea has been around for many years and both sides of the spectrum has participated in its game.
The summer I graduated from college, a movie about the life of Christ was generating a lot of buzz. Long before social media, televangelists and local preachers were urging viewers and churches to boycott The Last Temptation of Christ. I was trying to complete course work to graduate and get married so I wasn’t tuned into the debate. Later in the summer a preacher I knew was given an opportunity for a private screening with other community leaders to view the movie for themselves. Yes, the movie was controversial and undermined the gospel account of Jesus. However, he added his perspective, while the movie wasn’t good, its bad publicity will draw people out to see it for curiosity’s sake. Had Christians not drummed up such noise, it would have gone under the radar and bombed in the theater.
About a year later the Exxon oil tanker, Valdez, struck the Prince William Sound Bligh Reef, spilling ten million gallons of crude oil. The spill was the worst on record, ever. While multiple factors were in play to cause to spill, the captain and Exxon Company were deemed guilty of negligence. Cile and I decided to forgo purchasing gas from Exxon to protest the spill. Our weekly tank of gas did nothing to curtail the some 400 billion dollar enterprise.
When Disney decided to offer health insurance to LBGTQ partners, as if they were recognizing a benefit only for married couples and families, the Southern Baptist Convention pushed to boycott the company. That was in 1997 and today, after buying the rights to Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars, the threatened boycott was like flies being swatted by an elephant.
Yes, these are my experiences, but I’ve found both sides of the ideological isle use “cancel culture” in their arsenal. When deployed the tactic doesn’t work and often backfires in the process. On one side, those cancelled are viewed with sympathy or curiosity which draws more attention to them or their cause, while on the other side their personal lives are ruined: the punishment of public shaming is far greater than the original offence that ignited the shaming.
While the catchphrase, “cancel culture,” is not in the Bible, the theme is a reoccurring motif. And it doesn’t always unfold like we think it should. Cain kills his brother, but God chooses not to cancel him (Gen. 4:11-12). In fact, he protects him from being canceled (Gen. 4:13-16). Saul sins and God cancels his dynasty, handing the kingdom over to David (1 Sam. 16:1). Then David sins – arguably sinning greater than Saul – and God forgives David (2 Sam. 12:13). Paul tells the Corinthian church to expel than man sleeping with his father’s wife (1 Cor. 5:9-13). But when Paul wants to cancel John Mark, Barnabas will have nothing to do with it (Act. 15:36-40). It seems the Bible sends some mixed messages regarding Christians living with a “cancel culture.”
From a wider lens, the biblical narrative not only draws us away from the “cancel culture,” but gives us the means to counter it. First, embrace the imagery of pilgrims (1 Pet. 1:1; 2:1) by avoiding political baggage. Not only do we not belong or feel at home in this world, but every cultural battle has a political bent to it. Instead of the Gospel bending culture, the political culture bends the gospel to something palatable for us to taste. We can feel more comfortable with our surroundings. Secondly, make room for righteous reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:16-21). Because, at its core, the “cancel culture” polarizes people, pitting us against them or you against me. Thus, the Gospel becomes ineffective at either bringing righteousness or reconciliation.
Someone said it’s a good year for cancelling. I’m pretty sure sarcasm was dripping from their pen while they wrote it. In truth it’s never a good year for cancelling. But it is a good year when pilgrims promote righteous reconciliation.
Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e., only God is glorified!)
My Favorite Bible
A Dad & A Son
EASTER SUNDAY! Looking for the Living Among the Dead
The women ventured to the tomb;
Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary and other women walked together;
It was early in the morning,
On the first day of the week;
They brought with them spices,
Prepared to anoint the body of Jesus,
So that the stench of death be overcome by the fake fragrance of life.
Very few words were spoken in the cold crisp air,
Until they realized the tomb was still sealed.
“Who will move the stone?” they asked each other,
As they continued their journey to the tomb.
They were walking a path to pay their respects for the one who died,
Wishing to honor him who honored them.
They were looking for the body of Jesus,
But they were looking for the living among the dead.
They weren’t afraid of the Jews,
They weren’t afraid of retaliation.
The eleven faithful followers of Jesus,
Were hiding behind closed and locked doors;
Spiritually paralyzed.
Gripped with fear.
Losing all hope.
Believing the worst was yet to come.
The Apostles believed the Jews were coming after them
For if the Jews had Jesus on their list, then they were next.
But the women showed courage;
Leaving the security of their homes,
Walking exposed in the open countryside.
They were looking for the body of Jesus,
But they were looking for the living among the dead.
As they approached the tomb,
Bewildered shock overcame them like a plot twist in a gripping novel;
The stone was already moved!
Rolled from the moment the sun pierced the darkness;
Someone had cleared an easy path into the tomb;
Nothing now prevented them from getting to Jesus.
The lane was opened,
As the road was cleared;
With anticipation in their eyes, they picked up their pace,
The slow methodical walk quickened to a brisk walk,
Drawn even more to the tomb;
As they reached their destination, they peered into the tomb;
Nothing.
Nobody.
No body.
Only a simple cloth where Jesus once laid.
The tomb was empty.
With saucer-like eyes they stared,
Words were no longer spoken.
Words were no longer needed.
The angel suddenly appeared gleaming like lightening,
And the women fell to the ground.
He spoke to them saying,
“He is not here!
He is risen!
So why are you looking for the living among the dead?”
They left the tomb to find the apostles.
With joy like the wind in their sails
They rushed back to the disciples;
They told them the good news;
They said the tomb was empty;
They recounted of their encounter with the angel;
They alerted them that he had risen;
They declared that Jesus was alive!
But the men did not believe the women.
They wondered what the empty tomb meant,
As they too were looking for the living among the dead.
Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e., only God is glorified!)
The Fool on the Hill
Shots & Ice Cream
CHURCH: Rooted in a Pagain World
Jesus re-counts a series of parables in Matthew 13, most of which deal with agriculture and farming. Following the story of the sower sowing seeds (v. 1-23), he tells about the wheat and the weeds (v. 24-30). Here a farmer sows good seed, but during the night his enemy sowed a weed that grows to look like wheat. In fact, this particular weed is almost indistinguishable from the wheat. Almost. More so, the weed is destructive and can devastate the entire crop, and not just this crop but corrupt the field for years to come. When the workers asked the owner what to do, they assumed the right action was to go out into the field to pull up the weeds. Instead, the owner feared for the wheat. “While you’re pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let them grow together until harvest” (v. 29-30a).
“Let them grow together” is a risky move. I’m not sure I can agree with it, either. Neither do you. We know the sayings, “Birds of a feather, flock together.” “If you lie down with the dogs, you wake up with fleas. “One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.” ”You’re known by the company you keep.” Even Paul, not satisfied with saying it once, said it twice, “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough” (1 Cor. 5:6b; Gal. 5:9). So allowing the weeds to grow with the wheat is a risky move and clearly gives bad has an open lane to overtake the good in the process.
But what is the alternative solution? If the workers go out and uproot the weeds, the owner fears that they’ll be unable to distinguish the difference between the weed and the wheat. What looks like a weed may in fact be uprooted wheat and what is passed over as wheat may in fact be weed destroying the wheat around it. Allow each scenario to play out in your mind and it’s like a catch-22; either choice is fraught with risk.
The parable gives us cause to pause. We tend to be like the workers, believing that we can clean up the field by rooting out the evil. We know and can spot the difference between the wheat and the weed, and uprooting them is possible without destroying the wheat. Or so we believe. But in our attempt to clean up the world, we do more damage and destruction than if we were patient. Allowing the wheat and the weed to grow together until the harvest provides clear distinction between the two so that the Owner himself can oversee the separation process.
God’s Church is rooted in a pagan society. The biblical story is clear and does not gloss over the reality that we live in a fallen world. Sin is prevalent and pervasive. Like a weed it takes hold of people at their roots to steal nutrients and to suck out life. We’re called to grow and thrive in a field that has more than its fair share of weeds. Our calling sets the bar very high. We’re planted in a pagan society, but the pagan society is not to take root in or lives.
Herein lies the problem. We’ve convinced ourselves that the society we live in is better, sanitized and even “Christianized;” sometimes it feels like it is while other times it’s as pagan as any other society. We’ve come to believe that we’re planted in a field without weeds or at least the weeds are minimal at best. Thus, we’re confused and disorientated when we see society acting so un-Christ-like, or see morals and ethics continue its decline. We pray for our leaders, but it feels like we’re wasting our breadth. We pray for a society that ultimately is choking us out.
So as we tend to our field, we trust in the Owner’s wisdom. We shy away from rooting out the weeds in fear of rooting out the wheat. Instead, we continue to work the ground so that the wheat will grow and bear fruit (Gal. 5:22-23). So when hate ravages, we cultivate love. When despair expands, we nurture joy. When conflict and turmoil overtake, we foster peace. When intolerance extends, we develop patience. When cruelness chases, we pursue kindness. When stinginess rears its ugly head, we enrich with generous goodness. When disloyalty and falsehood dominates, we plant truthful faithfulness. When self-indulgence influences, we encourage self-control. Because, when we’re rooted in a pagan world, we still have to grow.
Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e., only God is glorified!)