How Far?

I can use the term "cancel culture" and I don't need to explain it to you. We all know about it. From the #MeToo scandals and the subsequent "beheadings" of the accused to J.K. Rowling's unfortunate belief that a sex is biological, not "how I feel," to the attack on the word "mother" in American government, cancel culture is alive and well. Discussion is not allowed. Debate is not available. Generally there isn't even a trial ... just "guilty without any need for proving it."

What about us? What about Christians? Are we doing that? We are. Word has gotten out that Jonathan Edwards, regarded by most as a American Christian superstar, is on the outs now since it was discovered that he owned slaves. What now? Well, we're going to have to dislodge him from that "superstar" status, of course. But cancel culture demands more. At a minimum we'll have to cease respecting or venerating him. We'll have to disregard what he wrote and dislike anyone who finds it useful. Book burnings may commence later.

Martin Luther shares a similar status and, now, a similar fate. His 95 Theses was the advent of the Protestant movement, but his later writings were so anti-Semitic that he just has to go. We'll obviously make sure he isn't making the talk show rounds, but we'll require people to please stop referring to him with respect or admiration. I don't know. That whole "Lutheran Church" thing may have to change its name.

It isn't, of course, rational. It was Jesus who famously said, "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone" (John 8:7). That is, who among us is error-free? Jesus told a terrifying parable about the servant who, forgiven of a massive debt by his master, had a fellow servant thrown in jail for a minor debt. The master called him in and said, "You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.  And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?" (Matt 18:32-33). And the master required he be jailed until he should pay his debt. "I forgave you," he said, "and you don't forgive?" The cancel culture, even in the church today, would say, "No, we don't. We don't forgive."

It's irrational from another aspect. We think we know what's right. We think we have it all figured out. So, if we rationally applied these current rules for which we are canceling people today to, say, Scripture, guess who we'd be canceling next? It is Genesis that claims, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen 1:1). Everyone knows that's scientific bunk. Canceled! It is Genesis that says He made them male and female ... with no gradations or variations in between (Gen 1:27). Canceled! It is Genesis that defines marriage as between a man and a woman (Gen 2:24). We've canceled God three times already. Paul said "horrendous" things like "I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God" (1 Cor 11:3) and "the women should keep silent in the churches" (1 Cor 14:34) and "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord" (Eph 5:22) and "I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man" (1 Tim 2:12). Cancel, cancel, cancel!! But even Jesus gets heat. When His mother -- His mother -- asked Him for help, he said, "Woman, what does this have to do with Me?" (John 2:4) Right out! There are places in this world where teaching that homosexual behavior is a sin (Rom 1:26-27; 1 Cor 6:9-10) is frowned upon and praying for those who do to stop is illegal. Canceled!

How far, then, do we take this? For what do we cancel people? Is there a list somewhere? "These are banned and you will figuratively hang for them, but these are our favorite vices so they're okay." How far do we cancel people? Is it not possible to find truth in what is said, for instance, even if we don't like the person who said it? How far do we throw this net? The FBI reported that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had 40 extramarital affairs and even was present at a rape and just laughed. We just let that go? (Apparently, yes.) Is God next to be canceled? Or just those who agree with His Word? And if we continue this course, who will be left? Will we delete "forgive" from the dictionary as a meaningless term? Hyperbole on my part? Perhaps, but the only way to avoid it is to change course. And that requires a change of heart.