People are offended by everything and anything these days. To anonymously voice their offense, they often take to social media. Social media provides opportunity to handle disagreements by calling for someone’s cancellation.
Most of us are all familiar with cancel culture. But just in case, The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as, “a way of behaving in a society or group, especially on social media, in which it is common to completely reject or stop supporting someone because they have said or done something that offends you.”
The question is, how should we respond to something that is offensive or differs from our point of view? Unfortunately, we often see a response of ostracizing and dehumanizing people. These responses are not loving and pit people against one another. The fall out is polarization, and pulling away from people who have different opinions or beliefs.
Emotionally, cancel culture opens the door to rage and venting and increases both. It doesn’t calm things or solve anything. It certainly doesn’t teach compassion or empathy for others and makes it harder to get along with others. And cancel culture promotes groupthink versus personal accountability to God.
None of this is new. In biblical times, there were numerous instances of “cancel culture.” Jezebel massacred the prophets of the Lord. Micah was imprisoned for speaking God’s unpopular truth to King Ahab. The prophet Jeremiah was threatened, beaten, and cast into a mud-filled cistern left to die. And of course, Jesus was constantly the target of cancellation by both religious and nonreligious people.
So as followers of Christ, how should we respond?
- With grace, giving people the benefit of the doubt and not responding in kind. Blasting people doesn’t make people better or correct problems. It turns people away and ruins chances of finding common ground.
- Avoid shaming people. It’s easy to do but wrong. Develop a culture of honor, not shame. Correct where correction is needed but do it privately and only with the people who need to be involved.
- Be ready for attacks when you speak God’s truth. Jesus was clear. The gospel is offensive to those who don’t know Him. It is unrealistic to expect unredeemed people to act in redeemed ways. While it never feels good, we know the source of those attacks is spiritual.
- Allow mercy to win. Forgive. Jesus told us it is easy to love the lovely, not so easy to love those who curse you. Yet we are to bless them and forgive them if they offend us.
- Conduct yourself with wisdom. The Apostle Paul told the church at Colosse: “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity” (Colossians 4:5, NASB).
Now, do we like to be attacked, ostracized, and cancelled? No. But we need to respond in ways that imitate Christ and are a witness to His truth and power.