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Cancel culture is the contemporary social attitude that deems controversial speech or behavior deserving of punishment through public shaming, silencing, boycotting, firing, bankrupting, deplatforming, etc. This results in nullifying the offender’s influence, presence, and/or reputation.
It is appropriate for whistle-blowers to expose corruption and illegality or for abused women to step forward, confront their abuser, and ensure accountability. However, cancel culture extends beyond that, establishing new norms to retaliate against speech, behavior, or even thoughts that have been prejudged as “offensive” or merely controversial. In cancel culture, individuals can be ostracized, their reputations tarnished, and their careers destroyed despite not violating any laws or engaging in malicious behavior.
Cancel culture is an offshoot of two other equally perilous phenomena: political correctness and postmodernism. Political correctness aims to reduce social and institutional offense by regulating speech (and consequently thought), mandating the use of specific words while prohibiting others. Postmodernism posits that all truth claims are subjective. Truth is viewed as a matter of preference, and “tolerance” is upheld as a paramount value. Paradoxically, the more “tolerant” a society becomes, the less tolerant it is of those it perceives as intolerant. Individuals labeled as “intolerant” or potentially offensive must be silenced—resulting in cancel culture.
Cancel culture is linked to various issues that can be approached from a biblical perspective:
1) Cancel culture is impulsive. It lacks regard for due process, replacing it with immediate outrage and hasty judgments. This fuels the controversy.
RSY is partial, often biased information. The Bible commands, “Give careful thought to the paths for your feet” «Ponder the path of thy feet, And let all thy ways be established. », (Proverbs 4:26), and we are to “live sensibly” «teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; », (Titus 2:12, NASB). Irrational thinking and the mob mentality have no place in the Christian’s life.
Cancel culture is spiteful. The vitriolic contempt coming from the cancel crowd is often shockingly ugly. Selecting a person for “cancellation” seems to be tantamount to declaring that person worthy of hate, and with that comes permission to slander him or her. In contrast to promoting the malice of the cancel culture, Jesus commands us to “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28). Our speech should “be gracious and attractive” «Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. », (Colossians 4:6, NLT). Vicious, obscene, or hate-filled speech has no place in the Christian’s life.
Cancel culture is judgmental. The self-appointed enforcers of “acceptable” speech have gone to great lengths to dig up material over which to cancel others. People have lost their jobs over articles written three decades ago, jokes told in one’s youth, classic literature read aloud, and opposite editorials published. There is no room for nonconformity— or free speech. If the language police were judged by their own severe standard, how many of them would remain un-cancelled?
Scripture warns against hypocritical, self-righteous judging « Judge not, that ye be not judged. », (Matthew 7:1). Hypocrisy or a faultfinding, hypercritical spirit has no place in the Christian’s life.
Cancel culture is unforgiving. Past instances of inappropriate or hurtful speech or actions, regardless of how long ago, are not to be forgiven in cancel culture. Once a person is cancelled, there is no way to restore that person to the good graces of society—there is no grace. There is no chance for redemption. Rehabilitation and restoration are not the goal, and neither is learning from one’s mistakes. The goal is to smear, defame, and malign. The Bible points to repentance and commands us to forgive one another: “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” «forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. », (Colossians 3:13, NLT). An unforgiving, loveless attitude has no place in the Christian’s life.
In the midst of cancel culture, we must use our words wisely. Believers are to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” «But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. », (1 Timothy 6:11). We are to “speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ” «but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: », (Ephesians 4:15, NLT). And we must continue to reject hatred and love others, even.
Our adversaries (1 John 4:7; Matthew 5:43-48).
Cancel culture perceives individuals with whom a majority disagrees as irredeemable and deserving of animosity. Christian culture believes that no one is beyond redemption. Repentance and transformation are always achievable, and forgiveness is offered. Christian culture does not view anyone as a target of animosity. God’s love is perpetually accessible. There are no hopeless cases.
