If ‘Cancel Culture’ Is Right, We All Should Be Canceled

Cancel. It used to be when we canceled things, it was postage stamps, or reservations, or subscriptions, or appointments, or TV shows. But now we can cancel…people. Who knew?

 

I’m not sure when the “cancel culture” mania began, but it stood up, front and center, during the confirmation hearings for then-U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Adversarial members of the Senate committee kept bringing up allegations from Kavanaugh’s past, hoping those could “cancel” his appointment to the nation’s highest court. But since then, canceling people has turned into a virtual national pastime.

Seems like almost every day we’re hearing about notables becoming discredited for things they have done or said, whether recently or in the past, sometimes distant past.  Entertainers, politicians, business leaders, pro athletes and folks from many other walks of life can suddenly be “canceled” because of some seemingly offensive behaviors in their past.

 

I find this troublesome on several levels, but I’ll look at only two. First of all, the unvarnished truth is that everyone of us deserves to be “canceled.” As Romans 3:10-12 unequivocally declares, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God…there is no one who does good, not even one.” And just verses later the writer, the apostle Paul, perhaps for emphasis, asserts, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

 

We might not be guilty of the same sins as another person, but each one of us – if we’re honest enough to admit it – has done enough wrong to disqualify us from assessing what others have done or said. In reformed theology, it’s called “total depravity,” meaning even our best efforts are tainted by sin.

 

In his little devotional book, Dare to Journey with Henri Nouwen, Charles Ringma observes, “We all have blind spots…we often see quite clearly what others are doing wrong, but fail to acknowledge our own struggles or our own complicity. We talk about ‘them’ failing to do this or wrongly doing ‘that’…. But we fail to acknowledge what lurks in our own hearts and fail to see how we often contribute to the problem…. So much of what is wrong with our world, church, and workplace is what is also wrong with us.”

 

It's like looking in a mirror and accusing others of the flaws we see in ourselves. In fact, the Scriptures offer a similar description: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his fact in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he sees” (James 1:22-24).

 

Would you be willing, as Israel’s King David was, to invite God to “Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High” (Psalm 7:8)? How do you think you’d measure up?

 

Apparently throughout history, humankind has demonstrated a proclivity for passing judgment on others, “canceling” them, we might say. Because many times the Bible warns against appointing ourselves as judge and jury over others. In James 4:12, for instance, we’re told, “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, he one who is able to save and destroy. But you – who are you to judge your neighbor?” 

 

During His “sermon on the mount,” Jesus Christ gave perhaps the clearest reason for avoiding our tendency to quickly pass judgment on others. He said, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?... You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:1-5).

 

The other day, a college football coach made a derogatory comment about his team in jest, but many who heard it took immediate offense. If it were up to them, this well-known coach would already be “canceled.” But if we’re honest, we can all look back over the course of our lives and remember things we did and things we said that, if they were to come to light today, would make us “cancel culture” targets.

 

One time, recounted in John 8:3-9, self-righteous Jewish leaders – “teachers of the law and Pharisees” – brought to Jesus a woman caught in the act of adultery. (Curiously, they did not also bring the man.) They demanded that He tell them what should be done with her, since the Old Testament law called for stoning. Jesus’ response was to bend down and write something on the ground with His finger. No one knows what it was. Perhaps He was jotting down some of the sins the leaders had committed. 

 

But when He was done, Jesus stood up and said, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Their reaction was priceless – one by one they went away, without saying another word.

 

Perhaps there’s an important lesson here for all of us. While we’re not told to overlook, ignore – or even condone – the wrongdoing of others, neither are we authorized to “cancel” others, especially when we’re probably guilty of similar misdeeds, or even worse. As the adage goes, “People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” 

Making Misjudgments About ‘Judging’?

There’s an awful lot of talk these days about “judging,” and I’m not referring to the Miss America beauty contest, the annual American Kennel Club canine soiree, or even the annual flower show at the mall. No, it’s the judging that is presumed to take place when we comment unfavorably on the behavior of another person or group of people.

Aren’t we tempted to judge when we hear reports of the latest shenanigans of a Justin Bieber, Lindsay Lohan or Miley Cyrus, once seemingly pure and pristine child stars that have leaped from fame into infamy? And we have a tendency to rush to judgment upon learning of the misdeeds of prominent business leaders and politicians. There is, as the Bible says, “no one righteous, no not one” (Romans 3:10), right?

Jesus taught His followers before condemning others,
they should take an honest look at themselves.

The Scriptures teach, however, judgment is God’s job not ours. In reality, sins that trouble us most tend to be ones that mirror our own. When I notice a person wrestling with anger, acting in an inconsiderate manner, or speaking in brash, overbearing tones, maybe it bothers me because it’s like looking at my reflection. It helps to remember that, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and leave it at that.

But sometimes we confuse judging with not agreeing with or not condoning the actions of another. I might disagree with someone politically, ideologically, or not share their values, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I am “judging” them any more than I’d want them to judge me for not seeing things as they do.

We’ve all heard the saying, “Live and let live.” And I suspect most of us have tried to abide by that philosophy. The problem arises when that saying is changed to mean, “Live – and give hearty approval to the way I live, like it or not.”

Pastor and author Rick Warren makes this observation: “Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.”

Over my many years of meeting with men in mentoring relationships, friends have admitted to many kinds of sin, but never have I responded with judgment or condemnation. That’s not my responsibility. Besides, I’ve been guilty of some of the same failings. A wise person has noted that given the right place, the right time and the right opportunity, we each could succumb to any temptation. As 1 Corinthians 10:12 states, “So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”

At the same time, when these men willingly confided in me, knowing what they said wouldn’t be shared with anyone else, I didn’t pat them on the back and say, “Way to go!” or even offer the convenient excuse, “Well, hey, you’re human, right?” They knew what they had done wasn’t right, and bringing their failings into the open, admitting them to a trusted friend, was a big step toward redemption and change.

We find the scene in the Gospel of John where Jesus intervenes on behalf of a woman about to be stoned by the town’s religious leaders after she was caught in an act of adultery. They remind Jesus that Moses’ law mandates stoning. Then they ask, “Now what do you say?”

Jesus proceeds with a cryptic act that’s not fully explained. The passage says, “Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her’ (John 8:6-7).

We don’t know what Jesus wrote, but He clearly was showing the self-righteous leaders that before condemning someone else, they should take an honest look at themselves. But what’s most important is what happens next. After her accusers left, Jesus asked the woman, “where are they: Has no one condemned you?” (John 8:10). When she responds no one remains to condemn her, Jesus says, “Neither do I condemn you.” His next statement is most telling.

While not condemning her for wrong behavior, Jesus did not say, “You go, girl!” or, “Hey, I understand. A woman's got to do what a woman's got to do.” No, He simply admonished her, “Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11).

He wasn’t passing judgment on the woman, but neither was He endorsing her behavior. Even though being the Son of God, He had every right to do so. Instead He offered forgiveness, demonstrating compassion and understanding – and pointed out there was a better way to live.

We’re not to judge the wrong behavior of others – but we’re not to condone or endorse it, either. As Dr. Warren said, we don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate. Jesus gave us the example; I can’t think of a better one to follow.