CANCELLED: CANCELING

I’m canceling canceling. Can I do that? Not sure yet, but I just did. We’re long past due on a cultural conversation around “canceling”. For those unfamiliar with the term, it’s what you do (mainly on Twitter) when a public figure does something problematic or offends you. Sometimes it’s not even a person, but a community of people who are “canceled”. Admittedly, it’s often offered up in jest. It’s practically a meme now, but often it’s not. And if you call yourself a follower of Jesus, I’m not sure you have the option. 

To be sure, there is behavior that has come to light about celebrities that is unacceptable, and it should stay that way. I’m thankful for Black Lives Matter. I’m thankful for Me Too. I’m thankful for “political correctness.” All of that stands on its own with no qualifier. 

Justice is a good thing. Survivors, whether that be from sexual assault, discrimination, bullying, human trafficking, abuse or violence, feeling empowered is progress. I’m grateful that it seems to be coming with more urgency now than ever before. But justice is not synonymous with cancellation. And I don’t think it should be. 

For one, who decides? The argument that you get to cancel whoever is problematic to you doesn’t hold up in today’s society. You may be ok with listening to Louis C.K. again, but to someone else that’s outrageous and now you’re canceled too. Cancelation by association. We are called to hold people accountable, and fight for justice, that’s it. Canceling is neither the individual nor the society’s burden. Is it Tristan Thompson that’s cancelled? Or is it Jordyn Woods? Or Khloe? I’ve heard arguments against all three. 

Two, it attempts to make some humans good and some humans bad. This is from superhero movies with one dimensional villains, that we’ve taken as psychology. The issue is all humans do good things and bad things. It’s common grace and human depravity. Canceling implies that those ending their subscription are above those receiving that STOP text message. Humans are not “toxic”. Humans are not “trash”. And it’s laziness and bitterness that so often leads us here. Humans are complex spiritual, emotional, and physical beings and you have to wrestle with them. I know the temptation to go here. We live in the Information Age. We know way more than we can possibly process about atrocities around the world, and the latest celebrity gossip. Nuance requires us to actually read articles instead of retweeting headlines and posting hashtags. Plus it’s way easier to cope with your shortcomings when you’re preoccupied judging people for theirs. Judging ourselves by our intentions and others by their actions. Hmm, didn’t that Galilean carpenter say something about this? Something about a speck and a log? 

Third, it implies that it’s possible to cancel who someone is in the first place. Let me tell you, I can’t be cancelled. In fact, there’s very little that any of us can cancel. If you cancel your Netflix account, you didn’t cancel Netflix. But canceling gives us the feeling of control when we feel attacked, so we pretend it does something to the canceled. Deep down we know we’re often not powerful enough on her own to really accomplish what we think our heart wants so we use social media, or good old fashioned word of mouth gossip (yea canceling isn’t actually new), to get everyone to cancel their Netflix account and put them out of business. Now let’s say that happens. Did you actually cancel Netflix? Can you cancel the memories? The cultural impact? The ideas sparked? The characters developed? The feelings people experienced watching their content? No. You can’t. What gave us the audacity to think we can do that with souls? We can’t. 

Fourth, and most importantly, Canceling doesn’t teach. Canceling doesn’t grow. Canceling is anti Gospel, but even if it wasn’t it implies the Gospel has no power. The easy thing for an immigrant who came to this country legally to do is cancel illegal immigrants. As opposed to have conversations with them and their family and friends who love them. The easy thing for a progressive to do is to cancel all Trump supporters. But what does that change? Again, you haven’t actually done anything to them. And you gave up on recruiting them to your POV. Just practically speaking, canceling people does nothing for you in the long run. 

But deeper than it’s impracticality, canceling is the literal opposite of the example of Jesus. Not to the Pharisee or the woman at the well, but to you. Please remember and keep up front, that you specifically were who God referred to as His enemy. You committed idolatry in your sin, and cancellation is what you deserved. But God had good news step in. Selah. 

Not only step in, but do something. Instead of canceling the person, Jesus believed the Gospel was powerful enough to cancel the behavior out of the person. Our whole Gospel is that we are changed, are being changed, and will be perfectly changed because of what Jesus did. What room does that leave to cancel someone for something they did to you? I’ll help you, it doesn’t. Once you say “oh that persons a cheater, oh that persons a liar, oh that persons a gossip”, you are echoing Satan, not the Savior. That’s not who you want to tag team with against someone God created and loves. 

Maybe there’s a better way, boundaries. If you notice a pattern of behavior that is problematic in a friend or partner, hold them accountable, and guard your heart. But to guard does not require you to destroy. Calm down. God sees it all and He will not be mocked. 

I don’t know, maybe I’m just sensitive because I know people have “canceled” me before. Robbed me of my freedom to fail. Or maybe I’m sensitive because my cousin was murdered when I was 9. Or my dad died when I was 11. Or my mom moved away when I was 16. It takes a toll on you when people get canceled for you and you can’t do anything about it. Or maybe it’s not sensitivity at all. Maybe it’s hope. Hope, that God didn’t cancel me when I wasnt saved and now I’m a preacher. Maybe it’s hope that God didn’t cancel me when as a Jesus follower lust had a hold on my life and now I’m free. Maybe it’s hope that relationships that should’ve been fractured forever are now forming fruit. So don’t tell me someone is canceled unless you’ve buried them. We don’t get to decide when someone is canceled. And we shouldn’t want to. Instead pray for them, guard your heart, put on the full armor of God, seek peace as much as it depends on you, engage with them, and cancel your ego and your defense mechanisms.