The first time I remember seeing something like “cancel culture” was when I was in middle school.
I grew up in Missouri, and back in 2012, a man named Todd Akin ran for senate. Akin was a socially-conservative Republican seen as a viable challenger to incumbent Missouri senator Claire McCaskill, a centrist Democrat. I remember Akin doing quite well in the polls until he made a comment during an interview about “legitimate rape.”
Well you know, people always want to try to make that as one of those things, well how do you, how do you slice this particularly tough sort of ethical question. First of all, from what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the child.
– Todd Akin, quotation via Wikipedia
In the days and weeks that followed, all anyone could talk about was Akin’s comment about “legitimate rape.” News channels, radio broadcasts, and websites ran virtually wall-to-wall analyses of the interview, the vast majority of them negative. Political attack ads proliferated.
One of my friends (probably 13 or 14 years old at the time) even said something like, “I used to like Todd Akin, but now I support Claire McCaskill.”
The enormous backlash that followed this interview completely torpedoed Akin’s campaign, and he ended up receiving less than 40% of the vote in a state that largely embraced (and still embraces) traditional values. And when Akin died in 2021, many news outlets ran a headline stating, “Ex-U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, sunk by ‘legitimate rape’ remark, dies.”
Not only did Akin’s comments doom his political aspirations over 10 years ago, they left a permanent stain on his reputation that has outlived the man himself. No amount of apologies (and he made lots of them) could atone for the grave sin he committed when he uttered a single phrase: legitimate rape.
He was cast out. Judged with finality. Made irrelevant.
He was cancelled.
The Spirit of Cancel Culture
As I mentioned earlier, I grew up in Missouri. I went to a small school and graduated with a class of around 70 students.
In that small school, reputation was everything.
I remember that everyone had things they were “known for.” One of my classmates, for example, liked to wear his jeans pulled up to his belly-button. People denounced him as “gay” and didn’t like to associate with him (even though he wasn’t really gay at all). He was an outcast. They dared not try to actually get to know him.
In middle school, another one of my classmates did something that was mistaken by other students as something entirely different, and the rumors started spreading like wildfire. This classmate became an instant pariah. He was bullied, excluded, and eventually ended up moving schools a year or two later. All for one action he supposedly committed — but didn’t really do.
There are other examples I won’t go into. But the point I’m trying to make is this: in an environment like that, your entire reputation – that is, how people see you, interact with you, and relate to you – could literally hinge on one single event.
Do something that others don’t like, and you’ll be shut out.
Yes, they will slam the door on you. People will stop inviting you to things. They’ll quit talking to you and they’ll quit sitting by you at lunch. You’ll be frozen out of the social ecosystem, and nothing you say or do will get you back in.
That was sort-of the environment in the school I went to growing up.
This is also the “spirit” behind cancel culture.
In today’s world (I’m talking about in the United States in particular), there’s a very strong sense of being “in or out.”
Say the right things, do the right things, act the right way, and you’re “in.” People will support you and say good things about you and listen to you. But the moment you do something that runs counter to the grain of the culture, people will turn on you.
That is what is meant by ‘cancel culture.’
They’ll blast you on social media, news sites will say horrible things about you, and your reputation will plummet. When someone (typically a high-profile person, such as an athlete, artist, or politician) crosses the line, there’s an initial shockwave of fire and rage.
But then comes the ice.
People stop paying attention to you. They automatically disregard what you say or do. They ignore your attempts to get back into the good graces of society. You’re forever branded by the one thing you said or did that was “wrong” — even though you may have since said and done a hundred thousand things that were “right.” Whenever your face appears on the screen or your name flashes across their social media feed, they automatically write you off as discredited and out of favor.
They cancel you.
Just like the dog-eat-dog social world of middle school, today’s broad American culture seems to be all about who said what and who did what. And if you say or do something wrong – whether it’s truly wrong or just wrong in the sight of the people as a whole – you’ll be treated like an outcast at a small school: iced out, excluded, and remembered permanently for that one slip-up.
This is the spirit of cancel culture.
Commit a single sin – a compromising photo from 30 years ago, an poorly-worded remark, a Freudian slip – and it’s over. You’re condemned. And there’s no way to be forgiven.
You’re just done.
Maybe I am overstating or oversimplifying things, and it’s worth noting that everyone seems to have a different view of what exactly constitutes “cancel culture.” But from my point of view, cancel culture is basically middle school social behavior applied to broader culture. It’s petty, fickle, childish, and leaves no room for disagreement, healthy debate, or forgiveness.
You’re either in or out.
Fortunately, we as Christians have a powerful antidote to this toxic aspect of society.
The Gospel Opposes Cancel Culture
Consider the central message of the Gospel. I think Paul in 1 Timothy 1:15 sums this up rather nicely:
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
1 Timothy 1:15, ESV [emphasis mine]
Indeed, the core message of the Gospel – or “good news” – is that Christ came to save sinners. Without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, there is no hope for anyone. For we are all sinners, and we have all fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23).
That is the kicker. Mankind, you see, has been on a streak of rebellion against God ever since Adam and Eve fell into sin in the Garden of Eden. Every time you and I sin – when we tell a lie, act selfishly, give into lust, and so much more – we are rebelling against God.
Don’t you think that rebellion against the Creator of all things (you and me included) deserves punishment? Doesn’t that, of all things, make one deserving of being ‘cancelled?’
When I look at cancel culture, I see a vindictive system of punishment. Sure, sometimes people say and do things that really do deserve our righteous anger. I am not excusing their behavior. If someone makes racist statements, that’s wrong. There’s no getting around it. If someone is having an affair or abusing women (or men) in any way, that’s flat out wrong.
Again, no way around it.
But what does cancel culture tell us to do when someone says or does something wrong – either actually wrong or just perceived as wrong?
Flame the person, ice them out, and force them out of relevancy.
And no matter what they say or do, don’t let them back in.
Once you fall from grace, you are beyond hope of redemption.
This is the message of cancel culture. You cannot be redeemed. One sin, and you’re out. There’s no forgiveness, only consequences.
But what of the Gospel? The Gospel gives us the opposite message. It opposes cancel culture.
The Gospel tells us that, because of Christ’s sacrifice, if we are willing to come to Him and cast our faith upon Him, God will forgive us and cleanse us of any and all sins (1 John 1:9). What a breath of fresh air!
You see, you can be a murderer. You can be a rapist. You could even be guilty of crimes against humanity. You could be a far, far worse person than anyone who has ever been “canceled.” But if you will only turn to Jesus and depend on Him for your salvation, He delivers you and forgives you.
And Christ also commands us as believers to be forgivers as well.
Again, this directly opposes the harsh and vindictive attitude of cancel culture. Cancel culture says there is no forgiveness for sins. And it thrives off of – nay, is even built upon – the unwillingness of the masses to even consider forgiving people for their transgressions.
Yet the Gospel tells us that we ought to be forgivers. We ought to be forgivers of others, and we also ought to be people defined by love towards those who wrong us. In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ says “I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44, ESV).”
Does ‘love your enemies’ sound like cancel culture? Does cancel culture tell you to ‘pray for those who persecute you?’ Does cancel culture tell you to forgive those who have wronged you?
I rest my case.
Cancel culture is about revenge, hatred, and judgement.
The Gospel is about forgiveness, love, and mercy.
The two could not be further apart. And in the end, the Gospel – not cancel culture – will prevail.
Our Hope
In the end, I suppose cancel culture and the Gospel represent two distinct paths.
Cancel culture offers no hope. It is all judgment and no mercy. It is powerfully toxic.
Yet the Gospel offers all the hope in the world. It is the application of mercy where there should be judgment. It is powerfully life-giving.
We are beings made in God’s image, and we are fundamentally meant to live in relationship with God. That means we’re fundamentally meant to be forgivers and practitioners of mercy. I’m not saying that sin doesn’t get in the way (and get in the way a lot), but the healthiest thing we can do is live out the truths contained in the Gospel.
If you want true joy, you won’t get that by shaming others and “canceling” people. You’ll get it by lending mercy.
If you want true happiness, you won’t get it by hating others for something they said or did in the past, even if it’s something that you feel personally attacked by. You’ll get happiness by forgiving the person for what they’ve done.
If you want true life, look to Christ as the source of your life and your strength. Don’t look to the so-called “might” of the culture to stamp out people who cross the metaphorical line.
There is no life in hatred. And there is no place for hatred in a well-lived life.
Live your life to God’s glory and abide in the truths of the Gospel. Don’t be shackled to the chains of cancel culture which may reward you momentarily but leave you – and the rest of society – more broken than before.
True life is found only in Christ. Run to Him!