Christ Over Cancel Culture

Over the last several years, we’ve seen the rise of a trend called, “Cancel Culture.”

With the increase in visibility that social media has caused, suddenly small mistakes from years ago, or a faux pas that once would have been brushed over and forgotten, leave people publicly hated, with thousands of followers slamming the “canceled” person.

Now, don’t get me wrong: accountability and righting the wrongs of the past is a good, godly thing. We’ve seen examples of correcting poor behavior that was allowed for too long and vindicating hurt people that have been incredible. However, the enemy so often likes to take cultural trends and pervert them into a weapon to steal, kill, and destroy. This is happening with cancel culture.

Rather than calling for accountability and growth, young people are learning that when someone makes a mistake they must be forgotten forever. There is no option to forgive, no opportunity to grow, there is only the “block” button. I became even more concerned as I began to talk with the teenagers of our church about their friendship drama. Too many of their stories ended with, “Yeah, well, we couldn’t see eye to eye, so I just blocked them.”

Friends, boundaries are awesome. And some relationships are toxic. AND, sometimes blocking is necessary!

But, I think that eradicating people from our lives is a last resort after many prayerful attempts to build healthy connections or concerted efforts at creating god-honoring distance. This dramatization of healthy boundaries is training young people to build like-minded echo chambers and remove any people we can’t overcome a conflict with.

So why does all this discussion of cancel culture matter? I don’t think this is how Jesus lived His life, and in turn, I don’t think this is the example He would want us to follow. Jesus lived His life surrounded by twelve close companions. They ate together, journeyed together, did ministry together, struggled together, and, at times, failed one another. But Jesus chose them, through thick and thin - a ragtag bunch of broken men He was determined to do life with. And more than just do life with, He commissioned them to be co-partners in changing the world in His name.

Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness [...] “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues.

- Matthew 10:1, 16-17

Jesus empowered His twelve to live boldly. And when they failed, He invited them back into the fold, He commissioned them into something greater. Jesus didn’t look at Peter after he denied Him and say, “My dear friend, you’re canceled and blocked.” Of course not! Our sweet Jesus invites Peter to follow Him in John 21, reminding him that his mistake didn’t disqualify him from continuing in ministry for Christ.

Jesus models a life of community and discipleship that picks people for the long haul. It doesn’t mean that we’re everything for everyone all the time. But a life of community and discipleship that is modeled after Christ is one that picks deep, committed relationships, with the few that he guides us to. It’s a life that makes space for mistakes with accountability, forgiveness with loads of grace, and empowerment into something greater, away from our sin.

We name when something is wrong, and then Jesus invites us to make space for a deep community that is covered in grace. This isn’t easy - I write this because God is refining me in this area right now. It’s so much easier to grit our teeth, ball our fists, and hit decline on every call from that one person that has deeply failed us.

But friend, Jesus didn’t decline Peter. And Jesus doesn’t decline you.

You’ve failed Him so many times, done everything worthy of being canceled, and He climbed up on a cross and gave it all to be close to you.

I think, if we’ve experienced that kind of love, it might be time to start offering even just an ounce of it to those around us.

Let’s live in that deep, grace filled kind of community that Jesus modeled. Let’s do life together when it’s beautiful and easy, and when it’s hard and ugly.

Let’s be that kind of people, that kind of church, and those kinds of disciples.

Cristina Schmitter

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