Cancel Culture

During Lent, a season of “giving up,” I’ve been thinking a lot about how conservatives have doubled down on the term “cancel culture.” They feel like folks are “giving up” on them over matters of race, sex and gender. Many moderates and liberals resonate, feeling ostracized for unpopular or politically incorrect perspectives. There’s definitely a deficit of grace and mercy in America. What unsettles me is that a lot of the same folks lamenting “cancel culture” attend churches—conservative and liberal—that cancel folks if they do not pass a certain litmus test of beliefs. In fact, the fear of being cancelled keeps a lot of folks in the fold. They stay silent and just go along with the program so they won’t be dissed or dismissed by their friends, family, pastors, bosses and colleagues. Speaking out leads to social death—what Jesus called “taking up the cross.” 

In some of these faith communities, if you are gay, lesbian or trans, you are disqualified from leadership positions—and your marriage is not recognized. If you do not believe the bible and Christianity is supreme, you will be side-eyed and labeled a relativist. If your heart bleeds for Ukraine, it’s cool, but if you pour out the same passion for Palestine, people will question your salvation. If you refuse to put up the American flag in your house of worship, you will be called a Communist or a traitor. If you say Black Lives Matter or join up with the Poor People’s Campaign or advocate cutting budgets for police, prisons and the military, you will be ghosted or gaslit, accused of mixing politics with “eternal” matters. What’s weird is that I’ve never heard anyone call these churches a “cancel culture.” Why not?