The Challenge of Cancel Culture
Written by: Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”
Cancel culture is the buzz phrase of the moment. Both sides of the political aisle are challenged by the struggle to be compassionate and accepting in new and meaningful ways, while also struggling with being sympathetic with our history and transforming views. In the last few weeks, a journalist was fired from her position for racially inappropriate comments on social media. Her negative posts were wrong and worth termination if they happened while in her role with the media. The problem is that the journalist’s posts were ones she made in high school. She has apologized profusely for her adolescent foolishness, but her termination remains.
The reason I tell this story in a devotional is that it includes theological issues to be addressed. First, there should be a call for repentance for the hurtful posts, but there should also be forgiveness and accountability. Should someone who takes inappropriate action be judged for it the rest of their lives? Murder, perhaps. Social Media posts, no. Condemnation is especially true if the posts occurred in adolescence. When we are teenagers, we are still trying to find ourselves, and being eternally judged for inappropriate words when young, provides too much judgment and too little forgiveness.
If the journalist in question refused to apologize for her teenage indiscretions, fire her on the spot. If she seeks forgiveness and has not carried her prejudice forward, then compassion should remain. The same is true for other offenses we face each day. It requires Divine wisdom to know when to emphasize censure and when to move to forgiveness quickly. Even when rebuke is necessary, the goal remains forgiveness and restoration.
Today, pray for the corporate wisdom of our society. I am often the first to cry out for accountability, but never damnation. Every act of accountability must focus on forgiveness and rehabilitation. Cancel culture has an appropriate role in calling out injustice but does not permanently denounce a person’s future. It is easy to let someone off without accountability and equally easy to harshly judge without compassion. The hard decision is the faithful decision to provide moments of acknowledgment with equal opportunities for forgiveness and restoration. Pray for the wisdom to know how to act in all of life’s challenging circumstances.
