Okay, Now It's Gone Too Far

Okay, now it's gone too far. From silly to irritating to full-out ludicrous. As I write this Elmer Fudd has been hit by the "Cancel Culture". You know Elmer Fudd, the perennial hunter of that "wascally wabbit" Bugs Bunny. He now hunts Bugs with a scythe, that's right, the tool of the Grim Reaper with a non-violent, 2-foot long blade. (The future hope of hunting for the opponents of Constitutional freedom?) I'm sure you've heard about being "canceled." That's when Person 'A' does something that Person 'B' considers "bad", then 'B' uses social or public media to shame & ostracize 'A' with the hope of ejecting them from accepted society, the internet, business--even their jobs. Even history books. Making the "naughty" person what Orwell's 1984 called "unpersons", as though they and their thoughts never existed. Not merely a product of their time or even just wrong, but evil and generally not redeemable. Gulags and even death for offenders has been proposed by some Cancelers.
You should notice that the list of offenders has grown very, very long and is aimed even at people long-dead. Some of whom actually worked for the causes the Cancelers say they promote. Vindictive? Ill-informed? Bad history? Intolerant? Creepy? Self-righteous, judgmental, unforgiving--preachy? You betcha. One could say they're "holier than thou." Ironically, (or hypocritically) those are the very attitudes most of the Cancelers point to in order to condemn their targets. Those are also words such folk have used to condemn Christ's people because real Christians stand for one Truth and a standard of behavior to make life better here and hereafter for all, rather than only a ruling class. We see hard evidence that real tolerance or peace are far away from the Cancelers.
Granted, some people are just hyper-critical, others are trying to create general social unrest because they think people can be bullied into a political "fix' that looks more like Orwell's 1984 (Hell, really). But the truth is, that whoever we are, we are likely to offend someone sometime. And that is a basic lie of the Cancel Culture, it cannot lead to a better place. I find the Cancelers offensive, how do I cancel them? Who's the judge? Facebook? They've proven themselves to be one-sided & intolerant of dissenting opinion or even discussion. Likewise Youtube, Twitter and, surprise, the Legacy media. So the problem is that just like their book-burning ethical kin, the Nazis, no one is safe forever. the cancel culture is relentless & ever-changing.
Scripture offers a completely different attitude. “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (Col 3:13). An unforgiving, loveless attitude has no place in the Christian’s life. In the midst of cancel culture, Christians have a job to do. To “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” (1Tim 6:11). We are to “speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ” (Eph 4:15). And we must continue to reject hatred and love others, even our enemies (1John 4:7; MT 5: 43-48). Tough stuff.
Cancel culture views people with whom they disagree as unredeemable and worthy of spite--even destruction. Christian culture sees no one as unredeemable. Repentance and change are always possible, and so God's forgiveness is available. Christianity sees no one as a target of revenge or spite. God’s love is always available. Besides, Christians have something infinitely better than canceling or even Elmer Fudd's new scythe--we have the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Learn it & use it confidently for God's purposes Pastor Geoff “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” 1 John 4:7 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48