Line upon Line

There has been a lot of discussion about the “cancel culture” in our modern world.  If a person says or writes something that “goes against the flow” of the opinions of others (sometimes even accidentally), they may be “un-friended”, cut off from social media platforms, or even lose their employment or their freedom.

We think of this as a recent social development, but when you think of it, it’s been around forever.  And often in the past, the repercussions of saying or even thinking something that ran counter to the “establishment” views of the prevailing culture or government power could result in much more severe consequences, like banishment, torture or even death.  In a “banana republic” revolution, the first thing a tyrannical dictator tries to do is silence the opposition in a free press, and to take over newspapers and radio and TV stations who would offer an opposing voice.

What is “canceling”?  Basically when someone has a different viewpoint or belief, it is saying “Shut up, I don’t want to hear it.”  Rather than, “Oh really? Tell me why you think that way, and I’ll tell you why I think the way I do”.  If we follow Jesus, we should “counsel” with each other instead of “cancel” each other.

Canceling is the opposite of the free market of ideas.  Freedom of speech is foundational to our way of life, and it is enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  In a 1919 Supreme Court opinion, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote:

 “the best test of truth is the power of thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market, … we should be eternally vigilant against attempts to check the expression of opinions that we loathe”. 

Canceling is lazy. It is easier to just ignore another person or try to shut them down, or dismiss their views as “baseless” or “unfounded” than to do the necessary research to find the truth, or to use reason and logic to defend your own point of view.  It is also born of fear that the other viewpoint might actually be right, which means you may need to adjust your own worldview, and perhaps even change your lifestyle or behavior.

In 399 BC, the leaders of Greek democracy “cancelled” Socrates by forcing him drink poisoned hemlock, because they did not like the “disinformation” (as they saw it) that he was teaching to the youth of Athens.

In 1632 when Galileo wrote against the prevailing “geocentric” belief of his day that the sun moved around the earth, he was placed under house arrest for the rest of his life and told to “shut up”.

One tool of the cancellers is to accuse someone of believing in “conspiracy theories”.  But often yesterday’s conspiracy theory is revealed to be today’s truth.  (remember Galileo?)  What was once considered “heresy” or “blasphemy” might later become “orthodoxy”, or vice versa.  (This happened often during the early church Councils, as different doctrines were often hotly debated and gained or lost popular support.)

In Biblical times, when God’s prophets pointed out the sins of the people and called them to repentance, they usually stoned the holy men rather than listening to and considering their words.  This was the ultimate “cancellation”.

The religious leaders of Jesus’s day sought to cancel him when he claimed to be the fulfillment of Isaiah’s Messianic prophecies.  (Luke 4:21)   Stephen was canceled by stoning.  (Acts 7:54-57)

And the religious leaders of Jerusalem tried to cancel Peter and John:

And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

(Acts 4:18)

Unfortunately, the history of Christianity is filled with examples of those using ecclesiastical or political power to “cancel” other believers.  When the Reformers sought to translate the Bible into common languages, or point out the errors of the traditional, historical, or orthodox “established” religion of the time, they were strangled and/or burned at the stake.  Tens of thousands of so-called “heretics” were tortured and killed in the various Inquisitions, and thousands of Anabaptists were murdered by “orthodox” fellow Protestants for their different belief about infant baptisms.

But how does God say that we should handle things when we have a view that is different than someone else’s?  The Gospels tell us to:

 “go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.”   (Matt 18:15)

And we should always “speak the truth in love”  (Ephesians 4:15)

Even God himself, who knows all truth, has invited discussion with mankind in a free exchange of ideas.  Although he declared that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9),

He also said:   Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord.     (Isaiah 1:18)

He even invited wayward Israel to “Produce your case, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons” for their errant behavior and beliefs.  (Isaiah 41:21)

Jesus desired that his followers should counsel with each other to obtain unity.  Shortly before his crucifixion, he prayed earnestly to his Father for them all.  He asked:

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us. (John 17:21)

The apostle Paul also implored the New Testament saints that “ there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind”.  (1 Cor. 1:10)

If we are to be true followers of Christ, we must not “cancel” others but counsel with them. We should prefer curiosity over conflict, and seek for clarity over conquest.  As one popular Evangelical teacher wrote, “I won’t try to prove to you that my belief is right, but I’m delighted for the opportunity to do as Peter admonished and ‘give every man an answer’ as to why I   believe it.” (1 Peter 3:15)

Let’s counsel together, not cancel.

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Robert Starling has been a writer and producer for the NBC Television Network and has worked at Schick Sunn Classic Pictures, Osmond Productions, and the media production department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has served in various writing and producing capacities on feature films such as: “Jack Weyland’s Charly”, “In Search of Historic Jesus”, “Tears of a King”, “Scout Camp: The Movie”, and “Abandoned Mine”. His book “A Case for Latter-day Christianity” is available in many bookstores, on Barnes and Noble, and on Amazon.com in printed and e-book versions. A free .pdf version is available upon request at  [email protected] .  He lives in Riverton, Utah with his wife Sharon. They have four adult children and eleven grandchildren.