I’ve heard it said, “You get the behavior you tolerate.” As a conservative Christian, I can decisively say, “We’ve tolerated too much.”
The Left has controlled basically all the institutions for years. The only two they didn’t control were the church and the family. Now there’s an all-out assault against both. Divisive ideologies like critical race theory and social justice have divided churches. And now, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have silenced individuals and businesses who are guilty of spreading what their fact-checkers deem “misinformation.”
We’re at the point now where speaking about biblical sexual ethics or supporting a conservative political candidate can harm your ability to communicate on social media or to make a living. Many conservative Christians have been canceled, and many more are self-censoring to avoid losing their job or losing their platform.
A lot of churches don’t really talk about sin for similar reasons. Nothing’s said about abortion, even though the people in the church may be against abortion. Nothing’s said about same-sex marriage. It may not be approved, but we never talk about this stuff unless it’s in a class or a small group.
Many denominations are even starting to go liberal. In the old days, we used to call it “backsliding”. If you didn’t agree with the Bible, you were backslidden. Nobody uses that term anymore because although people feel a need to experience God, they often want to do so without any real lifestyle change.
I understand that, for some, the hesitation to speak up is a reaction to the past. Adults who grew up in a Pentecostal church or an extremely conservative church don’t want to go back into that kind of legalism or be viewed as legalistic.
It used to be considered immodest for women to wear sleeveless blouses. My grandparents would be horrified to see Christians dancing at a wedding. Honestly, modesty is a complicated issue, and I don’t mind a little bit of dancing within reason.
I don’t want to go back to the kind of legalism where nothing is tolerated, but I also don’t want to embrace a liberalism where everything is tolerated. Instead of running to either extreme, I want to stand on Scripture. God’s Word is the only solid foundation. When new ideologies try to dominate or divide a church, I choose Scripture. If Big Tech cancels me, I choose Scripture. If it’s unpopular among other Christians, I still choose Scripture.
Scripture tells me to love my enemies and do good to those who hate me, but it also tells me not to condone evil, whether in me or in others around me. We can love individuals who do evil without tolerating evil behavior.
When I say, “We’ve tolerated too much,” it means that we’ve often sacrificed too little. Instead of putting our reputations, careers and success on the line to follow Scripture, we’ve compromised. And because we’ve compromised, we’re now at a point where we’re being canceled.
Todd Coconato and I discuss this and many other cultural issues in this episode of God and Cancel Culture. {eoa}
For more information on how you can fight back against cancel culture, make sure to get a copy of what Charisma founder and CEO Stephen Strang says is his most important book yet. God and Cancel Culture is now available wherever fine books are sold. Order it for a limited-time 50% discount at stevestrangbooks.com.
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