(Further reflections on "Cancel Culture"--Sunday 28-Feb-2021)
In cancel culture (which is a modern version of boycott or grownup version of throwing tantrum), any individual or group can be canceled. It is not so much about social justice but about power play. And it can be from the most powerful one to the most vulnerable one. Social media has become a effective tool for businesses and community development; and a powerful playground for the social mobs whose mission is to label any disagreement racist or 'criminalize' anyone who expresses personal, diverse opinions. There is no room for an open discussion or healthy debate in cancel culture. If one is upset with another, they don't go and talk to that person and resolve the conflicts, instead they bring it to the social media and the social mobs flock in. A perfect storm of cancel culture is usually made of victimhood or entitlement that is brewed with social justice, hunger, and stirring up of public rage of the social mobs over usually minor things which often tike personal opinions/expressions. In short, in cancel culture sinners are prone to cancel sinners. Everyone loses. The Devil wins.
In Christ's culture (which is grace and truth), everyone is a sinner and every sinner needs a savior. And Jesus who is sinless came into this world with diverse cultures (whichever we are part of) not to cancel and cast any of us into our deserved place- eternal death but made the total cancellation of sins available to those who believe and follow Him. And it was done so by God's love (loving us while we were sinners); grace (not counting our trespasses); and mercy (sparing from eternal punishment). So sinners who are saved by God's grace through their faith in Jesus Christ will be born again or regenerated and living a new life in grace and truth. They had tasted first hand how ugly sin is and are so thankful for the cancelation of sin that was made available through Jesus Christ at the cross (cf. Colossians 2:14). Since they are experiencing the love of God, the grace of Jesus, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, they will not be easily pressured by the cancel culture nor comply to its mandate, that is, canceling anything/anyone who speaks against their fluid-idolatry (sovereign-self). So in Christ's culture, Christ's followers put Christ first before anything (e.g. personal interest or nationalistic agenda, social movement or ideologies, etc) and make Him the center for every thought and action. As result, Christ's followers who are not lukewarm nor religious or cultural Christians, but born again citizen of heaven will win (because Christ had conquered death and canceled sins). The Devil will lose eventually.
Now everyone of us has a culture that we were born and raised into. All cultures have an acquired set of thinking, behaviors, values, beliefs, actions, and lifestyle. The question remains, which culture will you belong to and are living in? Is it cancel culture? Or your own one? Or Christ's culture?
The Lord knows and forgives. So do repent if our cultures (whatever that is) are not in line with Christ's culture. May we be humble enough to cancel our own culture(s) in the light of Christ's culture.
In His grace,
--
Pastor Lap
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