Psalm 103:12 “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
What do J.K. Rowling, actress Gina Carano, Teen Vogue’s editor Alexi McCammond, and former Presidents Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson have in common? If you said they have all become victims of the cancel culture, you would be correct. A Washington Times journalist recently commented, “We’re in a sad place as a society when somebody’s firing and/or cancellation is celebrated more than their life’s work. And yet, here we are.”
Here we are indeed. Worldviews matter. And in case you haven’t noticed, the contrast between Christianity’s worldview and the views of the world in which we live is growing starker.
Perspectives on the future are the most obvious. Christians believe in a real afterlife where everything we experience on earth serves as preparation for eternity with God. Secularists take John Lennon’s lyrics seriously: “Imagine there’s no heaven….”
How we live in present tense reflects a combination of influences, but basically Christians try to live by standards set forth in the Bible. Even when we fall short, we acknowledge the principles remain true whether we follow them or not. The secular view does not view Scripture as inerrant, relevant or inspired by God. And certainly not a guide on how to live each day.
Now, with the sudden rise of cancel culture, drastically different ways of viewing the past comes into focus. Followers of Jesus believe in redemption, that he took every mistake we’ve made and every sin we’ve committed to the cross. He has removed our transgressions “as far as the east is from the west” to offer us a second chance. However, no such opportunity exists in the cancel culture. There, people’s past becomes an albatross around their neck. No matter how long ago their offense or how sincere their apology, the cancel culture mob blinks for no one.
As we approach Holy Week, I can’t think of a better time to thank the God who turns ashes into beauty and “graves into gardens.” He has never cancelled a sincere seeker or repentant sinner, and he never will. His victory over death establishes the foundation for our hope, hope that nothing in our past can prevent us from reaching our purpose on the planet.
Our Redeemer God makes all things new. And that’s a message the cancel culture desperately needs to hear.