Cancel Culture

” Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” – 1 Corinthians 15:58

“These comments were certainly not intended to cause any offense”. Words from Wakefield Tory Candidate Antony Calvert, who has stepped down after comments from his Facebook posted 10 years ago were deemed inappropriate. While Calvert made a statement that “these comments represent neither my views nor those of the Conservative Party”, this comes after another Tory candidate Nick Conrad, stood down due to historic comments about ‘women keeping their knickers on’ in a conversation about rape. However this has not only happened in the world of politics, and as there is an increase in ‘cancel culture’, do you find yourself in a space where the things you say and do are being invalidated?

‘Cancel culture’ is a growing phenomenon which describes a form of boycott in which someone (usually a celebrity) is ‘cancelled’ for sharing an unpopular opinion or problematic standpoint on social media. To cancel is to ‘destroy the effectiveness, force or validity of’. It is to take away the power and significance of something, and this is exactly what happened with Noah. Noah was a man of God and ‘he walked faithfully with God’ (Genesis 6:9). Because God was not pleased with man, he told Noah that he was going to send a flood which would wipe out all the people on earth. God also instructed him to build an ark, saying “I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you” (Genesis 6:18 &19).

Noah did as God had instructed him, telling people to repent so that their lives could be saved. Now at this time, although there was no social media, you can imagine people thinking what he was saying and what he was doing (building a huge ark), was inappropriate. That what Noah was saying was problematic as it was calling out people and excluding many. If it was in this time, he probably would have been ‘cancelled’. Many would have invalidated what he was doing and called him many names. But Noah knew the force behind what had been said to him, and understood that he had been called for greatness.

In a world which is quick to invalidate the truth, we are seeing a growth in people trying to diminish and boycott the truth that is God. Although you might find yourself in a space where you are speaking your truth and it is being invalidated, be steadfast and stand in the authority of Christ as prepare to enter the ark, knowing that there is a mighty force behind you – one that cannot be cancelled.