Christians in a Cancel Culture

Book Reviews

Jul 15

Christians in a Cancel Culture Book Cover

Christians in a Cancel Culture: Speaking with Truth and Grace in a Hostile World
By: Joe Dallas

[Fulfilling “A book with alliteration in the title” as part of the 2021 Spring/Summer Reading Challenge]

“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” —Mark 8:38

People are getting cancelled left and right. Christians don’t corner the market on being cancelled. People who were considered liberals 10 years ago are apparently no longer liberal enough and the hammer comes down. People of all professions are finding themselves having to make difficult decisions in the workplace, fearing termination for failure to exhibit ‘company values’ that were not previously expected.

[I’ve read many really good, relevant books about engaging with a culture who disagrees with our views and about the more specific topics— they are linked at the end of this review.]

In this book, Joe Dallas (former member of the gay community) has zeroed in on the impact and hostility cancel culture is having specifically on and toward the Christian community. The main cultural values at odds with our beliefs as Bible-believing Christians revolve around gender, marriage, abortion, Critical Race Theory, and ‘exclusive’ theological positions.

His heart for this book is to bolster Christians to stand firm in truth and conviction while showing compassion in our relationships. To encourage us to accept the cultural costs of declaring “the whole counsel of God”. (Acts 20:27) To offer some helpful statements or questions to use when talking about these topics with friends and family who may be pulling away from us as they find out our differing views. To caution us from becoming ‘ravers’ who resort to insults and sarcasm, loudmouths set on ‘winning’ an argument rather than listening and caring about the people who hold different viewpoints.

Or as he puts it: “equipping believers to provide reasonable answers and have effective dialogue with family members, close friends, and associates who take issue with their belief system.”

Dallas devotes a chapter each to the topics of abortion, homosexuality, race, transgenderism, and progressive Christianity. But before he gets into all of that he spends time highlighting what is happening with cancel culture right now. Using the definition of cancel culture found in the Cambridge dictionary he points out that cancel culture often goes beyond merely “to reject or stop supporting someone who says or does something to offend you.”

“Too often cancelled really means silenced, forcibly shut down, or completely cut off by a friend or loved one.”

It’s worth noting (and many of the linked books I provide discuss this as well) that definitions have been changing. Tolerant doesn’t mean what it used to. We can no longer agree to disagree and have a civil discourse to consider other viewpoints. Over the years culture has progressed from holding many of the same beliefs as Christians today, to asking us to explain our beliefs, to asking us to defend our beliefs, and now we are forced not just to defend our beliefs but to defend our right to even teach or practice them.

The Coddling of the American Mind explores how institutions of higher learning are pro-diversity except when it comes to viewpoints that oppose the mainstream cultural agenda. To voice a differing viewpoint is now considered to be creating an unsafe space for people psychologically. And threatening psychological comfort is now considered and act of violence.

To exacerbate the shift in definitions that rounds out how morality is defined, we add in identity groups and the demonizing (or as Dallas has coined “starring”) of certain groups, we’re getting into dangerous territory: loss of rights and the ability to voice any dissenting opinion.

The implications of cancel culture are deep and far-reaching. We must figure out how to engage with people and maintain our relationships while still disagreeing with their view if it contradicts the truths of the Bible.

I won’t detail his points within each of the “issue-chapters” (for lack of a better phrase) but I will say that I found them to be Scripturally sound and in line with the beliefs of the other books I linked.

The writing style of this book is very informal which is good and bad. It’s very easy to understand and follow, but at times his word choice may not be the most tactful and is sometimes a bit cheeky. I think this may turn some people off.

For example, he says, “But when everyone’s behaving fairly (read “like adults”),” and uses the words ‘childish’ and ‘tantrum’ a few times. While these may ring true in many interactions, especially online, it’s an unfair broad stroke to make that could alienate readers. It belittles the context of many situations.

He also says, “we’re not the ones going on social media trying to silence people, or on Amazon trying to ban books, or on college campuses shouting down speakers we disagree with.” Again, in a lot of ways this is right, but worded like this it paints Christians as saints when I think a lot of readers will have had experiences with nominal Christians who actually do try to forcibly silence people or try to cancel people from the other side. Even though we believe we have the side the truth, we must sadly recognize that there are people wielding it inappropriately. Worded this way, it also emphasizes the ‘us vs them’ mentality that I believe is harmful to effective dialogue. We should not be behaving and treating people how we are asking not to be treated.

I don’t believe his intent is to belittle or divide, there is much he says in his book that is compassionate and a striving for unity. I found most of his book very helpful and truthful. I just think you have to look past some of his phrasings and not let it taint the truth and intent of what he is saying.

It is conspicuous and reputationally dangerous to take a countercultural stand right now. ‘Being nice’ is the golden rule, but just being nice, though it sounds like ‘the right side’ is not going to fix any of the real problems we have in the world. We need more than niceness. We need truths that bring life. Let this book be an encouragement to you to:

“be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within us (1 Peter 3:15), speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), be unashamed of our Master’s words (Luke 9:26), act as ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), and contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3).”

“say no to yielding and yes to the outcome, be it personal heartache, social rejection, professional hardship, or criminal status. We’re all in, and we’ll stay all in so long as we value eternal truth over temporal convenience.”

One thing is made evident as you read this book. If we are truth-tellers, we need to be discerning of truth. How do we do that?

If the Bible is our authority for truth and the definer of morality, we need to know our Bible first and foremost. Secondly, we need to be readers. We cannot let social media, the news, or that one book everyone is reading be our only source of information. Discerning truth cannot be done in the vacuum of Facebook comment wars, retweets, CNN, or Babylon Bee articles.

Take ownership of your beliefs and be a learner.
Read the Bible.
Read more books (did I mention I linked books and reviews below???)
Be able to defend your beliefs. Not in rage but in conviction to truth. Just because you don’t know why you believe what you believe or your beliefs are unpopular does not mean they are not true.
Truth is not subject to the whims of flighty feelings and popularity contests.
Truth is there. Go find it.

Who knows how things will change in the years to come? Who knows what rights we will have? There are many unknowns. We can’t miss our opportunities to speak.

Our urgency is not driven by fear. It is driven by confident hope.

The truth cannot be cancelled.

“Our hope continues to be built on nothing less, because as long as the people of God are ready to speak the Word of God, and as long as the Spirit of God is ready to confirm the Word of God, then the people of God need never fear that the Word of God will be silenced. Some of us may be. But it, and He, will not.”

His Word is eternal, unfailing, and not subject to any man or government.

Amen.

Some quotes:

“When the voices surrounding you say you’re wrong, you might be tempted to reconsider your beliefs, especially if you never really examined and became grounded in them in the first place. That’s when you might think, Well, how can so many people be wrong? Maybe there’s something to what they say. That’s exactly why I think a number of not-too-well-grounded Christians have waffled on key issues.”

“To cave is not just to get along. It’s to value getting along above all else, even at the expense of honesty, integrity, or higher loyalties. Caving happens when a need for approval or an aversion to conflict or a fear of consequence overrides convictions.”

“Major social media platforms have decided they know what’s true, what’s moral, and what’s bigoted. Based on that knowledge, they define truth, morality, and bigotry, and thereby decide who should be allowed to speak, who should be silenced, who should be scrutinized whenever they post, and whose content and messaging should be given an unexamined green light.”

“To trust in the living God is to obey Him, since faith without works is dead (James 2:26). Obeying Him means fulfilling His commission to preach the gospel and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15). To make disciples is to teach them so they in turn will teach others (2 Timothy 2:2), and to teach is to give the full counsel of God from the Word of God in its entirety (Acts 20:27; 2 Timothy 3:16). That will include teaching what the Word says about sex, marriage, preborn life, prejudice, salvation, and judgment.”

“What is the primary reason the world hated Jesus? His words. What He said infuriated all the wrong people, who conspired to kill Him because they knew words have influence, and the influence of His words on the people would disrupt their agenda and control.”

“each political party has true believers. So does each social cause, and each faith counts them among its members. When true believers and truth go together, it’s a thing of beauty. But true believers anchored to something other than truth can be wrong, misguided, even scary.”

“Jesus didn’t shy away from declaring a truth just because someone else had declared it the wrong way. On the contrary, He took His positions all the more plainly, with love, authority, and clarity. He knew they were vital; He knew they were relevant. Even if they had been presented poorly in the past.”