Canceled
FORGIVENESS IN AN OUTRAGE CULTURE
Winston Marshall, former banjoist for the English folk-rock band Mumford and Sons, writes fondly of the band’s early days: “Hostels in Fort William, pub floors in Ipswich, even the Travelodge in Carlisle maintains a sort of charm in my mind. We saw the country and then, as things miraculously grew, the world. All the while doing what we loved.”1 For over ten years the band found success in the industry together. Then, one tweet in March of 2021 changed everything. Marshall tweeted American journalist Andy Ngo about his New York Times Best Seller, Unmasked: Inside Antifa’s Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy. The tweet congratulated Ngo on his bravery for writing on the topic and the next 24 hours were nothing the band could have prepared for.
Tens of thousands of angry retweets and comments slayed Marshall for commenting on a book that criticizes the far-left, assuming he held allegiance to the far-right. The tweet and following backlash hit not only the banjoist but the band as a whole. Marshall found no other option but to leave the band he loved and had played with for over a decade. He hoped that his departure would allow the band to continue despite his own impending “canceling.” One tweet over a book and a previously well-respected music career came to a screeching halt. This is the world we live in. This is the cancel culture of 2021.
Christianity is the counterculture to the cancel culture.
The origins of cancel culture are debatable but undeniably have been present since biblical times. Without doing anything wrong and despite living a sinless life, Jesus Himself was canceled. He was met by an angry mob as they shouted, “Crucify him!” If our Savior was no stranger to a culture like our own, how are we, as His followers, to navigate the waters of our so-called outrage culture?
Christianity is the counterculture to the cancel culture. The Bible, and therefore God Himself, has a lot to say about how we are to treat other people, and it couldn’t be more different from what we see in our culture, our workplaces, and even our own families apart from Christ.
CANCEL CULTURE says there is no hope for you once you’ve acted incorrectly.
CHRISTIANITY says all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23-24), and we have the opportunity for a new life in Christ. We can start over.
“He does not deal with us according to our sins nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103: 10-12, ESV
CANCEL CULTURE says you’ve done wrong so I will ignore you. I will no longer support you.
CHRISTIANITY says you’ve done wrong so I will forgive you. We will seek to move forward in unity.
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:12-14, ESV
CANCEL CULTURE says you’ve hurt me so I am entitled to hurt you.
CHRISTIANITY says God sees me so I don’t need to seek revenge.
“But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.” Matthew 5:39-41, ESV
Side note: This doesn’t mean Christians should be push-overs or let injustices go unpunished. In Matthew 10, Jesus tells His disciples to “…be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (ESV). In the verse above from Matthew 5, Jesus is talking about resisting the urge to take personal vengeance. Jesus Himself is our example in this. He was silent before His accusers and even as He was beaten He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing” Luke 23:24, NLT.2
CANCEL CULTURE says I will use what little power I have to hold accountable those who have social/political power and a far-reaching audience.
CHRISTIANITY says God has ultimate power and will bring perfect justice, not me.
“Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:17-21, ESV
CANCEL CULTURE says I should fear what could happen if I say the wrong thing or am misunderstood.
CHRISTIANITY says I don’t need to fear. I am secure in my place with God and His church will not leave me. God will never misunderstand me.
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39, ESV
Winston Marshall has no plans to rejoin Mumford and Sons. He wants to continue writing and speaking on what he’s learned through his experience, and his choice to do so could bring more harm to the band, which is something he’s not willing to permit. In our cancel culture, one sentence (or tweet) can be twisted to misrepresent an entire identity, and not even an apology can guarantee things will be mended back together one day. What someone says once reflects the entirety of who they are and who they will always be. When we put our trust in Christ, the opposite happens. We aren’t judged by our actions and failures anymore, but by His complete perfection. God, knowing full well our weakness, does not “cancel” us when we fall short, and He gives us the grace to try again. He hears us out when we own our mistakes and say we’d like a do-over. His people should do the same for each other and the rest of the world.
1 mrwinstonmarshall.medium.com/why-im-leaving-mumford-sons-e6e731bbc255
2 gotquestions.org/turn-other-cheek.html