The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. That tops any list of how civilized people should live. The number two commandment is, love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus doesn’t say to love those who agree with you or those who love you in return or those who are kind to you. He says, love your neighbor and we know our neighbor goes far beyond those who live in close proximity to our home.
Paul says; Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29 Paul warns us against unwholesome language, bitterness, improper use of anger, slander and bad attitudes toward our neighbor. We should listen and evaluate what is said and if we disagree do so respectfully.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case today. Our free speech is under attack by what is called, “cancel culture.” It is the ultimate love-mankind-but-hate-people strategy. “Cancellers” believe it is morally upright to despise your neighbor and ‘slap’ those who disagree with your point of view. Dictionary.com defines cancel culture as, “the practice of withdrawing support for (or canceling) public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive.” It is actually a form of online bullying.
Cancel culture comes from misinformed worldviews. To understand the cancel culture, it is important to understand secular and Marxist worldviews. The secularist’s view free speech as a bad thing. To transform a culture or society is to control the speech of your opponents. This goes back to Karl Marx who forbid debate because he wanted to overthrow the culture, ‘no holds barred.’ This is referenced in the Communist Manifesto thirty times.
As followers of the true God and the biblical worldview we must never stoop to this level nor deny that the cancel culture is real. We are called to be salt and light, to hold out truth about God and reality, expose falsehood and love our neighbor. Not always easy, but necessary, especially in our day.
Pr. Bob Snitzer
By the Way:
October 11, 9:00Sunday morning worship. Sermon: A Banquet
Please continue praying for our nation and the upcoming election! Vote your values!
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