Have the cancel culture bullies come for you? If not, get ready, because they are looking for you!
Have you ever been bullied? I have, and I didn’t like it!
- There was this big kid in 6th grade who found it fun to pick on the pudgy kid who was so poor he had to bring a sack lunch to school every day.
- Two years later, in junior high, another big kid thought it would be fun to terrorize the geeky kid who worked in the school library.
- Fast forward three years into high school, and you guessed it, there was another big kid who thought picking on the science nerd who wore old fashion clothes was great sport.
What is it about bigger kids who thrive in terrorizing people different from them? That was the way bullies worked back in the days before social media.
Things are different now.
Cyber Cancel Bullies Surround Us
Considerably older now, I thought I was past having to deal with bullies. Sadly, no. It turns out in the connected world in which we live, there are more bullies, not fewer. You don’t have to be bigger to be a cyberspace bully. You just have to have a keyboard. Plus, the potential for anonymity emboldens folks to band together as bullies to “cancel” others.
That’s what happened to me.
I was following a message stream in a private Facebook group when someone launched a nasty missile at me for expressing a Biblical position on a topic in the news. Within minutes, several dozen cyberbullies were piling on in their condemnation of me and the Biblical position I represented. They banded together like a pack of wolves going after a fresh kill. Some comments were genuinely hateful, while some were downright frightening.
Fearing some nut-ball might try to track me down and carry out their cyber threats, I deleted all my posts in the group and then the group itself.
Cyberbullies canceled me because I dared to express my faith.
Today’s cyberbullies seek to cancel people who believe and express different views than those they deem acceptable. Everyone is fair game. If you disagree with their view of politics, social issues, or religion, their answer is to bully you out of existence. The cancel culture at its worst!
Scripture Warned Us
Even though the cyberbullying I experienced is a fairly recent phenomenon, Peter warned us long ago to expect this treatment.
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you…If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” (1 Peter 4:12,14).
During Peter’s time, there was intense persecution in the young Christian church throughout the Roman empire. Christians were hunted down, tortured, thrown in prison, had their property seized, and were even burned alive as human torches.
Confessing your Christian faith in the first century would bring persecution and could even have cost you your life!
Cyber-Bullies Today
For most Christians in the free world, the fiery trials we endure come from a new form of persecutor. Today’s persecutors are often cyberbullies who attempt to cancel Christians and their faith through persecution, hatred, and loss.
Persecution
Persecution of Christians today includes being excluded, insulted, disgraced, and slandered. Jesus Himself warned us to expect this persecution.
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me” (Matthew 5:11).
Hatred
Jesus also warned us to expect hatred. He said the secular world would hate Christians because they also hate Him.
“All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” Matthew 10:22).
Suffer Loss
Finally, Jesus warned us to expect persecution in the form of property loss, beatings, imprisonment, and even martyrdom.
“Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles” (Matthew 10:17-18).
Be Prepared
Christians who stand firm in their faith need to be prepared for and expect fiery trials, persecution, and the cancel culture mob of cyberbullies to come after them.
If it hasn’t happened to you yet, you’re lucky—even more reason to prepare for the attack that is certain to come.
When the persecution does come, remember Jesus’ words, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” Don’t ever forget: Jesus promised a blessing for those who stand firm.
More Articles
I have written many articles on our dependence on God. You can find them by typing “Dependence on God” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are several of my favorites.
- #412: Are You Leading with A God-Centered Focus?
- #399: What Was the Most Important Question Jesus Asked?
- #384: Don’t Listen to Your Critics. Listen to God Instead!
- #377: Are You Filled with Hope, Joy, and Peace?
- #371: Weak Leaders Create One Problem After Another
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Has a cyber-bully tried to cancel you or someone you know? How will you protect yourself from the attacks when they do come?
I’d love your help. This blog is read primarily because of people like you who share it with friends. Would you be kind enough to share it by pressing the share button?
Category: Personal Development | Dependence on God
Books publishers are dropping author’s whose content they disagree with, a documentary about Clarence Thomas was dumped by Amazon without explanation during black history month, Dr. Seuss books are being dropped, etc. In the end, who should decide what content we get to read? Do we truly have a free marketplace, or a market overseen by Orwellian handlers?
John, I read about the Clarence Thomas documentary just a week or so ago, and now it is gone. I have yet to see anyone explain what was racist about the Dr. Suess books. I saw a quote from Kevin Sorbo (aka Hercules) last week, and I am paraphrasing, “When was the last time someone who stifled free speech and burned books the good guy?”