Reflection for Epiphany 7
Cancel-Culture and the Sermon on the Plain
‘Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.’ Luke 6:36-7
‘Cancel-culture’ - the recognition that society (usually on-line) will exact accountability for offensive conduct by on-line shaming and withdrawal of support for an individual (usually a celebrity) – has as many detractors as it has supporters since it became a popular phenomenon in 2019.
Detractors as diverse as Donald Trump and Pope Francis criticize cancel-culture – albeit for different reasons. The politician seeing it as a form of totalitarianism and a political weapon used to shame people forcing submission, while the Pontiff sees it as a form of ‘ideological colonisation’ that squashes debate over important issues and a diversity of identity.
Its supporters see it as a vehicle where people who have been marginalized for generations are able to ‘call-out’ offensive and discriminating conduct by powerful people. Where marginalized people and groups can be finally heard.
Still others see it as behaviour almost as old as time, where those in power have utilised ‘cancel-culture’ to hide histories of injustice by silencing or persecuting protestors.
In Luke, chapter 6, Jesus warns his followers plainly that working for the kingdom will lead to persecution by those who have power – a sure sign that they are doing God’s work.
In the second part of the sermon, Jesus counters against a (natural) desire for vengeance when faced with hostility.
“Love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return” (Luke 6:35)
And in a final warning against hypocrisy when judging others; first ‘take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbour’s eye’.
It is all too easy to ‘cancel’ someone or some group in 2022 with just the push of a button. The much harder job is sitting down with our own ‘log’ of attitudes/assumptions and dealing with our own murky history before learning about what ‘specks’ might be in our enemy’s eye.
Maybe, with Christ’s help, when we learn to forgive the enemy in own lives, we may be reader to forgive the other.
Blessings
Ceri
