Cancel Culture

It seems every time we turn on the news today another megachurch pastor is involved in a scandal. Matt Chandler is the most recent pastor to come under scrutiny for what some would consider questionable activity. Today, social justice warriors along with followers of Christ desire to simply cancel everyone. When it comes to Matt Chandler or any other faith leader, I am not here to determine what is wrong or right. That is not my purpose. As someone who has been guilty of being offended by the slightest of transgressions or misspeaking of those in leadership, I believe we should give the same grace we expect from the pulpit to those behind the pulpit. Our culture, like the pharisees of old, has become too comfortable casting stones. I do not stand in judgement of others, because there are far too many times I have gleefully thrown stones from my glass house. If we had been living long ago, we would have surely cancelled Paul, David, and Peter. This is, by no means, an endorsement to not call out sin or to not hold people in leadership accountable. This is merely a reminder to give them the same grace God has given us. Before we discredit and shame anyone, let us remember we serve the God of second chances. God should have given up on all of us a long time ago, but he never has. So perhaps before we give these leaders our judgement, we should try grace instead. If we as a church and as a country cannot give our leadership the same grace we expect from them, we will no longer have leaders but only liars to follow.