The Empire is the Real Cancel Culture

Folks love to holler about cancel culture these days like it’s the twelfth plague of Egypt.

Lose a book deal for being a bigot? “Cancel culture!”
Get roasted online for some racist nonsense? “Cancel culture!”
Face consequences for being hateful in public? “Persecution!”

Bless their hearts – they think getting unfollowed on Instagram is the same as being fed to lions.

But here’s the thing nobody at their prayer breakfast wants to talk about:
The real cancel culture started a long time ago
and it wasn’t run by progressives or college students.

It was run by empire.

And empire’s favorite target?
Anybody who dared to live Love out loud.

Like Jesus.
Like the prophets.
Like truth-tellers then – and now.

Cancel Culture: Then and Now

Let’s take a little stroll back to first-century Judea, shall we?

Jesus didn’t get canceled for being “too nice” or for “keeping religion safe from politics.”

He got canceled for flipping tables, crashing the money-changers' party at the Temple, healing folks without permission, and straight-up dragging the religious elite for being complicit in injustice.

He preached good news to the poor and bad news to the powerful.
He built community across enemy lines.
He exposed the rich, disrupted the system, and dared to suggest that Love was more important than Law.

The religious leaders didn’t clutch their pearls – they sharpened their knives.

And the empire? Rome didn’t sit around crafting mean tweets.
They nailed his brown-skinned, street-preaching, empire-defying body to a cross.

Because when power feels threatened, it doesn’t just cancel – it crucifies.

And if you think that's ancient history, look around.

Just yesterday, the Rev. Dr. William Barber – one of the most prophetic voices of our time – was arrested for doing nothing more than praying peacefully in the Capitol rotunda.

Think about that:
The same folks who scream about the loss of “prayer in public life” hauled a man of God away in handcuffs – for praying in public.

Turns out empire still doesn’t mind prayer,
as long as it doesn’t challenge power.

Jesus Wasn’t a Victim of “Wokeness” – He Was a Threat to Whiteness, Wealth, and War

Let’s get even plainer:
Jesus wasn’t crucified because he offended the wrong crowd at brunch.

He was murdered by a toxic cocktail of religious nationalism, fear of the poor rising up, and empire politics desperate to keep the status quo.

Sound familiar?

Today’s Christian Nationalists who whining about cancel culture are the heirs of the exact forces that canceled Jesus. They’re out here draping crosses in American flags, turning pulpits into political PACs, and crying foul when someone holds them accountable – all while preaching a Jesus who looks more like a suburban security guard than a street preacher from Nazareth.

They wouldn’t just cancel Jesus today – they’d call ICE on him.
Or report him to the FBI.
Or kick him out of their church for being "too political."

If Following Jesus Feels Comfortable, You’re Doing It Wrong

Let's get real:
If your Jesus always votes like you, lives like you, shops like you, and never makes you uncomfortable, congratulations, you’ve traded the real Jesus for a golden calf draped in red, white, and blue.

The real Jesus didn’t come to coddle the powerful.

He came to tear down thrones and lift up the trampled.
He said:
- Blessed are the poor – not blessed are the tax shelters.
- Woe to you who are rich – not “God bless your yachts.”
- Love your enemies – not bomb them in preemptive strikes.

He fed the hungry without checking their immigration status.
He touched the sick without asking for insurance.
He defended women caught up in public scandal while the men slipped away unnoticed.

And he didn’t get banned from Facebook for it,
he lost his life.

Final Benediction: Love Doesn’t Bow to Empire

So next time somebody starts hollering about cancel culture like it’s the death of civilization, just smile sweetly and say:

Funny. The Empire’s been canceling Love for thousands of years.
And you’re worried about people canceling Hobby Lobby knickknacks – you’re on the wrong side of that story.

Because Love doesn’t cancel justice to keep the powerful comfortable.
Love cancels oppression to set the captives free.

If your faith needs to cancel prophets to feel safe,
you don’t have faith –
you have fear in a Sunday suit.