“Welcome to the Cancel-Approval Culture!”

By Richard Allen - February 14, 2022

We’ve sure heard a lot about the cancel-culture as of late. What a sad state of affairs we have here in the U.S., that those who practice traditional values are in danger of getting canceled at every turn by those who practice and celebrate aberrant lifestyles. The Joe Rogan saga is a clear example of the media censorship that the cancel-culture envisions. So much for our First Amendment "Freedom of Speech." Even medical professionals like Dr. McCullough with long careers and established expertise, are not allowed to diverge from the state-approved-medical-edicts coming down from Mt. Olympus (Washington DC), and the CDC with their sycophants and clingers seeking approval from the all-controlling new world order.

But what’s not so clearly understood is that there’s not only a cancel-culture seeking to destroy the traditional norms of right and wrong that we in the West hold near and dear, but there is an approval-culture that goes hand in hand with it. To make it simple to understand, I’d like to call this phenom: Newton’s Third Law of Moral Motion! To refresh your minds, here’s Newton’s Third Law of Motion stated briefly:

“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” (Newton’s Third Law of Motion)

I believe we’re looking at a moral corollary of Newton’s Third Law! If you are cancelling one thing, you are of necessity, approving something else. If you approve of one behavior, you have to cancel another. By approving one set of facts, you are of necessity disapproving any divergent facts that contradict what you’ve approved. It’s really an all or nothing game, especially for those who have gained dominant control in post-Christian societies. These Elites practice a “my way or the highway” approach on virtually every issue they seek to dominate. And sadly, they appear to be in control of most major institutions that used to stand for truth, justice and patriotism. I recently heard a very well-known Bible preacher say that “because our centers of learning (schools and colleges) are totally controlled by the cancel-approval-culture, it’s too late for us to get back to practicing righteousness here in the West,” we’re now at the stage of demise and judgment as a society.

In this week’s blog I’d like to reflect on what this sinful compulsion is, that causes fallen men to seek to control others. And make no mistake, the cancel-approval-culture is about control and compelling others to obey! This compulsion isn’t just their asking to be left alone to do their own weird thing, no, they seek to compel everyone to permit and approve their ideology and behavior. Since there is zero tolerance for any other view, they forbid any difference of opinion, tradition or practice that doesn’t fit their ideology. I might add, that this isn’t a new phenomenon. The desire "to be approved and loved while accepting my deviant behavior," has long existed. What fun is there in “doing your own weird thing” if you believe others are still judging and condemning you for your bad behavior. No, the new “Intolerant Left” (Jonah Goldberg calls them “Liberal Fascists”), require your obedience and your approval – so they can justify their bad actions! (Romans 1:32)

Human societies have long worked like this, networking together into collectives that make it easy to crush dissention and force uniformity on everyone else. From ancient times men have sought to collect into groups to gain approval and make names for themselves, and prevent their influence from being neutralized. God was fully aware that even after the flood, unrepentant men sought to group together to do evil. So, at Babel He confused their languages, disbursing them across the earth, neutralizing their agreement and evil designs:

"Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.” So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.” (Genesis 11:1-9)

This ancient account of the Tower of Babel is illustrative of man’s desire to control his own and his neighbor’s circumstances – and not to be subject to God’s sovereign control! This collective compulsion to make a name for themselves was the not only modus operandi of Babylon, but of all world ideologies and empires. This was true of Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, the Ming, Mongolian and Ottoman Empires, as well as British, American, Napoleonic, Third Reich, Soviet Union, Communist China, Radical Islam and virtually all other empires who have sought to make a name for themselves and rule the world! Some of these empires did some great things, bringing prosperity and self-rule to the masses, but most sought to create vassal states to serve the empire and its insatiable lust for power and wealth! But more often than not, wherever this desire to dominate has come about, it was done for the empire’s well-being and control over the people!

Jesus clearly taught about these Gentile Kings and their Kingdom's desire to lord it over others when He said:

“But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matt 20:25-28)

It’s just part of our fallen natures to want to control those around us. Several verses I’ve always found interesting, and show how this compulsion works, are found in the Prophets Isaiah and Micah:

“Oh, how bad for those who hoard property and wealth, buying up houses and fields, right and left, until there is no place left for anyone else; you will find yourselves very alone in the midst of this great land!” (Isaiah 5:8)

“They see fields they want and take them. They see houses, and they grab them up. They persecute each landowner, taking all that belongs to him – including his freedom and his children’s inheritance.” (Micah 2:2)

In these two passages, it appears that the wealthy do a lot of “collective actions” to control those around them. Whether it’s buying real estate, or manipulating the stock market, or even raising taxes to help a crony friend – their motives are always the same: Hoard the wealth (power) of those around you, so you can make a name for yourself and compel everyone to approve and obey your own ideology and edicts. And what is really sick, more often than not, the wealthy in this world don’t need money, or the things that money can buy, THEY JUST WANT TO CONTROL OTHERS!

You might ask, “why do fallen men and women seek to control others?” I think ultimately the reason is because we are dying – AND WE’RE TORTURED BY THE FEAR OF IT! Hebrews 2:14-15 says:

“That through death he (Jesus) might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”

This fear of death makes us do crazy things, all to make a name for ourselves and gain approval. We need to somehow validate our existence! If we can’t control our own life, maybe we can assuage our fear and guilt by controlling others! Couple this desire to coerce the masses around us with the need to belong and fit in – and you have a recipe for a New One World Order. In fact, people are so desirous to be accepted and included, that according to Revelation, they’ll marvel at, and give their approval to the Beast:

“And they worshiped the dragon who had given its authority to the beast. They also worshiped the beast and said, “No one is like this beast! No one can fight against it.” (Revelation 13:4)

Regardless of your school of thought, virtually all interpretations see the Beast as a representation of world empires, if not an actual person. Daniel the Prophet had envisioned the Four Beasts that arose from the sea as being successive Gentile Empires that would dominate Israel: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. I only point out that when these empires were or will be at their zenith in “compelling-approving the whole world,” people on the earth marvel, and worship because “no one can fight against the beast!” I’m not at all sure where we are regarding End-Times, but one thing is certain, we live in an age where it’s easy to see a “One-World-Empire” compelling everyone to obey – OR ELSE! All those around us are marveling: “Who can possibly resist the Beast?”

Believe it or not, I’m hearing this same lament from my friends and family who work in education, government, academia, medicine and even in the corporate world. Their responses to the cancel-approval culture are virtually the same: “How can I possibly fight it? CRT (Critical Race Theory), MV&S (Mask-Vax & Shut-up), Compulsory LGBT Rights, Man-Made Climate Change and Gender Choice Rights are all a fait accompli! “I can’t fight the Beast, he controls everything!” What makes them really sick is that they aren’t only having to Cancel their own right of beliefs and self-determination, but they are being compelled to Approve each of the tenets of the New World Order in order to stay employed. I fear that what is coming soon is a complete Cancelation of the personal freedoms to shop, travel, work, eat at a restaurant, assemble in a house of worship, go to school and / or any other normal behavior – UNLESS THEY APPROVE OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER!

But there is a silver lining, God in His ultimate purpose is also displaying Newton’s Moral Law of Motion: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. There is resistance to all of the evil that is being pushed by the New World Order. Reasonable People of Faith and Values are sickened by the cancel-approval-culture and are starting to balk at the onslaught of Falsehood, Injustice and Self-Loathing they see dominating our culture. They are standing up for Truth, Justice and Patriotism across many former Christian cultures. While they don’t have the power, money or position of the New World Order, they do have massive numbers who just want: “To lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.” (I Timothy 2:2)

Those who are genuine believers aren’t looking to cancel-approve or compel-control their neighbors. No, we just want to influence others by faithful and godly living. In the world of today, it’s only real believers in Christ who want to Live and Let Live! We’re not looking to cancel anything but sin and death through Our Lord Jesus Christ!