“You will never reach your destination if you stop and
throw stones at every dog that barks.” Winston Churchill
Because we live in a “cancel culture,” sometimes
Christians are as foolish. We become so defensive and so caught up in the battle that we miss that sometimes there are things that should be canceled.
Recently, the media reported that they’re
canceling Dr. Seuss. That’s not completely accurate. Of the sixty children’s
books that Dr. Seuss wrote, six of them will no longer be published, But maybe
they should be canceled.
Dr. Seuss’s real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel
and Dr. Geisel became famous, first of all, as a cartoonist of political
cartoons and only later more famous and much more wealthy as the bestselling
author of children’s books known as the Dr. Seuss books. He took his pen name Dr.
Seuss by taking his middle name and using his doctorate in order to
identify as Dr. Seuss. His books, his stories, and poetry include unusual rhyme which
was a delight to children. His storylines became part of American culture.
Why are these six Dr. Seuss books not being republished?
Because Dr. Seuss wrote for his day and in them, he used what today is
considered offensive and insensitive imagery. The historical context of so much
of the controversy has a great deal to do with World War II and with the fact
that before he became a children’s author and illustrator, Dr. Seuss was a
political cartoonist. In his cartoons that were published before, during and
after World War II, there were racist depictions. Many fueled by the war.
During World War II propaganda took place on
all sides of the war, particularly in the Axis powers, Nazi Germany and
Imperial Japan, but also by the allies fighting against the Axis powers. In the United States, even the war posters, the propaganda posters, the advertising
that would have been quite familiar to Americans during World War II would be
quite concerning to Americans today.
That’s what’s really important for us as Christians
– the historical context. While that doesn't mean the historical context
justifies any kind of artistic misrepresentation, it does mean the historical
context helps us understand it. With the attack at Pearl Harbor, Japan became
the great enemy.
The Bible teaches that every human being is
made in the image of God, even the ones who attack us. Christians are commanded
to love God and love their neighbor. Every human being is Imago Dei and
we’re to celebrate what God has given us in humanity. We’re to treat all people
with respect. It’s biblically wrong to dehumanize other image-bearers of God, even
in wartime, even in a cartoon or a children’s book. That should caution us from
immediately becoming defensive every time there’s a suggestion of cancel
culture. Yes, cancel culture is a contemporary reality, but we’re wasting energy
to “swat” at all of it. Let me highlight some considerations that may help you navigate
these difficult waters.
In an extreme culture, the only
way to garner attention is to be more extreme than the already extreme. New York Times
columnist, Charles M. Blow, did that
when he wrote recently that Pepé Le Pew “normalized rape culture.” Such silliness
should have been met with a yawn. Seriously, Pepé Le Pew? Has Mr.
Blow watched the music videos by Kool G, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B and countless others? Can
we start with rappers “normalizing rape culture” and violence against women before
we target a cartoon skunk?
The media loves to manipulate more
than they do to report the news. Increased
ratings mean increased revenue. Compare the teaser or headline to the actual “news”
report. Often it’s a lot of smoke with no fire. Yet, it’s not just secular media
that does it. Some Christian organizations are masters of using liberal attacks
on our “cherished values” to increase their following and fundraising efforts.
Big business cares more about profits
than morals. The toy company, Hasbro, received millions of dollars of
free advertising when they canceled Mr. Potato Head. The move wasn’t ideological
but fiscal. How can a company suggest that they care about human beings, much
less sexual “rights” when a large percentage of their factories are in China
(over 40 according to a 2018 report).
China has a consistent history of being
repressive of all human rights. Their genocide of the Uighurs is a confirmed
fact. It’s hypocrisy for Hasbro to suggest they care about human rights and freedom
while the majority of their manufacturing takes place in China. The same is
true of most other major corporations who wring their hands publicly in the States
about racism and sexual rights, yet are in bed with evil totalitarian states.
Politicians care more about power than
ideology. While there is always the wonderful exception, in general politicians
will do what it takes to stay in power and keep their party in power. While as
Christians we must hold to moral absolutes, politics is the world of compromise
and cutting deals.
Where
does this all leave us? The Bible prophesied that this would happen. “Evil
men…will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13).
Our Heavenly Father is not surprised by any of this. The Lord Jesus said, “even
so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is
near” (Luke 21:31).
Because
we’ve been blessed by God with religious freedom in America, we need to seek to
protect it while we can. Yet, even if we lose it, God’s mission has not changed.
In a world intoxicated by anger and fear, we’re to live differently. God has
called us to be people of grace, faith, and peace.
Those
1st century Christians are our model. They, too, lived in tumultuous
times but refused to be distracted from the mission. What our world desperately
needs is the gospel, to know that God loves them, that Jesus died on the cross
for all of our sins and the only hope is to surrender to King Jesus. God has
not called us to be cultural warriors but sharers of the cure, the heart cure –
new life in Christ. Let’s not swat at flies when we’re commanded to be sharers
of God’s wonderful grace (2 Cor. 5:14, 21).
