Shane Idleman, Pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship, said on Monday that "Cancel Culture" is becoming prevalent in churches, but it still cannot silence God
Writing for Christian Headlines, Idleman said that he finds the actions of "the so-called church" more "disturbing" than the "actions of the world." He said that the world is "simply being true to its fallen nature," so there should be no surprise there.
Idleman, however, is saddened that many pastors are joining the cancel culture whenever they complain or make drastic actions against fellow believers over differing political views. To illustrate this point, he recounted his experiences of being canceled from a speaking engagement last year and the opposition from pastors when they decided to re-open their church on May 31.
Idleman also noted that on top of Facebook shadow banning the visibility of his sermon videos, and YouTube banning talks on "on vaccines and immunity," his local newspaper also canceled his articles. He suspects that this was due to the persuasion of liberal Christians who do not agree with his views.
"By this time, the shenanigans and the agendas of many political leaders were becoming apparent. We not only had a legitimate virus to deal with but we had agendas and ulterior motives working against us as well. Would churches capitulate and use Romans 13 out of context, or would they meet to fast, pray, and contend for the truth? Would they be cowards or watchmen?" said Idleman.
"My heart breaks for the church, but the truth is that many Christians are being influenced by social media rather than by God's Spirit and spend more time criticizing others rather than looking in the mirror and more time reading left-leaning liberals instead of reading and applying God's Word," he wrote on another part of his article.
In July 2020, Idleman said that his church held services at JetHawk Stadium in Lancaster, California. To his surprise, it wasn't the unbelievers who attacked him.
"Other Christians and pastors were gossiping and backbiting. It is telling that none of them seemed to be excited that over 10,000 people attended the 4-month event and we had over 150 baptisms, the majority of which were spontaneous," he said.
According to Idleman's diagnosis, "cancel culture" within the church is often "fueled by jealousy and arrogance." He noted that groups with the "They don't think like I think, so God cannot be using them" mentality have always been present throughout the ages. The Pharisees and denominational leaders who scorned revivals in the past were among his examples.
On pastors who still chose to keep their church doors locked, Idleman wrote that due to the immense pressure on their shoulders, they need "more grace, not less." He added though that just as "iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17)," "cowardliness" should not also go "unchecked."
"Sadly, many pastors are joining the cancel culture, keeping their church doors locked and aligning with ungodly organizations because they have either lost the compass of truth or the boldness of the Spirit-or possibly both. They are distant from Christ, and therefore seek to be pleasers of men rather than lovers of God," cautioned Idleman.
"They may cancel people, ideas, concepts, videos, articles, and sermons, but they can never cancel God!"
