Ancient Roots of Cancel Culture - Part 1
by Pastor Joseph Cortes (added to the UnCancellable's - PRIME COURSE in classroom course) Acts 4:17-20 (KJV) “But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” The Spirit Behind the Silence Cancel culture didn’t start with hashtags, corporate statements, or social-media mobs. It began two thousand years ago, when the rulers of Jerusalem gathered in panic as the message of Jesus Christ spread too quickly for their comfort. Acts 4 shows us the very first attempt to silence the Gospel. The religious elite wanted to shut down the apostles’ preaching before it spread any further. Sound familiar? The language hasn’t changed: “We can’t let this message spread among the people.” The same dark spirit still whispers that line today through governments, media, universities, and even pulpits that have lost their backbone. Behind every effort to control speech about Jesus is the same enemy that stood behind the Sanhedrin — the deceiver who’s been trying to muzzle truth since the Garden of Eden. The apostles didn’t face “policy issues.” They faced a spiritual conspiracy — hell itself working through powerful men to silence heaven’s message. And, friend, that’s still what’s happening today. You can call it political correctness, woke culture, censorship, or regulation — but underneath it all, it’s the same demonic drive to keep people from hearing about Jesus Christ. When Speaking the Truth Becomes a Crime