[This reflection by Dazz Jones was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 04/May/2025]
Recently, I was talking with a friend who said, “I’ve ‘unfollowed’ [insert famous church leader here] because of what he said about …”
The leader in question had posted a written prayer on Instagram about a particularly emotive subject. I had a look myself and, interestingly, I thought it wasn’t clearly aligned with either side of the issue — but perhaps that was just my perception.
That’s neither here nor there, really. What I found fascinating was seeing, in real life, someone decide they felt so strongly about one part of a prayer, that they no longer wanted to hear anything else that person had to say. I was witnessing “cancel culture” in action.
This week, I found myself wondering: what things might Jesus have said that would get Him “cancelled” today?
- “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s …” — Matthew 22:15–22
- “If your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away.” — Matthew 18:9
- “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” — Matthew 18:21–22
It’s not a new phenomenon to pick and choose who we listen to. But now, with the overwhelming flood of information and the digital tools to filter it, we can easily block out voices or opinions that challenge or discomfort us. We create echo chambers — spaces where we only hear views that align with our own.
Yet much of what Jesus said was deeply challenging in His own time, and it remains just as confronting for us today. Are we willing to listen? Are we willing to wrestle with the difficult things He says, rather than simply tuning them out?
I’d encourage us all to check in with some of the harder teachings of Jesus by picking up a Bible and reading them — not to cancel them or avoid them, but to engage with Him through them. There is blessing, growth, and deeper discipleship on the other side of that discomfort.
Resources:
[1]
Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.
Bible dates:
Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

HBC main site
Confidential prayer link
Link to Recent Reflections
.
Link to Index of Bible Passages
Last Sunday’s reflection: The Road to Emmaus by Michael Goble
May 2025
Contributed by Dazz Jones; © Dazz Jones