Anything you battle‚ anything that seeks to hurt or destroy youanything that causes you to feel like I dont belong here‚ I am a fraud‚ I am an imposteryou can face that thing with your head held high because Jesus won.

Lets reconsider the word encourage.

There will be times when reconciliation may not be an option‚ but we can choose to forgive. We can release the need to feel vindicated‚ knowing that our Father in Heaven sees and is the righteous judge. We can forgive others‚ even when we dont feel like it‚ because God forgives us.

Last year‚ Vito Perrone was formally offered the job to lead the public schools of Easthampton‚ Massachusetts. Perrone was well qualified as the former Easthampton High School principal and as the interim superintendent of schools in nearby West Springfield.Unfortunately for Perrone‚ he sent an email to the school committee over contract negotiations that caused an uproar. Perrones sin? He addressed the women as ladies‚ which he meant as a sign of respect. However‚ this was deemed an unforgivable microaggression. Perrone was told that the fact that he didnt know that as an educator was a problem.The job offer was rescinded.In recent years‚ the minefields of cancel culture have blown up on formerly anonymous school officials as well as on well-known figures like J. K. Rowling and journalist Kevin Williamson. As New York Times columnist Ross Douthat observed‚ Cancellation‚ properly understood‚ refers to an attack on someones employment and reputation by a determined collective of critics‚ based on an opinion or an action that is alleged to be disgraceful and disqualifying.Cancellation is possible these days for anyone who commits actions or makes statements that one group or another considers beyond the pale. But what happens when cancel culture meets the breathtaking mercy of Gods kingdom?Cancel Cultures Perilous CliffOur merciless moment reminds me of Les Misrables‚ the 19th-century classic by Victor Hugo‚ and especially of the character Javert‚ who weaponized his narrow interpretation of justice. Hugo wrote‚ [Police inspector Javert] had nothing but disdain‚ aversion‚ and disgust for all who had once overstepped the bounds of the law. He sought to cancel all transgressorsespecially the former convict Jean Valjean.Javerts greatest strength was his biggest weakness. Driven by a Pharisee-like commitment to the letter of the law‚ he couldnt overlook the slightest infraction. Though Javerts toe-the-line mentality is often appropriate and admirable‚ writes Bob Welch‚ it becomes a millstone for himand society at largewhen used without restraint.Our cancel culture has brought us to the same perilous cliff. As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said‚ A society which is based on the letter of the law and never reaches any higher is taking very scarce advantage of the high level of human possibilities.Worse‚ the merciless approach of cancel culture drives us away from what sinful people like you and me most need: mercy.Seemingly Impossible ForgivenessGods kingdom provides a surer foundation. As the Lord said‚ Blessed are the merciful‚ for they shall receive mercy (Matt. 5:7). It sounds simple‚ but the implications should awe us.The merciless approach of cancel culture drives us away from what sinful people like you and me most need: mercy.Peter once asked Jesus‚ Lord‚ how often will my brother sin against me‚ and I forgive him? As many as seven times? (18:21). Peter was proud of his far-reaching forgiveness‚ having exceeded the accepted norm. But Jesus famously responded‚ I do not say to you seven times‚ but seventy seven times (v. 22). The lavish extent of divine mercy almost seems irresponsible.During my years as a pastor‚ Ive witnessed a range of situations in which people confess they cannot forgive: the man who was abused as a child‚ the wife of an alcoholic husband. Theyre undoubtedly right‚ apart from Jesus. Because God alone can fully heal our wounds and revive the dead‚ we need him to move our hearts to forgive. Jesus said‚ Father‚ forgive them‚ for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34). God calls us to do likewise‚ nearly impossible as it may seem.When this kind of mercy appears‚ our merciless world sits up and takes notice. Consider the case of Brandt Jean‚ the younger brother of accountant Botham Jean‚ who was killed by a Dallas police officer in his own apartment in 2018. In October 2019‚ the officer‚ Amber Guyger‚ was found guilty of murder.During the sentencing‚ Brandt took the stand and delivered a powerful victim impact statement. He said he forgave Guyger and hoped shed find peace and give her life to Christ. Then Brandt asked if he could hug her‚ and the two embraced for nearly a minute in the courtroom. His powerful act of mercy made national headlines.At the Edge of DestructionSometimes such acts hit closer to home. When one of my friends (well call him David) returned on furlough from missionary service in Europe‚ he called to ask whether he and his wife (Margaret) could visit us in the Chicago suburbs. David had been an intern at our church‚ and he was a significant church leader in his country. On several occasions‚ wed served together overseas‚ and we never missed an opportunity to enjoy fellowship when he was back in the States. But when we talked‚ I could tell from Davids voice something was wrong.The lavish extent of divine mercy almost seems irresponsible.On arrival‚ he asked if we could go for a walk‚ leaving Margaret with my wife‚ Angela. As soon as we stepped out the door‚ David began to confess marital infidelity. As we walked‚ he said hed not yet told Margaret but realized he needed to.We walked together for about 20 minutes‚ agreeing that when we returned to my house‚ hed confess. I felt like I was like watching a train wreck in slow motionwith loved ones sitting in the train. Margaret listened attentively as David poured out details of his sin. I watched her eyes fill with tears as her life collapsed before her. Then‚ after about 10 minutes of Davids monologue‚ there was silence.Poor Margaret. The ever-faithful pastors wife who was entirely devoted to her husband and their ministry was dealt a deep blow. She wouldnt have been faulted for allowing David to experience the destructive whirlwind of his own making. I pictured demons cackling with glee as the shadows of shame and condemnation encircled them.Mercy TransformsBut then Margaret spoke. She lifted her chin resolutely‚ face shining like an angel‚ and announced‚ I am committed to Christ. I am committed to our family. And therefore‚ I am committed to you‚ David. With each word‚ the light of heaven shone more brightly‚ and the shadows of condemnation rolled back.This was no cheap grace. Margarets pain is real and lasting. There was‚ of course‚ a journey of restoration and healing ahead‚ not to mention the need for structured accountability. Margarets trust had been shattered‚ and itd take time to rebuild her relationship with her husband. But the decisive stepher statement of mercyenabled this couple to escape the shadows and begin rebuilding together. Not all women can or should grant forgiveness to an unfaithful husband so quickly‚ but in this instance‚ Margaret did‚ and it was breathtaking.The decisive stepher statement of mercyenabled this couple to escape the shadows and begin rebuilding together.It was a real-life picture of the message at the heart of Les Misrables. That story isnt ultimately about Javert but about the thief Jean Valjean. At a bishops door‚ Gods mercy encircled Valjean like the prodigal son receiving his fathers embrace. And what was the result? Another story must begin‚ he cried. From that moment at the beginning of the novel‚ Valjean would change not only his name but his entire approach to life. Unlike police inspector Javert‚ his heart was captured by the mercy of God.Two Paths. Which Will We Choose?Valjean and Javert are remarkably similar. Both were born and raised in poverty. They were loners fighting with inner demons. Both attempted to embody ideals that would enrich society. The fundamental difference is their response to mercy. Valjean not only embraced it but made the transmission of mercy to the undeserving his overriding purpose in life.But when the light of mercy shone into the darkness of Javerts life‚ he recoiled.In the end‚ Javert committed the ultimate act of cancellation. He took his own life. In the musical version of Les Misrables‚ Javert cries‚ There is nowhere I can turn. There is no way to go on! The music is haunting‚ especially for the way it echoes Valjeans Soliloquy‚ a piece in which the former thief rejoices in the magnificence of Gods grace. The message is clear: when you live by the law‚ you die by the law.Thankfully‚ cancel culture will not have the last word in Gods kingdom. Jesus said‚ Blessed are the merciful‚ for they shall receive mercy (Matt. 5:7). Every time we extend mercy‚ forgiveness‚ and compassion in the name of Christwhen we extend love that pardons others for their guiltwe testify to the divine mercy God has shown us‚ and we reveal mercy to a world that so desperately needs it.

This book almost wasnt. At least‚ its not the book Jonathan Haidt originally intended to write. It was going to be only the first chapter of a book exploring another subjectthe destructive effects of social media on American democracy. However‚ the more he researched‚ the more aware he became of the depth and extent of the adolescent mental health crisis. This was not just an American phenomenon but one that was evident in many western nations. And spikes in teenage anxiety and depression‚ regardless of geographical region‚ synchronized in a manner that cannot be ignored.I have followed Jonathan Haidts work with great interest since reading The Coddling of the American Mind‚ which he coauthored with Greg Lukianoff. Haidt writes regularly on the vast cultural transformation that has resulted from the proliferation of information technology and social networking. As someone interested in the relationship between technology‚ media theory‚ and spiritual formation‚ Ive eagerly anticipated Haidts book on the role life online plays in the extremely high frequency of anxiety‚ loneliness‚ and depression in members of GenZ (the generation born after 1995). The wait was worth it.The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness is Haidts explanation of the dramatic decline in teen mental health. He argues that the Great Rewiring of Childhood‚ which he locates between the years of 2010 and 2015‚ is hurting our kids. During this time‚ childhood transitioned from being primarily play-based to being primarily phone-based. Haidt writes‚ By the early 2010s‚ our phones transformed from Swiss Army knives‚ which we pulled out when we needed a tool‚ to platforms upon which companies competed to see who could hold on to eyeballs the longest (115). This has increased the anxiety of a generation.Experience BlockersHaidt‚ social psychologist at Stern School of Business (NYU)‚ explains that the problem isnt just Gen Z using smartphones. He writes‚ I use phone-based broadly to include all of the internet-connected personal electronics that came to fill young peoples time‚ including laptop computers‚ tablets‚ internet-connected video game consoles‚ and most important‚ smartphones with millions of apps (7). Prior to the explosion of internet-connected devices‚ children and adolescents possessed phones‚ but these devices were basic (remember flip phones?)‚ which means they couldnt inflict as much damage as their successors.By 2016 according to a parent survey‚ 79 percent of teens owned a smartphone‚ as did 28 percent of children between the ages of 8 and 12. Around the clock access to the internet and especially to the social network platforms that sought to capture and maintain the attention of teens through an assortment of psychologically manipulative tactics‚ drew teens away from the real world into the virtual world.According to Haidt‚ earlier technological advancements contributed to the shift to the virtual world. The rise of cable TV and 24/7 news cycles inspired excessive fear among parents. Though well-intended‚ many parents have kept kids from engaging in the kind of autonomous‚ risk-taking play that research has shown is essential to help form kids into healthy‚ mature adults. Haidt argues‚ Overprotection‚ and also smartphones‚ each function as experience blockers‚ preventing children from getting the quantity and variety of real-world experience and challenge that they need (98).Haidt argues that the virtual world is characterized by forms of human interaction that are only decades old: (1) disembodiment‚ where communication is restricted to language‚ (2) online‚ asynchronous interaction via text-based comments and posts‚ (3) multiple simultaneous and unrelated one-to-many communications‚ and (4) easily entered and exited communities that do little to encourage relational investment. These are the online worlds provided by video games‚ social media‚ and even the digital communications between local friends. It turns out the real world is a healthier place.The church has an opportunity to be an oasis of reality in a virtual world that helps people be formed more humanely.Regardless of how realistic the virtual world seems‚ it can never be a substitute for the real world of embodied interaction‚ synchronous communication between individuals‚ and robust membership in real communities. Without intending to‚ The Anxious Generation reminds Christians that the doctrine of creation is not foremost an apologetic subject‚ but it has profound implications for living well. God calls the real world and the bodies he created to inhabit it good‚ even on this side of the fall. Haidts observations underline the importance of the work done by Christians in books like Samuel Jamess Digital Liturgies‚ John Dyers From the Garden to the City‚ Felicia Wu Songs Restless Devices‚ and Jay Kims Analog Christian. The church has an opportunity to be an oasis of reality in a virtual world that helps people be formed more humanely.Religious UndertonesAs I began reading‚ it was all I could do not to skip ahead to the eighth chapter (I resisted)‚ Spiritual Elevation and Degradation. Haidt argues there that in addition to well-documented problems such as social and sleep deprivation‚ attention fragmentation‚ and addiction‚ The phone-based life produces spiritual degradation‚ not just in adolescents‚ but in all of us (199).Haidt‚ an atheist‚ makes the rather startling admission that he sometimes need[s] words and concepts from religion to understand the experience of life as a human being. (201). This is because there is more to reality than the secular materialist narrative can account for. Haidts subscription to a naturalistic evolutionary account of human development and experience (including our religious impulses) is evident throughout the book‚ yet he believes that ancient spiritual practices may help us resist the destructive effects of the phone-based life.By spiritual‚ Haidt doesnt have anything supernatural in mind. Rather‚ he uses the term for actions and objects which lift us up and lead us to transcend ourselves as opposed to those that bring us down and fixate our attention on our own interests at others expense. He writes‚ To experience more self-transcendence‚ we need to turn from the things in our lives that activate the profane mode network and bind us tightly to our egos‚ such as time on social media (209).Thankfully‚ naturalism is not essential to the books thesis nor to the recommendations for collective action he makes to governments‚ tech companies‚ parents‚ and schools to combat the existing effects of and protect future generations from the Great Rewiring. For example‚ he urges schools to adopt phone-free policies and encourages parents to connect with other families that value play-based childhood.Local churches are natural settings for the kind of collective action Haidt proposes. Youth pastors and parents would benefit from considering how they can collaborate to create cultures that encourage more real world activity. Doing so‚ however‚ will require a willingness to forego speed‚ convenience‚ and efficiency for greater goods. It will also require the courage to withstand social pressure‚ even from fellow believers.Ancient PathsFar too many Christians ignore the relationship between technology‚ media theory‚ and spiritual formation for every believer. We have been prone to assess digital technologies primarily‚ if not exclusively‚ on the basis of the content they provide access to. Pornography (to which Haidt devotes a brief section in his chapter on the Great Rewirings effects on boys)‚ is obviously cause for concern and something to be resisted. But simply avoiding sexually explicit content is not enough‚ we have to question the formative power of our technologies. As media theorists such as Marshall McLuhan‚ Neil Postman‚ and more recently Nicholas Carr have noted‚ media are not ideologically neutral tools. Rather‚ they orient us toward and foster certain values‚ expectations‚ and conceptions of how life should be. Therefore‚ it is not enough to simply ask whether what we are using our devices to communicate and access is blatantly sinful. Haidt shows that the phone-based life is‚ at least in some ways‚ incompatible with what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.Rather than drifting with the cultures currents‚ Christians must apply a biblical understanding of the goodness of creation and embodied personal presence.Rather than drifting with the cultures currents‚ Christians must apply a biblical understanding of the goodness of creation and embodied personal presence. Haidts book reminds us of the vital necessity of mentoring children by instruction and example‚ the role of hardship in producing character‚ the formative powers of our technological habits‚ and the need for community to help us address the problems of living. The church has the moral resources to help address Haidts concerns.This book deserves an audience wider than those involved in the lives of children and teens. Haidt is correct that this book is helpful for anyone who wants to understand how the most rapid rewiring of human relationships‚ and consciousness in human history has made it harder for all of us to think‚ focus‚ forget ourselves enough to care about others‚ and build close relationships (17). The Anxious Generation is another reminder that sometimes the best way forward is to follow ancient paths.

In their conversation at TGC23‚ Collin Hansen‚ Michael Graham‚ and Christopher Watkin discuss Tim Kellers vision for cultural engagement and its future application. Reflecting on Hansens book‚ Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation‚ the panel talks about the people and the events that formed Kellers spiritual life and ministry priorities.