Christians in a Cancel Culture: Speaking with Truth and Grace in a Hostile World

by Joe Dallas

The WHO, WHAT, and HOW of Responding to Those Who Want to Silence You

You’ve based your understanding of today’s sensitive social issues on the Bible’s truth. Mainstream culture not only sees these issues differently but calls you bigoted for rejecting views they’ve deemed self-evident. So how do you witness Christ’s love to those ready to write you off as hateful?

Christians in a Cancel Culture breaks down how you can speak wisdom about politically charged and personal subjects with equal parts compassion and conviction. This book will affirm your understanding of the Bible’s views on sin, salvation, racism, gender identity, homosexuality, and abortion while teaching you… Walking in faith isn’t about fighting culture wars but witnessing Jesus’s restorative grace to those who haven’t yet found it. Christians in a Cancel Culture will prepare you to stay true to your beliefs as you address today’s controversies while opening doors to deeper discussions about Christ’s redeeming love.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Christianity, Religion, Faith, Theology, Cultural

208 pages, Paperback

Published August 3, 2021

About the author

I'm a Christian author, husband and father of two, married to my lovely wife Renee since 1987. We fellowship at Newport Mesa Church in Orange County, CA, and I run a ministry in Tustin, CA, called Genesis Counseling. Most of my writing has focused on sexual issues from a conservative Christian perspective, and since 1987, I've been honored to work with men who want to resolve conflicts between their sexual behavior and their relationship with Christ.

Reviews

[Emily | emilyisoverbooked · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 18% of the way in. Thank you NetGalley and Harvest House Publishers for the advanced copy.

I've been interested in learning more about cancel culture, and thought this could be an interesting take since I am also a Christian. However, this isn't a book on "how can we as Christians respond to a cancel culture" as much as a reaction of "how can we as Christians fight the cancel culture that is only treating us unfairly." It is a book complaining that conservative Christians are being attacked and wanting to cancel all culture that isn't ultra-conservative-Christian, and not an open two-way street of how to be a Christian in a cancel culture, as the title says.

Quote: "But when everyone's behaving fairly (read "like adults"), then declaring our beliefs won't trigger serious rational, professional, or legal consequences." ...except that if you make racist comments or treat people as less than human, honestly, that's not behaving fairly OR like an adult. Dallas puts politically correct into quotes when he uses the term, referred to Antifa influence over political leaders, said Christians experience “cancel culture Uzi” when being asked to call a transgender female "Elizabeth", and called George Floyd protests "throwing a lethal national fit." I think you can understand the type of thinking this writer has from these examples.

Dallas says "Will we faithfully- in our pulpits, homes, and lives- profess and steward the Word of God without adding to or detracting from it?" Hopefully, yes, and hopefully, that will mean actually reading the Bible and learning how to act and treat people instead of reading this book.

[Anna Tan]

I have been sitting on this because this book is a difficult one to review. I picked this up as an eARC from Harvest House Publishers via NetGalley and should have probably just passed on it and saved myself some headache.

Maybe let's start with what it does get right. When Dallas actually gets into the meat of the issues he wants to talk about (Abortion, Homosexuality, Race***, Gender, Progressive Christianity*) he sets out quite fairly the current views of the issue** and what God says about them in the Bible. There is no ambiguity, no obvious twisting of verses, no over-the-top bias. He presents a clear Christian worldview of how things were intended to be by God. And that's not a bad thing for someone who professes to follow Christ.

Contrary to popular opinion, Christians do still have the right to take a stance on their beliefs, and in this, I agree with Dallas. Practising or following a religion requires that you follow the standards set by that religion/faith, and stating that you personally believe a certain thing according to that faith is not a crime. Persecuting others for those personal beliefs are a crime, and this is true in both directions.

But this is also where Dallas muddies the waters. As I stated in my Rant Chapter 1, the whole angle of this book presumes several strange premises:
1. That passing laws to allow others to do what you disagree with is a law attacking you and your beliefs as a Christian;
2. That free speech equates to the right to be listened to no matter what and people not wanting to listen to you is an attack on your personal freedom and rights (???); and
3. USA is a Christian nation and all laws need to be Christian and therefore current society is attacking Christians.
(OMG the persecution complex there)

I mean, these three premises alone puts the book in a very weird, off-kilter position, where some of the things Dallas says are true, but the rest of it is very, very wrong. (Also, a note to global readers, most of the issues spoken to here arise out of specifically American problems related to US laws, so may not apply across the board.) One of the reasons this book really irks me, actually, is this uber American Evangelical stance of "what Christians believe should be made law for everyone else", even non-Christians, which in my part of the world, when done other faiths try to do it, is "[religion] is oppressing Christians! How dare they!" Think about that hypocrisy for a moment.

So on one hand, part of the book has its merits. But what Dallas gets terribly, terribly wrong is how he ends each of those chapters. And unfortunately, this is also the most crucial part. Because now that you know what God says about an issue, you also need to know what's the Christ-like way to react to that issue. And instead of anything useful, loving, or kind, Dallas just tells you how to continue digging your heels in and getting people to hate you for your beliefs. The assumption here is that "because I am a Christian, my opinions are right, and whatever you say or think or feel doesn't matter in light of that."

That bit is subtitled "Keep It Going", which I assume refers to keeping the conversation going, and it is just a horrible mess of gaslighting in the name of "discourse". An example would be where the response to "I need you to call me by my preferred name and pronoun" is answered by "Don't ask me to call you by names and pronouns that represent something I don't believe is real". Later on, in response to "If you can't accept me for who I am, then I have to keep my distance from you. I won't tolerate someone who's transphobic" is refuted by "unless I treat you with disrespect and hostility, I really think the transphobic label is way off base". (IDK, I kinda think not calling someone by the name they want to be called, transgender or not, is actually really disrespectful and hostile.)

Circling back to hypocrisy and doublespeak, the one thing that Dallas keeps bringing up over and over again is how hurt Christians feel when current society cancels them for their beliefs and how breaking family relationships and friendships over a difference in opinion is bad and wrong, and why can't everyone just STILL be friends despite them being a horrible, gaslighting person? Let me just end this review with this thought:

How is this any different from when churches and Christian families excommunicated and kicked out members, children, and friends over many of these issues? Did they not also feel hurt? Were they not left stranded and without support, especially when these were minors? Or is it okay to hurt others because you believe you are morally superior/in the right?

Or, as I wrote in a note:
"So, it's okay for the church to excommunicate the backsliders but not okay for the non-believers to return the favour?"


* I would have to note that this refers to a very specific Progressive Christianity that, according to Dallas, believes all paths lead to God and not "progressive" in the general terms of not-conservative.
** I did not fact check any specific examples quoted. If he presented any facts in bad faith, I am not aware of them.
*** Dallas does not believe in systemic racism and Needs You To Specify Each Individual Charge.

[M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. A book that's published in 2021

And my first NetGalley ARC review!

Divided in eleven chapters, an introduction and conclusion and then, chapters with more subtle titles, by the middle it dives on the hot button topics, such as abortion, homosexuality, race, and transgenderism.

Most of this information is not new to me but I’m not the target audience. As an introduction it works well, and it gave me a few pointers on critical race theory, which I’m less familiar with since I’m not from the US and race is lived differently in my country.

Dallas is a biblical counselor and speaker addressing sexual issues since 1987, ministering people who want to follow Christian sexual ethics. His expertise and knowledge show through the book providing good examples and counter examples, some sample replies to common objections and biblical references.

I would say that one of the errors is to assume that feminism also began with critical theory since the feminist movement predates the existence of Marxism and its contemporary interpretations, though to be fair, both are intertwined in some cases, and not all of them embrace gender ideology.

I must note that Dallas emphasizes the good will of possible adherents, and this is important. We must not lose sight of the other person’s sincere convictions. While much of the aggression get to us, unprepared and obviously not expecting such hostility, we must not give the same in return and therein lies part of the importance of witness.

We also have a responsibility not to speak white lies, not to be unkind, but also to speak the truth and live it. It’s for this reason that the last part of the book is dedicated to our lack of commitment with a true Christian life and, as a Catholic, I was surprised to see Dallas endorse the need for accountability by confessing the sins to another person (though it was not in the same way as we have it, it was nice to see that level of understanding).

I'd have liked it more if he added the idea that the trans movement borrows language from the disability rights movement, but I think it's very good for an introduction like this book intends to be.

One of the most interesting bits of information I got from the book was this: Sisterhood is Powerful, a feminist book, criticizes the 10,000 women die of illegal abortions exaggeration: "A study made in the 1930s, before the development of antibiotics made even illegal abortion less deadly than it used to be, came up with this number of 10,000 deaths; but it is no longer anywhere near the truth and has no place in any serious discussion of abortion”.

Opposing some of the current focus on those hot button issues doesn’t mean neglecting their existence and implications: racism is real, abortion keeps happening even if it’s not the best outcome for the people involved, and homosexuality is an objective evil even if we can’t freely assume that just because we don’t do that kind of sexual immorality, we don’t have to work on our own sins.

I also should distance myself from the way he portrays college. Being a student or teacher there is a very different experience through the world and this as an US centric book, so it talks about their system, whose programs are determined by sponsors, and whose system relies on alienation from the family circle. Even in countries where college is overwhelmingly state owned and students aren’t as prone to distance themselves from their relatives, some of the ideological indoctrination he talks about happens, but could be correctly counter balanced.

Also, because of Protestantism, it must be hard to find a church from your own denomination that follows their declaration of faith and morals in the same way, something that doesn’t happen with Catholicism, and when it does, it’s more than a difference of criteria, which protects the faithful from this kind of situations.

[Sage · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a great book! I’ll be recommending this and buying as gifts. Easy to read with a lot to think on. Finally a book with some concrete examples of things you could say to questions often being asked of us. A good starting point for further research into what you believe, in order to articulate yourself well in a confident, unashamed, unwavering but kind and loving way.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr.Dallas does an excellent job of articulating the cancel culture and how the Christian should respond with grace and truth, while not compromising what God speaks to us in scripture.

[Teresa Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christians in a Cancel Culture is a great resource for Christians struggling to communicate with those who question their beliefs. Joe Dallas offers guidance to those who would question traditional beliefs and also the believers who would cave to their pressure for the church to conform.His impassioned call to action is an encouragement for those who strive to share the message of Christ to a generation and culture that rejects and attempts to "cancel" them. A well written, thought provoking read.

[Brittany Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”—Mark 8:38


People are getting cancelled left and right. Christians don’t corner the market on being cancelled. People who were considered liberals 10 years ago are apparently no longer liberal enough and the hammer comes down. People of all professions are finding themselves having to make difficult decisions in the workplace, fearing termination for failure to exhibit ‘company values’ that were not previously expected.

[I’ve read many really good, relevant books about engaging with a culture who disagrees with our views and about the more specific topics— they are linked at the end of this review.]


In this book, Joe Dallas (former member of the gay community) has zeroed in on the impact and hostility cancel culture is having specifically on and toward the Christian community. The main cultural values at odds with our beliefs as Bible-believing Christians revolve around gender, marriage, abortion, Critical Race Theory, and ‘exclusive’ theological positions.

His heart for this book is to bolster Christians to stand firm in truth and conviction while showing compassion in our relationships. To encourage us to accept the cultural costs of declaring “the whole counsel of God”. (Acts 20:27) To offer some helpful statements or questions to use when talking about these topics with friends and family who may be pulling away from us as they find out our differing views. To caution us from becoming ‘ravers’ who resort to insults and sarcasm, loudmouths set on ‘winning’ an argument rather than listening and caring about the people who hold different viewpoints.

Or as he puts it: “equipping believers to provide reasonable answers and have effective dialogue with family members, close friends, and associates who take issue with their belief system.”


Dallas devotes a chapter each to the topics of abortion, homosexuality, race, transgenderism, and progressive Christianity. But before he gets into all of that he spends time highlighting what is happening with cancel culture right now. Using the definition of cancel culture found in the Cambridge dictionary he points out that cancel culture often goes beyond merely “to reject or stop supporting someone who says or does something to offend you."

“Too often cancelled really means silenced, forcibly shut down, or completely cut off by a friend or loved one.”

It’s worth noting (and many of the linked books I provide discuss this as well) that definitions have been changing. Tolerant doesn’t mean what it used to. We can no longer agree to disagree and have a civil discourse to consider other viewpoints. Over the years culture has progressed from holding many of the same beliefs as Christians today, to asking us to explain our beliefs, to asking us to defend our beliefs, and now we are forced not just to defend our beliefs but to defend our right to even teach or practice them.

The Coddling of the American Mind explores how institutions of higher learning are pro-diversity except when it comes to viewpoints that oppose the mainstream cultural agenda. To voice a differing viewpoint is now considered to be creating an unsafe space for people psychologically. And threatening psychological comfort is now considered and act of violence.

To exacerbate the shift in definitions that rounds out how morality is defined, we add in identity groups and the demonizing (or as Dallas has coined “starring”) of certain groups, we’re getting into dangerous territory: loss of rights and the ability to voice any dissenting opinion.

The implications of cancel culture are deep and far-reaching. We must figure out how to engage with people and maintain our relationships while still disagreeing with their view if it contradicts the truths of the Bible.


I won’t detail his points within each of the “issue-chapters” (for lack of a better phrase) but I will say that I found them to be Scripturally sound and in line with the beliefs of the other books I linked.


The writing style of this book is very informal which is good and bad. It’s very easy to understand and follow, but at times his word choice may not be the most tactful and is sometimes a bit cheeky. I think this may turn some people off.

For example, he says, “But when everyone’s behaving fairly (read “like adults”),” and uses the words ‘childish’ and ‘tantrum’ a few times. While these may ring true in many interactions, especially online, it’s an unfair broad stroke to make that could alienate readers. It belittles the context of many situations.

He also says, “we’re not the ones going on social media trying to silence people, or on Amazon trying to ban books, or on college campuses shouting down speakers we disagree with.” Again, in a lot of ways this is right, but worded like this it paints Christians as saints when I think a lot of readers will have had experiences with nominal Christians who actually do try to forcibly silence people or try to cancel people from the other side. Even though we believe we have the side the truth, we must sadly recognize that there are people wielding it inappropriately. Worded this way, it also emphasizes the ‘us vs them’ mentality that I believe is harmful to effective dialogue. We should not be behaving and treating people how we are asking not to be treated.

I don’t believe his intent is to belittle or divide, there is much he says in his book that is compassionate and a striving for unity. I found most of his book very helpful and truthful. I just think you have to look past some of his phrasings and not let it taint the truth and intent of what he is saying.


It is conspicuous and reputationally dangerous to take a countercultural stand right now. ‘Being nice’ is the golden rule, but just being nice, though it sounds like ‘the right side’ is not going to fix any of the real problems we have in the world. We need more than niceness. We need truths that bring life. Let this book be an encouragement to you to:

“be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within us (1 Peter 3:15), speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), be unashamed of our Master’s words (Luke 9:26), act as ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), and contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3).”

“say no to yielding and yes to the outcome, be it personal heartache, social rejection, professional hardship, or criminal status. We’re all in, and we’ll stay all in so long as we value eternal truth over temporal convenience.”


One thing is made evident as you read this book. If we are truth-tellers, we need to be discerning of truth. How do we do that?

If the Bible is our authority for truth and the definer of morality, we need to know our Bible first and foremost. Secondly, we need to be readers. We cannot let social media, the news, or that one book everyone is reading be our only source of information. Discerning truth cannot be done in the vacuum of Facebook comment wars, retweets, CNN, or Babylon Bee articles.

Take ownership of your beliefs and be a learner.
Read the Bible.
Read more books (did I mention I linked books and reviews below???)
Be able to defend your beliefs. Not in rage but in conviction to truth. Just because you don’t know why you believe what you believe or your beliefs are unpopular does not mean they are not true.
Truth is not subject to the whims of flighty feelings and popularity contests.
Truth is there. Go find it.

Who knows how things will change in the years to come? Who knows what rights we will have? There are many unknowns. We can’t miss our opportunities to speak.

Our urgency is not driven by fear. It is driven by confident hope.

The truth cannot be cancelled.

“Our hope continues to be built on nothing less, because as long as the people of God are ready to speak the Word of God, and as long as the Spirit of God is ready to confirm the Word of God, then the people of God need never fear that the Word of God will be silenced. Some of us may be. But it, and He, will not.”

His Word is eternal, unfailing, and not subject to any man or government.

Amen.


Some quotes:

“When the voices surrounding you say you’re wrong, you might be tempted to reconsider your beliefs, especially if you never really examined and became grounded in them in the first place. That’s when you might think, Well, how can so many people be wrong? Maybe there’s something to what they say. That’s exactly why I think a number of not-too-well-grounded Christians have waffled on key issues.”

“To cave is not just to get along. It’s to value getting along above all else, even at the expense of honesty, integrity, or higher loyalties. Caving happens when a need for approval or an aversion to conflict or a fear of consequence overrides convictions.”

“Major social media platforms have decided they know what’s true, what’s moral, and what’s bigoted. Based on that knowledge, they define truth, morality, and bigotry, and thereby decide who should be allowed to speak, who should be silenced, who should be scrutinized whenever they post, and whose content and messaging should be given an unexamined green light.”

“To trust in the living God is to obey Him, since faith without works is dead (James 2:26). Obeying Him means fulfilling His commission to preach the gospel and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15). To make disciples is to teach them so they in turn will teach others (2 Timothy 2:2), and to teach is to give the full counsel of God from the Word of God in its entirety (Acts 20:27; 2 Timothy 3:16). That will include teaching what the Word says about sex, marriage, preborn life, prejudice, salvation, and judgment.”

“What is the primary reason the world hated Jesus? His words. What He said infuriated all the wrong people, who conspired to kill Him because they knew words have influence, and the influence of His words on the people would disrupt their agenda and control.”

“each political party has true believers. So does each social cause, and each faith counts them among its members. When true believers and truth go together, it’s a thing of beauty. But true believers anchored to something other than truth can be wrong, misguided, even scary.”

“Jesus didn’t shy away from declaring a truth just because someone else had declared it the wrong way. On the contrary, He took His positions all the more plainly, with love, authority, and clarity. He knew they were vital; He knew they were relevant. Even if they had been presented poorly in the past.”


Relevant (and really good) books:
[Visit www.shelfreflection.com for my full reviews of these books- too many to link here]

Today’s Culture:

- The Intolerance of Tolerance by D.A. Carson
- Fortitude: American Resilience in the Age of Outrage by Dan Crenshaw
- The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure by Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff
- The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to the Sexual Revolution by Carl Trueman
- Live Not By Lies by Rod Dreher

Gender and Marriage:

- What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? by Kevin DeYoung
- Gay Girl, Good God by Jackie Hill Perry
- What God Has to Say about Our Bodies: How the Gospel Is Good News for Our Physical Bodies by Sam Allberry
- Born Again This Way by Rachel Gilson (on my to-read)
- Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters by Abigail Shrier

The Church and Politics and Social Justice:

- Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth: 12 Questions Christians Should Ask about Social Justice by Thaddeus J. Williams
- What is the Mission of the Church: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission by Kevin DeYoung
- How the Nations Rage: Rethinking Faith and Politics in a Divided Age by Jonathan Leeman
- Finding the Right Hills to Die On: The Case for Theological Triage by Gavin Ortlund
- Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just by Timothy Keller
- Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian by John Piper

Talking points in terms of Progressive Christianity:

- The Secular Creed: Engaging Five Contemporary Claims by Rebecca McLaughlin
- Before You Lose Your Faith: Deconstructing Doubt in the Church by Ivan Mesa (on my to-read)
- Surviving Religion 101: Letters to a Christian Student on Keeping the Faith in College by Michael J. Kruger
- Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion by Rebecca McLaughlin
- Word-Centered Church: How Scripture Brings Life and Growth to God’s People by Jonathan Leeman
- The Unsaved Christian: Reaching Cultural Christianity with the Gospel by Dean Inserra
- Fundamentalism and the Word of God by J.I. Packer (on my to-read)

**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

[Oscar White · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up because of my role in church outreach to the community thinking this book would offer some helpful advice. I found it a hard read from start to finish, this is because it did not engage with culture and explain to its readers how to be involved in the culture but speak the gospel into it.

Instead, it seemed like an angry old man who is out of touch with the world around him writing a culture warrior book that is strongly aggressive and against the culture without sympathy or understanding of the culture it speaks so strongly against. very poor exegesis of culture. I read the whole book hoping it would improve, but it did not.

The only reason it did not get 1 star was because of the bits at the end of each chapter about how to have conversations which SOME people MAY find helpful. Would I recommend it to my church as a book to helpfully engage culture and win them to Christ? No way.

[Another_Book_to_Ponder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m going to highly recommend this book. There is plenty in it to get people riled up on both sides. Many different views on the content that is presented. These many views even come in to play in your own family!!!! I think what it showed me the most of was that I need to know where I am standing and know when I need to speak Truth with Grace. This book will help you see how to navigate a conversation with someone. I think I want to go read it again! Lots of highlights! This is one of those books you want to have discussions on after each chapter! I asked my husband to read it so we could discuss it.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book.

I found it a great book that details being "in the world" but not "of the world" (from the Bible).

My own small group is doing a Bible study on today's gender and social issues, so I picked up this book as a way to help me understand the views of the Church.

Joe's compassion and conversational writing and helpers were very well structured and researched.

I especially liked his discussion on "acceptance" vs "approval".

Very interesting book. I'd read more books by Dallas.

4.8/5

[Teresa Breeding · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed reviews. I thought the book was a bit repetitive and slow at times. If I were to do it over I would have skipped the beginning and the end and just read the chapters on topics. I like that the author posed questions and statements from the LGBTQ community and gave suggested Christian responses that were not condemning or defensive. That being said, some of those answers I would use. Some I wouldn't. But that's ok. They all made me think. He backed up his statements with scripture. In the end, I'm glad I read it.

[Lady · Rating 3 out of 5]

For all the traditional Christians out there. This is the book for you. If you have every had trouble with telling someone where you stand on very delicate issues and do not want to cause any offence then read this book.
Firstly Joe Dallas explains issues about race, adoption, transgender and homosexuality among others and then goes into using the bibles words and also how to answer those difficult questions in an easy step manner. This includes his own examples.
God bless

[Alexander Richter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a perfect resource in equipping Christians with the knowledge, the grace, and the truth to have conversations with those who oppose our views, and with those who don’t know our views. It doubles down on heavy current world topics while looking at it through a biblical lens with several citations and cross references on each statement. None of what the book writes is a new concept, but the author does a fantastic job compiling them into one place. Highly recommend.

[Rachel Grepke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great little book to get you in the mindset of speaking with others on topics that are taboo now. From homosexuality to transgenderism, he tackles many topics and various ways to talk about them. I felt he was a bit repetitive in moments, but his two cents came through clearly. While there were a few odd ball points, overall it is good information and a helpful guide.

[Ming Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to it via Audible+.

A good book, providing Biblical principles to deal with cultural issues and examination of key content around cultural issues. Dallas also provides practical information to dialogue with adherents of these beliefs. He advocates for a balanced approach, such that Christians should demonstrate both grace and truth in interaction with unbelievers.

[Tamra LeValley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravo! No matter where you are in the teachings and understanding of biblical truths this book helps further explain how to stand strong and not waver.

Free; NetGalley