If You Are Going to Cancel the American Founding Fathers for Their Sins, What About Yours?

At the time of this writing, we are two weeks away from America’s birthday. And we’re about to be treated to a parade of articles, videos, commentaries, and social media posts reminding us of America’s past sins and those of the American Founders — with (in some cases) calls to effectively cancel them.

It burns me up. In fact, few things make me angrier than the slandering and smearing of the United States of America and the brave men and women who worked so hard –from the beginning to today –to give us this great country.

Yet, in today’s cultural climate, there’s a growing trend to reevaluate historical figures, often leading to what’s popularly known as “canceling” — the condemnation and dismissal of those who fall short of modern ethical standards (which, incidentally, are always changing).

This trend extends to America’s Founding Fathers, who (sadly) fostered a majority white culture that wasn’t as just and inclusive as it should have been. Many of the Founders (though not most of them) owned slaves. Some of them did terrible things. Most of them made decisions or compromises that, when viewed through a lens of biblical justice, are rightly considered deeply flawed.

So, to make myself abundantly clear…

I believe everyone is made in the image of God and I stand for racial equality. I deplore white supremacy. I condemn slavery (in all forms and at all times). I repudiate racism, sexism, imperialism, and any other sin that is often associated with the earlier parts of American history.

Okay?

Read that again if you need to.

I condemn sin – including (but not limited to) the sins that are in America’s past.

Clear?

At the same time…

I condemn the canceling of America’s Founders and the rejection of America’s founding principles.

A while ago, I posted a short video on YouTube that shared some wise quotes from America’s Founders. Predictably, a progressive-minded critic reprimanded me for quoting the Founders. After all, there was slavery and…he listed out all the sins of America’s past. We shouldn’t listen to what they have to say, he said confidently.

Really?

Sadly, there are many Christians who agree with him.

Such people fall under the definition of “stupid” as seen in Proverbs 12:1. Look it up.

If not “stupid,” then they are arguably evil, because one of the best ways to destabilize and ultimately destroy a country is to polarize it, divide its people against each other, and bury its history in guilt and grievance.

Are there some things in our past which we should feel guilty about or which we need to still address because of the lingering consequences of those sins? Yes. I’m not saying otherwise. But I am against the blanket, superficial condemnation and attempted cancelation of America’s past that many today are calling for.

I condemn such “Cancel Culture” (especially as it relates to the Founders) for several reasons.

First, if we’re going to cancel the Founders for their sins, then we might as well cancel every generation — because every generation has its share. While we’re at it, we might as well cancel the United States itself!

Come to think of it, as I alluded to earlier, that’s basically what many want to do — cancel the country. Such people should be seen for what they are — radically destructive. They should be resisted to our last breath.

But, I’m going to assume that all (at least most) of you reading this aren’t operating from such a nefarious and destructive agenda. And if that’s the case, then you should be able to understand my point, which is…

Where do we draw the line?

If we’re going to cancel the Founding Fathers for their sins, why stop with the founding generation?

And, if we’re not going to stop, then walk the “Cancel Culture” trend out logically. Consider what will happen to us, as a nation, if we continue down that path? Is that what you want?

Second, if we’re going to cancel the Founders for their sins and essentially not deem them worthy of any gratitude, respect, or attention….then….what about King David? What about the other figures of the Bible?

David, a man described in the Bible as “a man after God’s own heart,” was guilty of adultery, murder, and conspiracy. Solomon, renowned for his wisdom, had 700 wives and 300 concubines, which can be interpreted as a gross abuse of power and a violation of the rights of these women.

If the criteria used to judge the Founding Fathers are applied consistently, these biblical figures would also be subject to severe scrutiny and potential “cancellation.” Yet, in Scripture, these men, despite their significant moral failures, are not erased from the historical or spiritual narrative. Instead, their stories are used to teach critical lessons about grace, repentance, and the complexity of human nature.

And that leads to my third objection…

The biblical approach recognizes that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and that God’s grace can redeem even those who have made grave errors. This perspective offers a more nuanced understanding of human achievements and moral failures.

David’s and Solomon’s lives remind us that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace and forgiveness, a theme that resonates throughout the biblical text. This does not excuse their actions but provides a context within which redemption is possible.

When it comes to America’s Founders, we need to keep this same context in mind — especially those of us who call ourselves followers of Christ.

I mean… Good Grief!…what about the Apostle Paul? He killed Christians! Did God “cancel” Paul? Should we? How about Peter? He denied Jesus–three times! Did Jesus “cancel” him?

I’m grateful that God saves sinners and uses flawed saints. Otherwise, He wouldn’t be able to use me.

Finally, I object to canceling the Founders for their sins because of the Pharisee-like spirit it encourages in our culture.

One of the reasons we can’t look at America’s Founders with a wise, balanced, humble, and fair perspective is because of how various social progressive ideologies have influenced our thinking (even in the church). To avoid the risk of getting too political, I won’t elaborate beyond that, except to say this…

There are degrees of sin, but sin is still sin.

Sin isn’t about politics or philosophy. Sin is about deviating from God’s standard for our lives.

We aren’t supposed to ultimately weigh morality in terms of equity, inclusion, diversity, or “power” dynamics. We are supposed to weigh morality on the standard of God’s justice–not social justice. We all fall short of the glory of God. And that means…

Rich people sin. Poor people sin. Men sin. Women sin. Republicans sin. Democrats sin. Conservatives sin. Liberals sin. Donald Trump sins. Joe Biden sins. People of all colors and nationalities sin. The entire human race is sinful. Pointing the finger at each other and further dividing over our sinful condition won’t get us any closer to God. But…

Falling on our face before God and confessing our sin to Him will get us closer to Him.

This is what’s really driving the “Cancel Culture” train.

People seem to think there’s some kind of virtue in condemning the sins of others. It’s basically what drove the Pharisees too. But, sorry, that won’t work in God’s eyes. It might make you look good (for a season) in the eyes of others. Not so in the eyes of God.

You are not a virtuous person just because you happen to be on history’s side of a given issue.

Remember that last line. I wish everyone in America would emblazon it all over the house.

Here’s another point worth remembering…

It’s easy to criticize other people for their sins and shortcomings. What’s hard is when you focus that scrutiny on your own. It costs us nothing to condemn George Washington for his sins or King David for his. What costs us something is when we look at our own life and root out the sin in it!

Do THAT and you’ll be doing something virtuous and noble.

When it comes to how we should approach history and see people in the past, I support a balanced approach. We should teach both the good and the bad. When it comes to the American founding specifically, we should learn all about it — and then be grateful for and inspired by the good things our Founders did and then we should be sobered by and learn from the bad.

In the same way, we should honor our parents (as the Bible teaches), but that doesn’t mean we have to agree with or endorse everything our parents do or say. We should love our neighbors, but we don’t always agree with them. Parents hopefully love their kids, but a good parent will sometimes disagree with their child — and will say so!

So, yes… we should have a balanced perspective toward our nation and its history. There is good and there is bad. And we need to know the difference between the two. And acknowledge both.

So, stop the Cancel Culture nonsense!

What we need to cancel is sin — starting with our own.

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