The Cancelled Christian: How to Have Hope in Uncertain Times

By Molly Clingingsmith

This book is not for you. 

If you are content with the direction America is headed,

if you are satisfied with how COVID was handled,

if you think there is not enough censoring of people with dissenting opinions,

or if you believe more Christians deserve to be cancelled –

well, then this book is not for you.

If, by chance, you find yourself distressed by these events going on around you – this is the book for you! 

Diving deep into the unique circumstances America is facing, you will be given practical guidance on how Christians can respond to misinformation from the media, government infringement of basic rights, censorship of thoughts and facts, and so much more.  There is no doubt these are challenging times, but Molly will have you convinced that the best is yet to come, grounding you in faith while spurring you to action. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Molly Clingingsmith
• Release date: Oct 20, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215065839

Molly Clingingsmith

After earning her Bachelors Degree at Loyola Marymount University, Molly Clingingsmith headed straight to Alaska to volunteer for a year.  That was in 2008 and to this day she has never looked back.  Upon meeting her husband, she knew she was home and they happily raise their four boys in the Last Frontier.  There has never been a dull moment in Molly’s adult life as a small business owner, fitness instructor, and homeschooler.  And that is just the way she likes it.

Book preview

Introduction

If you are like me , life in America feels heavier, scarier, and more uncertain than ever before.  I was desperate for advice on how to navigate these specific times, including the challenges tied with COVID-19, misinformation from mainstream media, government mandates controlling our lives, Big Tech censorship of anyone who disagrees with them, and the destructivity of cancel culture in general.  I know that fake news, government overreach, and censorship have been around for a long time to a certain extent, but now this reality is becoming impossible to ignore or dismiss.  It is blatant and unapologetic.  And very little, if anything, appears to be done about it.  I have had bouts of feeling lost, despondent, paralyzed, numb, and even maddened by the events going on around me. 

I battled with questioning if I contributed to the problem for not speaking up more, for not being involved more in issues that I knew were wrong.  What can I do?  I’m just a busy homeschooling mom anyway – someone more qualified will surely speak up and things will change for the better, I attempted to reassure myself.  But that left me feeling fraudulent.  Was I really doing everything God was calling me to do?  Or was it a cop-out?  I honestly did not know. 

What I did know is that I had come to a point where I knew I needed advice from someone with more wisdom than myself on how to handle this challenging situation.  So I scoured the internet and local bookstore shelves for something that felt relevant to the times we are living in that would basically tell me, a concerned Christian, what to do.  I just wanted to know what I could or should do!  But everything I found was either too generic or entirely too specific to be applicable to our culture’s unique circumstances. 

When I came up short in my search for answers to these questions, I felt discouraged and shared this disappointment with my husband, Michael.  We were enjoying a date-night-at-home, something we started early on in our marriage.  We give the kids hot dogs or nachos and let them watch a movie in the basement, while we cook a nice meal together, light some candles, and even dress up as if we were actually going out to a snazzy restaurant.  It is one of my favorite traditions we have started and much cheaper than paying for a sitter and a fancy meal (and I might add our kids think it’s pretty great, too)!  Upon seeing me disheartened, he encouraged me to research about good leaders, holy people throughout history, and other Christians who had been surrounded by plagues, strife, and evil.  He reminded me this is far from the first, nor will it be the last time that good people suffer.  He was obviously right.  Then to my surprise, he casually suggested, Why don’t you write the book you are looking for?  You may find the answers you want someone else to give you. 

Come again?  Me?  I laughed, blushing a little trying to brush it off.  But something happened...I could not get the idea out of my head.  And so excitedly and a bit timorously I embarked on this journey into unchartered territory.  Let me say, what I have learned has awakened the freedom-loving patriot I never knew was in me!

Before I delve in, I want to share what I feel is the most important discovery I made while writing this book that ignited my passion to resist the oppressive culture we are bearing.  I uncovered the reason why it is unquestionably essential for us to be free.

God knew how important freedom was for humans to thrive and for true love to exist.  Have you ever wondered why he did not make himself into a tyrant?  He could have.  He could have created us to be his servants.  Think of the mythological gods and goddesses of Egypt and how self-serving, jealous, and even violent some were.  Or he could be a dictator, ruling over his people with absolute authority.  Just imagine our God like that.  It’s hard to, isn’t it?  That’s because our God intentionally gave us free will - not controlled will. 

Christ did not die on the cross to punish us; in fact, it’s quite the opposite.  He did it to set us free as an ultimate act of love.  He wants us to live in a fashion that freely chooses him because that is an authentic, invaluable relationship.  Our devotion is empty if it is coerced, but irreplaceable when it is given at liberty. 

Similarly, he desires for us to live in communities where the unique talents, skills, thoughts and personalities his people have to offer are welcome, not inhibited.  He does not want our gifts of the Spirit gone to waste, for it is written, Don’t hide your light! Let it shine for all; let your good deeds glow for all to see, so that they will praise your heavenly Father (New International Version, Matt. 5:16).  But what happens in a society where people are afraid to speak or act for fear of losing their jobs, reputations, livelihood, and even their friends or family?  They hide their light.  In a nutshell, we have to be free so we can be exactly who God created us to be.  Living a Godly life is freedom for the soul, so our American freedom must allow us the full expression to live the life God is calling us to. 

Now, do I feel worthy to have written a book?  That’s a no.  I have a hundred and one insecurities just like the next person.  Do I feel expertly?  Not quite.  I still have a lot to learn.  But did I feel a stirring in my soul that maybe I will uncover God’s plan for me if I just tried to write this book?  Actually, yes.  My answer was yes. Even if I were the only one to ever read my book, my life would be enriched by what I discovered in the process.  And let me tell you, it has and there is no going back. 

If you are picking up this book today needing some encouragement it is my solemn hope that you find it in these pages.  Do not despair!  There is much work to be accomplished and there is no better time than now and no better hands and feet than yours.  So here I am: your undistinguished, unassuming, yet unrelenting author.  I am honored to be journeying with you.

Chapter 1

Illness, Pandemics, or Disability:  Finding Hope Amidst Affliction

The spirit of a man can endure sickness, but as for the broken spirit who can bear it? – Proverbs 18:14

My Experience with COVID-19

Ihope you are reading this right now, and COVID-19 and its entourage of variants have been utterly eliminated.  As doubtful as I am of that, I am even more skeptical that anyone who was old enough to hold memories in 2020, 2021 and 2022 will be forgetting just how impactful this time was in America and throughout the world.  You may be fed up with even hearing an utterance about COVID, and I would not fault you in the least.  I think we all feel fed up to some degree. But I feel it is essential to briefly share my experience with you, even at the risk of belaboring the subject, to understand how the problems our country is facing are all interwoven.  You might relate to parts of my story, or you may not resonate with it at all.  That is actually part of the point of me telling it. We all have had our own unique experiences during this time that shaped our opinions, thus contributing to the divisive position our culture is currently in.  This virus is not fully responsible for the extremity of our cancel culture, but I believe it fast-tracked the trajectory we were already on.  The pieces of the puzzle all start to come together when you start with COVID-19.

I remember hearing mumblings on the news in January and February of 2020 about this thing called Coronavirus, but it seemed distant at the time.  The headlines began growing, and before long it seemed like it was all anyone in the news or elsewhere was talking about.  I figured it would be like everything else in the news: the latest thing we’re supposed to be worried or outraged about until the next obsession came along.  It was March and I was not worried in the least.  In fact, I remember going to lunch with a friend to celebrate her birthday sometime in late February and she asked what I made of all this COVID-19 talk.  I just shrugged and said I did not really know what to make of it and assumed it may not be all that big of a deal.  It was a short conversation on the topic because at that point we had so little information to talk about.  My assumption was that our modern medicines could help, so why would this virus be any different than the others?  With the limited information available, I felt comfortable that the medical professionals would figure it out and give us the best information to prevent contracting or spreading it. 

How I wish that ended up being the case.  March 2020 took us all by storm in America.  Positive COVID-19 cases were being reported across all 50 states, and the numbers were escalating daily.  All other newsworthy stories were put on the back burner while mainstream media was unequivocally consumed with COVID-19.

I remember hearing that Disneyland was closing, which grabbed my attention and spiked my curiosity.  I called Michael and told him the news, and he responded in a sort of concerning disbelief.

Maybe this really is serious. 

Then NCAA cancelled March Madness.  The list of places closing and events cancelling was mounting by the day.  I, too, started wondering how serious this really was if such high profile companies were making such drastic decisions to halt their normal operations.

I recall watching the local Alaskan news on a Friday in March to find out that our mayor would be mandating the closure or cancellation of restaurants, movie theaters, gyms, churches, sporting events, concerts, and more starting that Monday.  All of the parks and playgrounds got roped off overnight, each slide and swing wrapped with caution tape because they were deemed unsafe.  Just as the weather was warming up to my kids’ excitement, how was I supposed to explain that they could not go play at their favorite park?

Michael Jr., my youngest son, affectionately known as Mikey, was turning three years old in March that year.  Prior to all of the madness, I had sent out invitations to various friends and family.  Michael Sr. and I love to entertain, and our kids have grown accustomed to activity-filled fun, food, themes, and games for each and every birthday – exhaustingly setting the expectations higher with each one.  One by one, friends and family cancelled because we really were not allowed to be social anymore; so we put on the most rambunctious family birthday party a three year old could ever ask for.   A parachute, obstacle course, balloons, and all the cupcakes a kid could want seemed to do the trick.  I actually do not even know if he realized no one showed up...I guess that is one of the perks of being three!

My home state of Alaska and the majority of the other states were told to hunker down for two weeks, which meant no leaving your house except if absolutely necessary during that time. Two weeks to flatten the curve was the coined phrase government officials touted so they could contain the spread of the virus. That was March 2020.  My municipality in Alaska remained in some form of hunker down through January 2021.

A few days later in March 2020, we all received the announcement that kids were told not to come back to school after spring break but that the delay would only be one week.  All the parents and kids were abuzz about it because after all, nothing like this had ever happened before.  You could even see that kids were elated that they got an extra week of spring break.  How great! 

Then school was delayed one more week.  Then another. 

Finally parents were told that their kids would not resume school for the remainder of the year, and by that time everyone already expected that news.  Weeks went by of dismal learning as teachers and students struggled, trying to figure out how to do school strictly online. We were told kids of every grade would return back to school in fall.  Due to the proliferous broken promises already endured from the school district, it was to nobody’s surprise that did not happen.  At least two more dates were promised for students to return to in-person learning that came and went unfulfilled. 

At last, by the final quarter of school in 2021 kids of all grades were back in school, my sophomore stepson included.  This was an entire year after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic.

I must have had some divine intervention in 2019, because I decided nervously but resolutely that I would homeschool my three younger boys that fall.  Jameson was in second grade, Sawyer in first, and Mikey was in preschool, along for the bumpy ride. 

You should have seen the look on Michael’s face when I hesitantly shared this news with him.  I understood his wild eyes, because I was just as shocked as he was!  Why would I take them out of a fine school, give up my freedom that I waited so long for, and possibly ruin my children for the rest of their lives if I do it wrong?  It certainly has not been perfect, but it has blessed our family in so many ways and the timing of this decision saved us much confusion.  I completely evaded the mess of online school, thanks be to God.

While homeschooling had priceless advantages through COVID-19, it was not spared from similar tribulations that every parent with school-aged kids faced during that time.  Any of the social interactions our children would normally enjoy were either altogether cancelled or drastically altered into a completely unrecognizable form.  Playing on an indoor soccer turf now required masks on every child and adult. No spectators.  No water fountain.  No cheering.  No touching.  Oh, and, of course, stay six feet apart.  Everything from piano lessons to church gatherings turned virtual, resulting in an offensive amount of screen time.  Birthday parties, music recitals, proms, sports competitions, holiday gatherings, concerts, play-dates, graduations, family reunions, weddings: all cancelled. 

With the world seemingly collapsing around me, I thought of what impact this would have on my kids.  I did not want them to miss out on valuable and crucial experiences in their childhood, like playing sports with other kids and pursing their passions in learning the piano.  This, in turn, meant more responsibility on me to try and create opportunities for building social skills, physical activity, and fine arts instruction if I wanted them to have any semblance of a normal school year.  I think more parents than not felt the burden of trying to keep their kids afloat without drowning themselves. 

Back to April 2020 and there we were, smack-dab in the middle of a confusing ever-changing pandemic, and I had not heard of a single person I knew who had contracted the dang virus.  Then it finally started happening, and the positive cases of people I knew, acquaintances at best, started slow but remained on a consistent trajectory upward.  It got to the point where I was not alarmed anymore when I was informed of another positive case. Fast-forward to 2022 and almost everyone I know has contracted COVID-19, and every single one beat the virus; praise the Lord. 

In the beginning stages of all of this chaos, I had a sense of humor about it all, because it honestly seemed too crazy to be real.  I took the changes in stride and with optimism that it would surely be over soon.  I have always been a glass half-full, hope for the best, and find the good in every situation type of a person.  I’m not saying this to be boastful.  Admittedly, this attitude can have its drawbacks.  I am just aware it is part of my God-given personality.  So when the lockdowns started, we were approaching a promising summer in Alaska.  I recall countless times expressing how grateful I was to be in the glorious long-anticipated summer months in Alaska during what I thought would be the worst months of the virus.  I really felt fortunate to be with my family outside everyday for nearly four months camping, fishing, hiking, riding our ATV, hunting, and my absolute personal favorite, berry picking.  It is total therapy.  What I did not know then was that those few months were only the beginning of the lockdowns. I assure you I would not have been quite so upbeat if I had known how long all of this would continue.  I don’t think any of us would have!

At this point I had been a group fitness instructor for nine years teaching classes from Pilates to weightlifting; so when the gym I was working at closed in March 2020, I starting doing something I never ever thought I would do: run.  I used to concur with the saying Why run unless a bear is chasing you?  Of course there was the one time when a grizzly actually was chasing me, but I will save that story for another time.

But with my kids with me 24/7 and no other outlet to turn to relieve stress and have some alone time, I was desperate, and I became a believer.  My newfound love of running outdoors led the way for me to start a running club for kids in our homeschool program.  It was heartwarming to see families outside together having fun and doing something physical and healthy with their kids.  My own boys are incredibly fast runners, and each Tuesday meet up with the club served to be a highly anticipated event for them each week. 

As the cold weather swept in, our last meeting in October was fast approaching, but a number of kids did not want running club to end, and I felt the same.  So after discernment and prayer, I decided to get my business license and liability insurance so I could offer a class at an indoor soccer field for the winter months.  Like many small businesses, I had to battle with the what-ifs of running a business during this uncertain time.  What if one of the kids gets COVID and gets everyone else sick?  What if I test positive and can’t teach? What if the regulations change and the indoor soccer field is forced to close?  How will I refund everyone’s money after paying my own expenses?  After only teaching one class, the mayor issued an emergency order that forced kids and adults to wear masks while working out, running, or doing anything physical. This was a major change to the prior mandate that allowed for masks to be removed during strenuous physical activity.  I lost 6 kids in one day; one had special needs and another asthma.  It was frustrating because I knew how beneficial this interaction and activity was for these kids.  It was out of my control and I felt powerless.

We have all had to adapt, and it has taken its toll on each individual in their own unique way.  Some people got laid off; others had to work from home while others like nurses and doctors had to work overtime on the frontline.  Some people who are naturally introverted did not mind the hunkering down, while the extroverts greatly struggled with the lack of conversation and connection. 

Michael started working from home in March until his job ended abruptly in June.  Unfortunately he joined the millions of unemployed Americans struggling to find work due to the toll that lockdowns and closures had on businesses.  Although I am incredibly grateful for my family’s continued health, I felt the need to search for answers that would help ease my anxiety in this tumultuous and unpredictable time. I wanted to learn all I could about this virus. I also wanted to learn how wise and holy people have overcome past pandemics or plagues. In this quest, I uncovered a treasure trove of good news.

How Researching Can Build Confidence

I must start by saying researching COVID-19 is not the first time I have put on the investigative hat in my life.  When Jameson was four, he was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  While early on I was aware he was way more impulsive and unpredictable than other kids his age, I also didn’t have much experience to compare it to.  My stepson was three when I met him and was arguably the most perfect child to