In today’s hyper-polarized climate, there’s a label that gets thrown around like confetti at a parade whenever someone holds a countercultural worldview grounded in the Word of God—”bigot.” It seems the moment you dare to commit the public sin of proclaiming biblical morality or insist that there are indeed absolutes in this world, you become the next candidate for public scorn. In the words of Greta Thunburg, “How dare you?” But here’s the crux of the matter: If the world hates you for your faith, remember it despised the Truth long before you spoke it.

Truth always sounds like hate to those who hate the truth. —Unknown

Cancel culture isn’t a new phenomenon. It’s a modern-day moniker for an age-old tactic—silencing those who dare to stand against the popular zeitgeist. In ancient times, Christians were thrown into lion’s dens or set ablaze for holding fast to what is true and good. Today, you might not face a literal lion, but the lions of social media ridicule and professional ostracism are just as ravenous.

Consider instances where public figures find themselves at the mercy of cancel culture for sharing their Christian beliefs. Whether it’s an athlete facing the loss of sponsorships after expressing faith-based opinions about abortion on social media, or a college professor facing job loss for challenging prevailing ideologies that clash with biblical views on gender and sexuality—these situations are becoming increasingly commonplace. Far from being rare happenings, they regularly occupy our news feeds. Despite this, public opinion should never be merchandise we receive in exchange for the currency of solid truth.

Culture sells the illusion of an all-accepting, all-inclusive society. Yet, this acceptance is often a one-way street that ends abruptly when faced with Christian convictions. It’s as though the biblical worldview has become the modern world’s public enemy number one. Even within the Church, there’s a growing sentiment to dilute the Gospel to make it more “palatable”—an unholy blend of moral relativism and social convenience. We’re told that to reach the world, we must be like the world—an idea as fundamentally flawed as it is spiritually bankrupt.

But let’s look at this from a theological perspective. We must understand that God is immutable—unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Therefore, His truths are non-negotiable. They don’t shift whichever way the wind blows to suit the era’s ethos. This very notion counters the world’s perennial inclination to move away from God, from the moment Eve took a bite of the forbidden fruit to the push for a godless society today. When Jesus himself walked among us, He wasn’t met with a ticker-tape parade but a wooden tree on which he would be hung—such is the cost of embodying truth in a fallen world.

This theological precision leads us to a rather straightforward conclusion. The hostility Christians face for standing firm in their faith is more often than not a de facto affirmation of the Bible’s truth. Scripture has warned us of this time and again. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first,” Jesus says in John 15:18.

Truth will always be controversial because it upends the comfortable illusions under which many wish to live. And when you uphold biblical truths—when you dare to draw a line in the sand—you align yourself with Christ Himself, who suffered scorn for the ultimate Truth He revealed in Himself. Rest assured, the rejection you face for holding fast to your faith is not an indictment but a badge of honor, a heavenly endorsement that you are walking in the footsteps of the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

In the end, when we’re called bigots, zealots, or any other derogatory term for merely speaking eternal truths, remember that these are but fleeting labels in a transient world. The Word of God stands forever, and it is by this Word that the world will ultimately be judged. So, if the world hates you for your faith, take solace in knowing that it despised the Truth long before you ever took a stand.