The Doctrine of Biblical Separation Versus Modern Alternatives or Iterations

Lots of Separation and Yet None Biblical

I am amazed at the state of the practice of separation.  It’s occurring at an amazing pace right now, separation is.  On the other hand, people are in general clueless about the biblical doctrine of separation and in the most unlikely ways.  Conservative evangelicals do. not. understand. separation.  They barely talk about it or not at all.  Almost nothing is bad enough for them from which to separate.  Still people separate, but it’s mainly over preferences, not what God says.

Evangelicals, who do not talk about separation at all, nevertheless, practice it almost entirely in an unbiblical way.  This is something I call, “cold shoulder separation.”  They treat you like you don’t exist, except without telling you.  If you do not rise to the level of importance for their own perception of success, they won’t acknowledge you.  They start doing that if they think you’re useful to them, or you matter to them.  It means something very similar to a false kind of separation seen in much of fundamentalism.  You lose out on their good favor.

The crucial aspect in evangelicalism to stay in the favor required not to face their form of separation is saying nothing negative about them.  If you do say something negative, you must give it a kind of deniability by saying that it really doesn’t matter that much.  I have characterized this unity as the type at a family reunion.  You don’t bring up the subjects that could cause contention, which means keeping the subject matter to agreed-upon subjects.  It’s a version of reading the room.  Find out what will displease them, and don’t bring it up.  It won’t matter if it displeases God.

The Bible Teaches It and What It Is

God in His Word through the biblical authors teaches a specific doctrine of separation.  The belief and teaching of separation in the Bible roots in God’s holy nature and scriptural commands (e.g., 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, Romans 16:17).  It calls for true believers to separate from sin, false teaching, worldly influences, or unrepentant individuals within the church, but only after attempts at reconciliation, mediation, and in alignment with the church, a divine authority structure. Separation is not arbitrary but doctrinally driven, aimed at purity and obedience to God, contrasting sharply with modern cultural practices that mimic it superficially.

The Modern Alternatives or Iterations

Ghosting

One of the modern practices, called “ghosting,” the abrupt, unexplained withdrawal from communication to end a relationship, is itself an extreme, unscriptural form of separation, driven by underlying sinful motives rather than biblical conviction.  Ghosters often justify themselves with claims of protecting mental health, a facade for lust, cowardice, pride, love of the world, idolatry, avoidance of authority, and susceptibility to deceitful philosophies (Colossians 2:8, 3:5, 2 Timothy 4:10).

Biblical separation requires real attempts at reconciliation, including mediation.  Ghosting skips these steps and reflects a rejection of God-ordained hierarchies, such as honoring the church, its leadership, one’s parents, or an employer.  It prioritizes personal desires over duty to church family and family, and lacks effort toward restoration, which is incompatible with true Christian growth or obedience (e.g., Proverbs 29:15, Titus 2:8-9).  So, ghosting perverts separation by turning it into a tool for unchecked self-indulgence, whereas biblical separation honors God and seeks unity where possible.

Cancel Culture

Ghosting operates under a “cancel culture,” which relates to faux separation or insidious shunning,, practiced for preference-based reasons, not scriptural ones.  One form is “quiet quitting,” disappearing from a job without notice, and ostracizing others.  It’s easier and self-centered to give up on people and decide to shun or ostracize them.  This stands in opposition to biblical separation, which should occur over doctrinal issues to preserve church purity, not personal grievances. Cancel culture represents a worldly distortion where separation is weaponized without biblical warrant, leading to unnecessary division rather than holiness.

Biblical separation is a divine mandate for maintaining spiritual integrity, while cancelling and ghosting are corrupt, human-centered imitations.  They lack scriptural process, are motivated by sin and ultimately harmful to relationships and society. True separation builds toward unity and the new unbiblical versions foster isolation and rebellion.