Shutting Down

In the strength of the Lord, we can walk with confidence, showing the people with whom we interact 
that we are devoted to Him. Habakkuk chapter 2 says:
2 Then the Lord answered me and said: "Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.
4 "Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.

We are equipped to be people of vision, who exhibit godly direction and whose lives are rooted in the truth of Scripture. And, we have the Holy Spirit, who enables us to speak that truth, even to an audience that may not be willing to hear or receive it.  In an age where intimidation seems to be an unfortunate component of interpersonal communication, we can walk free from fear and demonstrate the soundness of speech and mind that the Scripture teach.

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There is a profound effort to demand that people adopt viewpoints that are not Biblical in nature - there are some whose machinations have become so strident that they are being counterproductive, and since there is apparently a lack of Biblical foundation, it results in chaos and destruction. Christian believers are better than this, and we can strive to boldly share God's love and truth. Hebrews 10 states:
35 Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.
36 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:
37 "For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry.
38 Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."

We are living in the age of the "cancel culture," and there certainly does seem to be an intimidation factor at play, situations in which people are afraid to speak their mind, to express an opinion, for fear that there could be negative consequences of speaking out.  I would contend that Christians have faced this in a number of settings, including the workplace and in education.

A new poll by the Cato Institute has received quite a bit of attention. The survey asked respondents to indicate whether or not they agreed with this statement, according to an article at the CNSNews.com website: “The political climate these days prevents me from saying things I believe because others might find them offensive.”  The article says:

Sixty-two percent (62%) of Americans agreed, up from 58% in 2017, leading Cato to conclude that “self‐​censorship is on the rise in the United States.”

The only group, or "cohort," in which a majority felt comfortable in sharing their opinions is "strong liberals."  According to the article, Cato concluded:

Nearly 6 in 10 (58%) of staunch liberals feel they can say what they believe. However, centrist liberals feel differently. A slim majority (52%) of liberals feel they have to self‐​censor, as do 64% of moderates, and 77% of conservatives. This demonstrates that political expression is an issue that divides the Democratic coalition between centrist Democrats and their left flank....

By a 25-point margin - 77 to 52% - Republicans were more fearful of sharing their viewpoints.

Across the board, around a third of Americans "fear that their careers would be harmed if their political views were known." And, here's an interesting finding: "31% of Americans said they would support firing a business executive who donates to Pres. Donald Trump’s reelection campaign and 22% would back firing one who personally donates to Joe Biden’s campaign." This rises to 50% of self-identified "strong liberals" believing a Trump supporter should be fired, and 36% of "strong conservatives" believe that about Biden supporters.

  

The article says, "even those holding mainstream views are being intimidated into silence, Cato concludes."

It is clear that, in many circles, if you do not virtue signal and pledge allegiance to the dangerous narrative of identity politics, there will be consequences.  Maybe retaliation.  We, as people of faith, need to pursue a better way.

For the Christian, we can learn to share our views in a reciprocal manner; we don't want our own opinions to be shut down, and we should strive not to automatically shut others down because their opinions differ from ours.  And, we have to be confident in the compelling nature of a Biblical worldview.  We can strive to share our faith in a manner that draws people in, rather than repulses them.

We can certainly recognize that not all will accept your point of view, but continue to look for ways to share it.  We are not called to give up in our relating of God's truth, but we are to give over our tongues to the presence of the Holy Spirit.  He is the one who will give us strength and enable us not to fear. We don't have to shrink back, but to press forward.