I’ve said over and over that “inclusivity” means anything but including everyone—it means tolerating, promoting, and celebrating one viewpoint and excluding all others. This was demonstrated yet again by a decision made by a school district in Ontario, Canada, which directed school libraries “to remove all books [published] prior to 2008” in the name of “equity” and “inclusion.”

Yes, it’s very ironic that in the name of inclusion, vast swaths of literature—including much of the best-known and best-loved literature—was excluded from the school libraries belonging to the Peel District School Board. And the result was very empty shelves!

Apparently, this elimination process began last spring under the orders of the Minister of Education, Stephen Lecce. Due to public outcry, he’s now “issued a statement condemning the removal of the books and calling on the school board to immediately stop the process.” Reportedly, this particular school district had taken Lecce’s directive too far, as schools were only supposed to:

Primarily review books published in 2008 or earlier. Librarians were instructed to examine whether the books “promote anti-racism, cultural responsiveness and inclusivity.”

They were to further examine whether the books and other resources reflect “student diversity.” If the books were deemed unfit to be in the library, they were to be removed from schools.

So every book from before 2008 doesn’t need to go—but the ones that don’t promote “anti-racism” (which is really just racism!), “cultural responsiveness,” “inclusivity,” and “diversity” need to go. But who gets to decide what is meant by those terms? And is it really “diverse” and “inclusive” to eliminate any books that don’t agree with the prevailing viewpoint of 2023? It’s all utter nonsense! We need to call it what it is—it’s absurd.

Sadly, as our culture drifts further from the foundation of God’s Word, we are only going to see an increase of this suppression of viewpoints that don’t correspond with the prevailing narrative. But no matter what happens in our culture, our imperative as Christians remains the same:

• Proclaim the gospel (Mark 16:15).
• Do the business of the King (Luke 19:13).
• Contend for the faith (Jude 1:3).
• Defend the hope we have (1 Peter 3:15).
• Make disciples (Matthew 28:19).
• Love God and love our neighbor (Matthew 22:37–39).
• Obey God’s commandments (Matthew 28:20).
• Eagerly look forward to his return (Revelation 22:20)!

So let’s go and do all this as we seek to serve our Lord in the midst of the dark world in which we live.

Ken Ham is an author, speaker, and the founder and CEO of Answers in Genesis and its two popular attractions: the acclaimed Creation Museum and the internationally known Ark Encounter.