Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street. It's not often that a prominent figure will admit he's wrong about a hot-button cultural issue, but that's exactly what author and podcaster Malcolm Gladwell did recently. On the Real Science of Sport podcast, Gladwell confessed that when moderating a panel back in 2022, he'd been cowed, that's his word, into agreeing that men should be allowed to compete in women's sports. He knew at the time, he said, that it made no sense to claim that men have no advantage over women in sports, so Gladwell remained silent.
He now thinks that 90% of the audience even back then knew the same truth, but only 5% were brave enough to say that. Today, he thinks, the social pressure has changed. Quote, if we did a replay of that exact panel, he said, it runs in exactly the opposite direction. It would be near unanimity in the room that trans athletes have no place in the female category. I don't think there's any question.
The reason I'm ashamed of my performance at that panel is because I share your position 100%. and I was cowed in a dishonest way, I let a lot of howlers pass without comment. ⁇ It was when a trans advocate who was sitting on the panel said, You have to let us win, that Gladwell says he realized. that the whole conversation was truly about something else. Quote, the trans movement, they're not asking for a place at the table.
They're not asking to be treated with respect and dignity. What they're asking for. Is no one to question their considerable physiological advantage they bring to the sport. When I heard that, I was like, this is nuts. And yet, I didn't say anything.
End quote.
Well, Gladwell's admission here is the latest chapter in our so-called vibe shift specifically about this issue of transgender ideology. And he certainly wasn't the only one cowed in the last decade or so, but that someone of his prominence and his influence could still be intimidated. shows us just how powerful social pressure can be and also the consequences of remaining silent. To paraphrase Francis Schaefer, people often will catch their ideas like they catch a cold. From trans ideology to anti-Semitism, a primary way that evil flourishes and spreads is when thoughtful and intelligent people who know better refuse to speak out.
Now, Gladwell will certainly not be the last prominent influencer to backpedal on this issue. But how should the rest of us respond when someone admits error? That's a question that applies not only to celebrities, but also to our neighbors and our friends and our family members, even fellow Christians. There was a similar question that faced the early church after the great persecution ended in three eleven. Survivors were confronted with Christian leaders who had buckled under the pressure of persecution and denied Christ.
It became known as the Donatus Controversy. While some called for immediate mercy and forgiveness, others argued that Christian leaders should only be restored after time and acts of penitence. And then there were those who claimed that there could be no restoration at all after such a betrayal. They became known as the Donatist. The debate led to one of the first large-scale splits in the history of the church.
In the end, the majority of Christians chose a form of mercy, not as a way to coddle sin, but as a way to prioritize the message of grace that's central to the Christian worldview.
Now of course the question about Christians and Christian leaders who repent of heretical views is far different. than when someone who's not a Christian does or when a celebrity does.
However, A culture captive to a critical theory mood, one driven by the pursuit of social media gotcha moments. has no categories whatsoever for mercy or forgiveness. Only Christianity really provides the framework for forgiveness. From the mothers of slain Amish schoolgirls to the members of Mother Emmanuel Church in Charleston to Erica Kirk at her husband's memorial service. Forgiveness is a way that the Church stands out.
Forgiveness, of course, doesn't mean we should be foolish. Strong accountability and a spirit of forgiveness are not mutually exclusive options. Public failings demand public rebukes, sometimes removal from office, even handing the guilty over to the proper authorities. We need not accept half apologies, and we should never accept putting victims at risk of further harm. And yet what remains true is that grace and forgiveness are central features.
not just of the Christian faith, But the Christian conception of all of reality Just as Jesus held together both firm and unwavering opposition to sin, along with mercy and forgiveness, so must we. The church was founded by people like Peter the betrayer, Simon the Terrorist, Matthew the Exploiter. Our history. is a history of the fallen and the forgiven. Those who can cry out with the author of Amazing Grace.
Another forgiven man. I am a great sinner, and Christ is a great Saviour. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street with Breakpoint. Today's Breakpoint was co-authored by doctor Timothy Padgett. If you're a fan of Breakpoint, leave us a review wherever you download your podcast.
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