John Stonestreet – Page 57

Why Asking Kids to Announce Their Pronouns is a Big Deal

Sep 6, 2021John StonestreetLGBTLGBT, Pronouns, Transgender

*John Stonestreet, Radio Host and Director of the Colson Center*

According to a friend, the first day of her son’s 8th grade class began with teachers asking students to stand up and declare their pronouns. This was in Ohio, but I’d be willing to bet it happened in most state schools this year.

Set aside for a moment the questionable wisdom of asking hormone-riddled middle-schoolers during the most awkward times of their lives to talk about their bodies in front of their peers…

This would have never happened five, even three years ago. Compared to other ways gender confusion is aggressively advanced in our culture, this one may seem like an innocuous first-day-of-school icebreaker. It’s not. Culture is most powerful not where it’s loudest, but where it makes things seem normal, or “common.” Encouraging students to view their identity as chosen, and their physical bodies as wrong isn’t normal. It isn’t true; and it’s harming our kids.

Christians shouldn’t participate. And parents should not let this classroom activity slide by unopposed.

Spike in Transgender Surgeries Show Medical Priorities

Aug 30, 2021John StonestreetTransgenderLGBT, Transgender

Headlines and newsfeeds are full of images and descriptions of overcrowded hospitals because of a spike in Covid infections. Some states have issued new lockdown and mask mandates to ensure that doctors and nurses aren’t overwhelmed by a new influx of the sick. From the beginning of the pandemic, some medical procedures were postponed to prioritize Covid care.

That’s why it’s so strange that despite all the rationing we’ve been hearing about, there was a notable rise in so-called “gender confirmation surgeries” for women. These are procedures in which otherwise healthy body parts are removed from female patients suffering with gender dysphoria.

Numerous studies show that these surgeries do not deliver what they promise, in terms of inner peace and long-term happiness. Even so, plastic surgeons not only continued performing these unnecessary amputations but increased them during a global pandemic.

This is a movement committed to denying reality.

Afghan Fathers Pass Persecuted Faith to Children

Aug 23, 2021John StonestreetChristian Persecution, Current EventsChristian Persecution, Christianity, Current Events

As a father, I often think about what a Christian heritage will mean for my children. I want it to be the source of their peace and strength in times of trouble. But what if I knew it would be the source of their persecution as well?

On the Breakpoint Podcast this week, I spoke with Mindy Belz about the new dangers for Christians in Afghanistan. A couple years ago, a number of Christian leaders did something incredibly brave: they changed the official religious affiliation noted on their national identification cards. Because they knew that religious identity is passed down from fathers to children, their hope was that their descendents could be born with a Christian heritage for generations to come.

It was a courageous move, even then. But now, as government records fall under Taliban control, these believers have been uniquely exposed to the threat of violence. Belz told me that she knows of Christians who have received letters from the Taliban stating “We know where you are, and we know what you’re doing.”

This cost of discipleship is not a light one, but the church in Afghanistan is demonstrating exactly what bearing the name of Christ is worth to them. May God strengthen his people in Afghanistan, and give us the same courageous heart.