Protecting the Victims of Bad Ideas

John Stonestreet is the Director of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview

In Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, President Joe Biden told young people with gender dysphoria that he will “always have (their) back.” Though he didn’t specify what exactly that means, presumably it had something to do with extending Title IX protections to include allowing men full access to women’s facilities and sports; extending mandatory insurance coverage for “gender reassignment” surgeries; and restricting any counseling, treatments, or public advocacy that does anything less than fully affirm one’s gender dysphoria.  

Immediately following the President’s late-speech shoutout was a call to pass the Equality Act, something that remains (at least for now) dead in the Senate. The Equality Act would be a kind of legislative nuclear option, rendering the approximately 250 so-called “anti-LGBTQ” bills under consideration across America pointless, and leading to serious restrictions on religious liberty, especially for religious schools.  

Over the last few years, following a strategy that proved effective for advancing pro-life protections, states like Texas have been laying creative groundwork to hold adults accountable for experimenting on young people struggling with gender identity. Having these laws in place is incredibly important, given the astronomical rise in the number of young people identifying as transgender and how quickly transgender ideology went from being unthinkable to unquestionable in so many aspects of society.  

For instance, the field of so-called gender-affirming “medicine” is the only example of medical treatment that attempts to alter the body to accord with the mind, as opposed to helping the mind align with biological reality. That was a $316 million industry in 2018. By 2026, it is projected to be a $1.5 billion industry.  

Children, in particular, are the subjects of these social experiments, which are only one example of how reality is being reimagined along the lines of sexual autonomy. If the early days of the sexual revolution were about being free from the confines of sexual morality, these latter days are about being free from the confines of sexual reality.  

That these created realities were part of a biological, social, and religious package deal went largely unquestioned until recently. However, technological innovations such as the pill, IVF, and surrogacy; legal innovations such as no-fault divorce; and cultural innovations such as ubiquitous pornography and “hook-up” apps, have all made it increasingly plausible to reimagine the world. Children are forced to go along as we pursue so-called sexual “freedom.”  

Specifically, the pursuit of social and legal equality without reference to reality has proven disastrous. It’s one thing to say that men and women are equal before God and the law; it’s quite another to say that they are the same or, like we are saying today, that any and all differences are either an illusion or unjust. So now, we hear, without a hint of parody, that men can bear children and that “not all women menstruate” and that love can make a second mom into a dad. None of this is true, but young people are expected to play along, to adapt to and adopt these lies, pretending all is well, even if they’re not. 

Of all of the lies of the sexual revolution, the most devastating is repeated at each new stage of the sexual revolution in order to justify whatever new way life and the world are reimagined. It’s been phrased various ways, but it’s the same fundamental myth: “the kids will be fine.”  

But, of course, the kids haven’t been fine. Not even close. In her book, Them Before Us: Why We Need a Global Children’s Rights MovementKaty Faust documents all of the ways the kids aren’t fine, and all of the ways their wellbeing is sacrificed on the altar of adult happiness.  

On Tuesday, March 15, I will be talking with Katy Faust about all of the ways that kids aren’t fine and how Christians can and must defend children from the myths, misnomers, and lies of the sexual revolution. This isn’t a theoretical topic. In fact, I’m absolutely convinced that standing for the inherent dignity and rights of children against the innovations of our age is what “running into the plague and caring for victims” will require of us. It’s what Christians are called to in this cultural moment. 

Katy’s presentation is part of the new Lighthouse Voices Speaker Series, a partnership between the Colson Center and Focus on the Family. Together, we aim to help Christians think clearly and biblically, especially about the most critical, confusing, and important issues at the intersection of family and culture.  

If you’re in the Holland, Michigan, area, you can join the conversation in person. If not, you can sign up for the livestream of this important discussion at www.colsoncenter.org/events.

Copyright 2025 by the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. Reprinted from BreakPoint.org with permission.

A Reminder to “Live Not by Lies”

On February 12, 1974, Soviet dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was arrested. That same day, he released a short essay titled, “Live Not by Lies.”

Besides being a political dissident, Solzhenitsyn was a Christian, a teacher, a thought-provoking intellectual, an author, a Nobel laureate, and a survivor of the gulag.

The day after his arrest, Solzhenitsyn was exiled to the West. In the following years, he received the prestigious Templeton Prize and delivered the commencement address at Harvard.

In 1983 Solzhenitsyn famously wrote that Russia’s trouble stemmed from the fact that “men have forgotten God.”

In an era when it’s difficult to know what’s true and what’s false, Solzhenitsyn’s 1974 essay “Live Not by Lies” is still a timeless reminder that free men and women should not participate lies.

In it, Solzhenitsyn writes that a man who does not live by lies is one who:

Will not write, sign, nor publish in any way, a single line distorting, so far as he can see, the truth;

Will not utter such a line in private or in public conversation, nor read it from a crib sheet, nor speak it in the role of educator, canvasser, teacher, actor;

Will not in painting, sculpture, photograph, technology, or music depict, support, or broadcast a single false thought, a single distortion of the truth as he discerns it;

Will not cite in writing or in speech a single “guiding” quote for gratification, insurance, for his success at work, unless he fully shares the cited thought and believes that it fits the context precisely;

Will not be forced to a demonstration or a rally if it runs counter to his desire and his will; will not take up and raise a banner or slogan in which he does not fully believe;

Will not raise a hand in vote for a proposal which he does not sincerely support; will not vote openly or in secret ballot for a candidate whom he deems dubious or unworthy;

Will not be impelled to a meeting where a forced and distorted discussion is expected to take place;

Will at once walk out from a session, meeting, lecture, play, or film as soon as he hears the speaker utter a lie, ideological drivel, or shameless propaganda;

Will not subscribe to, nor buy in retail, a newspaper or journal that distorts or hides the underlying facts.

You can read the entire essay “Live Not by Lies” SolzhenitsynCenter.org and you can hear it read below.

Arkansas General Assembly Approves $1 Million for Arkansas Pregnancy Centers

On Thursday, March 3, by a vote of 75 to 19, the Arkansas House of Representatives made history with their final approval of $1 million in state funding for pregnancy resource centers in Arkansas. The Arkansas Senate previously approved the same funding bill by a vote of 27 to 4.

In speaking for the appropriation, State Rep. Robin Lundstrum and State Rep. Cindy Crawford told lawmakers if Arkansas is going to make abortion illegal, the State needs to step up and provide help for women with unplanned pregnancies.

As part of our long-term plan to reduce the demand for Abortion in Arkansas, in January, we met with Governor Hutchinson along with leaders in the Arkansas Senate and House. Our recommendation was for Arkansas to follow a dozen other states by launching a State-funded program for pregnancy centers. The Governor agreed.  House and Senate leadership drew up the plan and presented it as a part of this year’s state budget in Senate Bill 102.

Approximately, 45 non-profit pregnancy centers are in operation across Arkansas.  Having funds for ultrasound machines and other equipment as well as diapers, formula, maternity clothes, and other supplies will be a game-changer for many clinics.  Funds will be available through the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration after the new fiscal year begins on July 1.

Last year, we listed this funding for pregnancy centers as one of our goals for 2022.  I am pleased to report that we have achieved that goal—partially.  The next step is that we need to be ready to help pregnancy centers be successful in obtaining those funds without a bunch of strings attached. Here is how we plan to help. 

First, the Department of Finance and Administration will write rules for how to apply for funds and how the funds can be used. As with all rules, they have to take public comments, and the rules have to be approved by the legislature. If they’re not done right, we and others can weigh in and do our part in making the rules work properly.  Second, for any pregnancy center that needs help with navigating the application process, we plan to be there to help them from start to finish.  Our goal is to help pregnancy centers maximize every penny of this money.

Sometimes we forget the larger picture. I am reminded that we are not just funding pregnancy centers. These dollars will save the lives of unborn children.  None of us knows how many, but we’re safe to say that $1 million spent by pregnancy centers will help lots of women decide not to get an abortion.

That’s something to celebrate.