Breakpoint Podcast Summary
Episode: Stop Lying to Women
Host: John Stonestreet (Colson Center)
Date: April 2, 2025
Main Theme & Purpose
In this episode, John Stonestreet addresses the dominant cultural messages surrounding womanhood, abortion, feminism, and the Christian worldview on identity and fulfillment. Stonestreet contends that modern feminist narratives undermine the joy and purpose women can find in marriage and motherhood, distorting God’s design for women and replacing it with a focus on autonomy, careerism, and sexual freedom. The episode calls listeners to challenge these cultural “lies” and to embrace a biblical vision for women’s flourishing.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Cultural Messaging Around Abortion and Motherhood
- Stonestreet opens by referencing the website “shoutyourabortion.com,” highlighting testimonies where women describe motherhood as abnormal and abortion as liberating.
- He presents examples:
- Sid, a Catholic convert: “Thanks to my abortion, I will have a future.” [00:19]
- Other testimonials focus on self-fulfillment and the career over having children, with abortion providing the route to personal success.
- An anonymous student: “My future was worth more than just a vessel to produce new life.” She further compares her baby to a tumor obstructing her career. [00:34]
2. Impact of Fourth-Wave Feminism
- Stonestreet links these perspectives to fourth-wave feminism, claiming it teaches that the procreative design of women’s bodies is a problem to be solved, not a gift from God.
- He highlights cultural pressures:
- Celebrity endorsements of abortion as “mercy.”
- Widespread idea that happiness comes from singleness and career, not family.
3. The Perception-Reality Gap
- Cites studies showing that, contrary to current cultural trends:
- “The happiest people on average in America are women who are married with children.” [01:24]
- “There’s an incredible gap between perception and reality in this space.” [01:32]
4. The Christian Worldview on Womanhood
- Presents the biblical teaching that God designed humans for relationships, with most women called to marriage and motherhood.
- Affirms, “There’s joy in following the precepts of the Lord and that these precepts align with God’s work in creation.” [01:44]
- Critiques modern feminism for being in “direct contrast to all of that.”
5. Historical Revisionism
- Stonestreet points out how feminism “rewrites” the stories of historical women to fit progressive ideals:
- Example: Lady Jane Grey depicted as “a power driven vixen who did not need a man.”
- Even Jane Austen is co-opted to represent a non-binary society according to revisionists. [02:05]
- Criticizes this erasure of tradition and values related to faith, family, and men.
6. Affirmation of Women’s Value and Design
- Emphasizes that a woman’s worth isn’t solely based on marriage or motherhood, but these are not to be dismissed:
- “Who God designed woman to be can neither be erased nor can it be replaced by some progressive vision of so called freedom, careerism, or sexual autonomy.” [02:37]
- “Women are uniquely and wonderfully different from men.” [02:46]
- Highlights Biblical examples: women as mothers, judges, businesswomen, and prophets.
7. True Calling and Highest Purpose
- Rejects the idea that wife/motherhood is the absolute highest calling:
- “Glorifying God in whatever role or stage of life you are in is the highest calling of all image bearers.” [03:12]
- “We are to do that in whatever station God has placed us in, and we are to do it as male or female, because that’s how God made us to bear his image.” [03:18]
8. Consequences of Rejecting God’s Design
- Argues that cultural lies cause women to fear or fight their design, undermining “the sacred roles granted to women within families.”
- Laments this as a tragedy and reiterates:
- “God’s design for his image bearers, male and female, is, as scripture says, very good.” [03:46]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “According to the website shoutyourabortion.com…women who want children are the abnormal ones.” — John Stonestreet [00:10]
- “Abortion gave me a chance to focus on my own life.” — Unnamed woman [00:28]
- “My future was worth more than just a vessel to produce new life.” — Anonymous college student [00:34]
- “The happiest people on average in America are women who are married with children.” — John Stonestreet [01:24]
- “It should not be thought weird for women to desire to give life and then to nurture and care for it. Women did this for Jesus throughout his life.” — John Stonestreet [02:52]
- “It’s often said that being a wife and a mother are the highest calling for women. That is not true. Glorifying God in whatever role or stage of life you are in is the highest calling of all image bearers.” — John Stonestreet [03:12]
Important Timestamps
| Timestamp | Segment/Quote | |---------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:10 | Introduction of shoutyourabortion.com and its messaging | | 00:19 | Sid’s testimonial: “Thanks to my abortion, I will have a future.” | | 00:28 | Other women’s perspectives on abortion and success | | 00:34 | Anonymous college student compares a baby to a tumor | | 01:24 | Research showing married mothers as happiest demographic | | 02:05 | Discussion of feminist revisionism of historical women | | 02:37 | Statement on unchangeable God-given design for women | | 03:12 | Clarification on women’s true “highest calling” | | 03:46 | Closing affirmation of God’s design for men and women |
Tone and Language
Stonestreet’s language is direct, thought-provoking, and unapologetically grounded in a Christian worldview. He alternates between providing statistics, critiquing prevailing feminist ideology, sharing biblical insights, and offering pastoral encouragement to women wrestling with cultural expectations.
Conclusion
John Stonestreet’s episode “Stop Lying to Women” provides a forceful critique of modern feminist messages about womanhood, arguing these narratives cause lasting harm by disconnecting women from the joy and fulfillment of marriage and motherhood. He frames the Christian vision as a radical alternative—one that honors both women’s unique design and ultimate calling to glorify God in every life stage. The episode calls for truth-telling, compassion, and reclaiming the goodness of God’s original design for men and women.