Breakpoint – "The Moral Monsters of a Post-Christian World"

Date: March 21, 2025
Host: John Stonestreet
Co-author: Dr. Timothy Padgett
Podcast: Breakpoint, Colson Center

Episode Overview

In this thought-provoking episode, John Stonestreet examines the profound moral confusion of a "post-Christian" Western culture. He highlights surreal recent cultural moments that demonstrate how society has lost its ethical bearings—praising both sex work and exploitative masculinity—then argues these are symptoms of rejecting biblical moral foundations. The episode ultimately asks whether good and evil can even be defined or recognized without the grounding of Christian belief.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Moral Confusion in Modern Culture

• Case Study 1: The Oscars and Sex Work

  • Mikey Madison wins Best Lead Actress for her role in Honora and, during her acceptance speech, thanks sex workers for inspiring her role as a young exotic dancer and prostitute.
  • Madison: “I want to again recognize and honor the sex worker community. I will continue to support and be an ally. All of the incredible people, the women that I've had the privilege of meeting from that community has been one of the highlights of this entire incredible experience.” (01:17)
  • Stonestreet points out the irony: in the wake of the #MeToo movement, Hollywood is now publicly affirming an “immoral and exploitative profession.”
  • Lila Rose, of Live Action, responds: “Sex work isn’t work. It’s destructive and evil. It preys on vulnerable young girls and boys. It’s not empowering or liberating. It fuels trafficking and abuse.” (01:35)

• Case Study 2: The Tate Brothers and a Corrupted Masculinity

  • Andrew and Tristan Tate, known for their misogynistic, “corrupted brand of masculinity,” and facing credible accusations of sex trafficking minors, are supported by some right-wing voices after US government intervention in their Romanian imprisonment.
  • Stonestreet notes: “In an alternative form of the same twisted logic... the Tates are defended and even celebrated for countering woke anti-male culture by being, well, awful men.” (02:25)

2. The Horseshoe of Moral Confusion

• Despite being on opposite cultural poles, Hollywood progressives and far-right podcasters display similar confusion about good and evil:
  • “Though these progressive movie stars and far right podcasters likely could not stand one another, they've embraced the same moral confusion.” (02:56)
  • Both ends celebrate exploitation—one calls it empowerment, the other “restores” masculinity by defending abusers.

3. Sexual Autonomy as the Highest Good

• Stonestreet critiques society’s embrace of “sexual autonomy as the highest human good,” and “consent as a legitimate form of sexual ethics.”
  • He emphasizes the dangers for both individuals and culture when biblical boundaries are abandoned:
    “There are inevitable dangerous consequences for individuals and for societies who reject the biblical description of human beings—the only idea in the world that has ever advanced both the dignity of women and... restrained the impulse of men.” (03:09)

4. The Consequences of Losing Christian Moral Framework

• Cites Ross Douthat:
  • “If you dislike the religious right, wait till you meet the post religious right.” (03:34)
  • The “new right,” marked by misogyny and anti-Semitism, is the logical outcome when Christian moral norms are discarded.
• Suggests that even progressive attempts to build ethics without Christianity are no better:
  • “So perhaps now we finally have our answer to the question, can we be good without God? The answer is we don't even know what good is without God.” (03:52)

5. "Zombie Ethics" and Running on Moral Fumes

• Illustrates that attempts to create morality without genuine foundations result in empty, destructive frameworks:
  • “In the end, what’s being proposed is nothing new. You might call it zombie ethics—ideas that should have died off years ago, but seem to come back, half-life, and wreak further havoc on men, women, and usually children.” (04:04)
• The West is "running on fumes" of Christian ethics:
  • “When it comes to our conceptions of right and wrong, justice and truth, courage and compassion, human dignity and responsibility, we seem to be running on fumes... the West really will miss Christianity if it’s ever finally gone.” (04:13)

6. Hope & Possibility of Renewal

• Stonestreet closes with a word of hope, underscoring that repentance and restoration remain possible for individuals and societies:
  • “But it need not be, because the central conclusion of the work of Christ is that repentance and renewal are always possible for individuals, families and societies. They can return to truth. They can be reconciled with God and one another.” (04:18)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Cultural Confusion:
  • “The praising of sex work or a sex abuser does more than just illustrate the horseshoe theory. Each illustrates the futility and danger of embracing sexual autonomy as the highest human good...” (02:52)
• On Defending the Tate Brothers:
  • “In an alternative form of the same twisted logic that celebrates the exploitation of women by calling it empowerment, the Tates are defended and even celebrated for countering woke anti-male culture by being, well, awful men.” (02:28)
• On Defining Good Without God:
  • “The answer is we don’t even know what good is without God.” (03:54)
• On "Zombie Ethics":
  • “You might call it zombie ethics. Ideas that should have died off years ago, but seem to come back half-life and wreak further havoc on men, women, and usually children.” (04:04)
• On the Urgency for Christian Roots:
  • “When it comes to our conceptions of right and wrong, justice and truth, courage and compassion, human dignity and responsibility, we seem to be running on fumes. And that means that the west really will miss Christianity if it’s ever finally gone.” (04:13)
• Message of Hope:
  • “Repentance and renewal are always possible for individuals, families and societies. They can return to truth. They can be reconciled with God and one another.” (04:18)

Important Timestamps

• Oscars Speech & Hollywood’s Position on Sex Work – 00:15 to 01:35
• Discussion of the Tate Brothers & Reaction From the Right – 01:40 to 02:30
• Analysis: Horseshoe Theory and Moral Confusion – 02:56 to 03:22
• Douthat Quote and Implications of Losing Biblical Ethics – 03:34 to 03:52
• “Zombie Ethics” & The Moral “Fumes” of the West – 04:04 to 04:18
• Closing Hope: Repentance and Renewal – 04:18 to 04:24

Conclusion

John Stonestreet’s commentary weaves together real cultural events and incisive analysis to argue that moral confusion—from the Left's celebration of sex work to the Right's defense of abusers—stems from abandoning Christian moral foundations. The episode warns of the dangers inherent in defining good and evil apart from God, yet leaves the door open for cultural and personal renewal through repentance, reconciliation, and restoration.

For more resources, visit Breakpoint.org.