Podcast Summary: The Briefing with Albert Mohler

Episode: Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Host: R. Albert Mohler, Jr.

Overview of the Episode

In this episode, Albert Mohler delivers cultural commentary on recent events in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, focusing on the invasion of an evangelical church by leftist protesters, the media’s muted response, and the broader implications for America's escalating culture wars. Mohler explores how these events reflect profound worldview conflicts, especially along lines of gender, politics, and faith, and discusses the increasing polarization of American life—with particular attention to the role of younger women in leftist activism both in the U.S. and abroad.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Twin Cities: Ground Zero in the Culture War

• Incident Recap ([00:40]): On Sunday, a leftist activist mob disrupted worship at City's Church in St. Paul, an event Mohler calls “unprecedented, at least in recent American history.”
  • “That kind of thing didn’t happen even in the cultural conflicts of the 1960s and the 1970s. But we are in a very different stage of the culture war.” ([01:35])
• The episode uses this incident as a lens through which to examine the deeper societal fissures manifesting in contemporary culture wars, particularly between biblical Christianity and radical secularism.

2. Media Coverage and Diagnostic Bias

• Minimal Mainstream Coverage ([03:15]): Mohler highlights a lack of major media attention, noting only exceptions like Fox News, CNN, and a detailed Associated Press report.
  • "That's stunning in itself because we’re talking about a major news story... That’s another diagnostic test of the mainstream media." ([04:01])
• The AP article is singled out as a rare example of thorough, balanced journalism, indicating broader media reluctance to cover anti-evangelical incidents comparably to those targeting other faiths or ideologies.

3. Immigration, ICE, and Christian Worldview Divides

• Immigration as a Flashpoint ([08:20]): The disrupted church’s pastor is an ICE official—a detail that deepens the controversy.
• Christian Divisions ([09:00]): Mohler cites the AP’s reporting that U.S. Christians are split on questions of immigration, enforcement, and care for migrants.
  • “Evangelical Christians have tended to stress the enforcement side, and many Roman Catholic leaders really have stressed what’s described... as the position, ‘in favor of migrant rights.’” ([10:20])
• Vatican Ambiguity: The Vatican, despite advocating for migrants' rights, is criticized for not articulating a coherent stance on state sovereignty or border control.
  • “The Vatican doesn’t make clear exactly what it considers to be the rights of states to control their borders... a glaring omission...” ([12:20])

4. Political Realignment and Gender Polarization

• Increasing Gender Divide ([14:00]): Mohler references a New York Times article observing that the “culture war has taken on a new front... now has gender as the frontline issue.”
  • "Even as you look at red states and blue states, we’re really kind of looking at a red gender and a blue gender." ([15:40])
• Rise of the 'AWFUL' Acronym ([17:10]): Conservative commentators label "affluent white female urban liberals" (AWFUL) as key actors in recent protests, with social media amplifying the term.
  • Eric Erickson: "An AWFUL... is dead after running her car into an ICE agent who opened fire on her..." ([17:40])
• Protest Demographics: The right has noticed, and the left has ambiguously acknowledged, the increasing leadership of young and middle-aged white women in street-level activism.

5. ‘Dark Woke’ and the Psychology of Leftist Activism

• Concept of 'Dark Woke' ([21:10]): Cites Emily Jaszynski’s reporting on millennial women engaging in radical activism, often motivated by disillusionment with slow-progress leftist politics.
  • “They are, like Renee Goode, millennial moms in the Midwest... spending time during the workday putting their bodies and vehicles on the line to protect illegal migrants...” ([22:25])
• Loneliness and Alienation Studies: Liberal women aged 18-40 are “over three times as likely to report frequent feelings of loneliness compared to their conservative peers.” ([23:49])
  • Mohler attributes this, at least partially, to "the absence of creation structures, most importantly marriage and the family." ([24:30])

6. Parallels in the United Kingdom and Across the Anglosphere

• Young Women's Radicalization in the UK ([25:15]): The New Statesman notes a “much greater movement” of young women toward the radical left compared to their male peers—a trend Mohler links to similar dynamics in the U.S.
  • “Young women are not only abandoning Conservative parties, they are abandoning Liberal parties of the center. They are moving more radically to the left.” ([27:00])
• Gallup Findings: Record Numbers of Young Women Want to Emigrate ([29:10]):
  • “In 2025, 40% of women aged 15 to 44 say they would move abroad permanently if they had the opportunity.” ([30:10])
  • Mohler expresses skepticism at the scale of this sentiment but acknowledges it as part of a larger pattern.

7. Christian Response and Broader Implications

• Christian Educators and Parents’ Duty ([33:50]):
  • Mohler stresses the need for Christian parents and leaders to be aware of “what kind of influence these influencers are putting forth”—especially as issues are “most concentrated... on the college campus.”
• Warning on Abandoning Created Structures: He ends with a reflection on how social alienation stems from abandonment of God’s design for family, community, and order.
  • “The abandonment of those structures will come inevitably with disaster and with deep sadness as well.” ([36:40])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On polarization:
  “The options in the middle are evaporating... and it has been that way for the better part of the last several decades.” ([02:17])
• On media coverage:
  “If you were to flip the switch and say this was the invasion... of some other major world religion... by conservative political activists, that would be front page news.” ([04:20])
• On church, ICE, and protest:
  “There are huge worldview issues, huge biblical and theological issues to consider.” ([10:37])
• On gender as a political force:
  “Gender now has become the frontline issue in the culture war. Red gender and blue gender.” ([15:40])
• On the role of young women:
  “Young women are radicalizing. They’re not only abandoning Conservative parties, they are abandoning Liberal parties of the center. They are moving more radically to the left.” ([27:00])
• On the 'Dark Woke':
  “The Dark Woke seems to be coming out of frustration that instead of getting the leftist utopia they had expected, they got President Donald Trump.” ([21:45])
• On social alienation:
  “I think Christians understand there is an alienation and... a detachment from creation order that is going to lead to a further sense of outrage and perhaps even activism...” ([24:30])
• On potential Christian response:
  “I think we obviously have a dramatic, dire need here to look at exactly what kind of influence these influencers are putting forth.” ([34:00])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:40 – Incident in City's Church, St. Paul
• 03:15 – Media’s muted coverage
• 08:20 – Link between ICE, church, and controversy
• 14:00 – New gendered front in culture war
• 17:10 – ‘AWFUL’ acronym and its cultural relevance
• 21:10 – Rise of 'dark woke' activism
• 23:49 – Studies on liberal women, loneliness, alienation
• 25:15 – UK parallels: radicalization among young women
• 29:10 – Record numbers of young women wish to emigrate
• 33:50 – Christian responsibilities and influence
• 36:40 – Conclusion: the consequences of abandoning Creation’s order

This summary captures the core arguments and thematic elements in Mohler’s commentary—providing context, concrete examples, and Mohler’s perspective for listeners who wish to understand the episode’s central message without hearing the full broadcast.