Podcast Episode Summary
Podcast: The Briefing with Albert Mohler
Host: R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
Episode: Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Theme: Cultural Commentary from a Biblical Perspective

Overview

In this episode, Albert Mohler offers thoughtful Christian analysis of two major news stories:

• The Supreme Court case concerning New Jersey’s subpoena against a pro-life pregnancy resource center and its implications for religious liberty and nonprofit freedom.
• The demographic and worldview crises revealed in new fertility data, especially the birth rate gap between conservative and liberal women, and how secular vs. Christian worldviews shape choices about family and childbearing.

Mohler examines these issues with a focus on their spiritual, cultural, and political significance for Christians and the broader society.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Supreme Court Case: New Jersey’s Subpoena Against First Choice Women's Resource Centers

(Begins at ~00:04)

• Background:

  • In November 2023, NJ Attorney General Matthew Plotkin issued a broad subpoena to First Choice Women's Resource Centers, a pro-life pregnancy center, demanding 10 years of records—statements on abortion, pill reversal, client & donor info, personnel details, advertisements, and affiliations with outside organizations. (00:20–01:15)
  • Mohler frames this as a hostile act within a "very pro-abortion region" by an AG seeking to claim the center "misrepresents itself" because it does not provide referrals or abortions. (01:25)

• Legal Response:

  • First Choice sought help from Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), with Erin Hawley representing them at the Supreme Court oral arguments. (02:10)
  • Both district and circuit courts claimed lack of jurisdiction, propelling the issue to the Supreme Court. (03:00–03:45)

• Stakes and Precedent:

  • Mohler warns that the precedent set by allowing such subpoenas could threaten any organization—"not just crisis pregnancy centers, but any Christian ministry...even the ACLU recognized it." (05:55)
  • Mohler decries this as “indicative of a police state.” (06:35)

• Supreme Court Arguments:

  • Key issue: Can organizations challenge subpoenas before sanctions are threatened/enforced?
  • Mohler calls the government’s position “Orwellian,” describing it as: "We have the right to crush you and you appeal being crushed; well, if you’re still able to appeal, we haven’t crushed you enough yet.” (07:30)
  • Abby Van Sickle’s NY Times coverage quotes: "A majority of the Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared to believe an anti-abortion pregnancy center should be able to challenge a subpoena demanding its donor information in federal court." (08:05)

• Implications:

  • Even a Supreme Court relief would be only a partial, not a final, victory. The investigation could continue unless the AG backs down. (08:50)
  • Erin Hawley’s argument (paraphrased): "The organization...had been harmed the moment it received the subpoena. So it's not a potential harm out there in the future—there was a harm immediately." (09:20)

• Chief Justice Roberts’ Question:

  • To the AG’s attorney: “So you don’t think it might have an effect on future potential donors to the organization to know that their name, phone number, address, etc., could be disclosed as a result of the subpoena?” (10:15)
  • Mohler observes that some liberal justices seemed unconvinced by the AG's arguments as well.

• Broader Principle:

  • Constitutional issues transcend politics: “If this can be used in New Jersey against this crisis pregnancy center, it can be used in another state against a liberal organization...the constitutional issues would remain the same.” (11:15)

2. Falling Birth Rates and Worldview Divides

(Begins at ~12:10)

• Institute for Family Studies Report:

  • NPR covered a report by the Institute for Family Studies showing conservative women (ages 25–35) are having more babies than liberal women, with especially pronounced differences since COVID. (13:00)
  • NPR frames IFS as "conservative leaning," but does not similarly label sources on the left, Mohler notes. (14:05)

• Brad Wilcox’s Analysis (IFS/UVA):

  • Highlighted that birth rate differences could impact everything from schools to congressional representation to the country’s overall trajectory. (15:00)
  • “The impact of this is pretty obvious...it has to do with just about everything. Schools, yes. Politics, yes. Congressional districts, yes.” (paraphrased, 15:20)

• Political & Social Ramifications:

  • Red (conservative) states are growing in population and thus influence due to higher birth rates.
  • Mohler insists, “There is nothing more basic to a society than who’s having babies. And I guess, on the other hand, who’s not.” (17:05)

• NPR Commentary – Melissa Deckman (PRRI):

  • Notes that more Trump-voting states are seeing increases in child population but downplays political impact: “If you’re trying to speculate how they’re gonna vote in 10, 20 years, I think it’s really difficult to conclude that this will advantage the Republican Party.” (18:05)
  • Mohler responds: “That flies in the face of most patterns throughout American history...there’s an overwhelming likelihood that children raised in a conservative home are going to have conservative convictions...” (19:10)
  • Mohler’s “Christian default”: “The goodness of having babies and the goodness of marriage, a man and a woman coming together, and children being part of that.” (20:00)

• Religious Commitment as a Factor:

  • Higher religiosity, especially Christian commitment, correlates strongly with higher fertility.
  • “Secular people are having fewer babies than committed Christians. That’s just the way it works.” (21:00)

• Demographic Delays and the Fertility Cliff:

  • Leslie Root (UC Boulder) says reports sometimes ignore liberal women having children later, not fewer.
  • Mohler concedes some validity but points out risks: “The longer you wait as a woman to have a baby, the more complicated it gets.” (22:45)
  • Points to rising infertility and the social message from employers to delay childbearing for career reasons. (23:30)

• The Sociological and Worldview Connections:

  • Delaying childbirth affects not just whether, but how many, children are born.
  • “Let’s just be honest...you see a mom and a dad and a bunch of kids. Is your first thought, that’s a liberal family? No…it’s a pretty safe assumption…not universal, but it still communicates something very real.” (24:30)
  • Both sides recognize the stereotype, which reveals its essential truth.

3. Fertility Science, Language, and Worldview

(Begins at ~28:25)

• NY Times Article: "Does the Fertility Cliff Really Hit at 35?"
  • Reporter Dani Bloom: “That line of thinking is pervasive. It's also not totally true.” (29:15)
  • Mohler’s close reading of language:
    • He points out the key difference between “not totally true” (meaning somewhat true) and “totally not true” (meaning completely false). (30:25)
    • Quote: “Those are not equivalent sentences. So if that’s totally not true means that statement has no validity. I just want you to note that that is not what I read to you...” (30:45)
  • Encouragement for “good thinking”: “Be careful to be able to tell the difference between those two sentences...Paying attention to that is really important, and that’s totally true.” (31:40)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On government overreach:
  “You know, this sounds like oppression from the state because that’s exactly what it represents.” – Mohler (04:20)

• On the stakes of the Supreme Court case:
  “If this goes the wrong way, then there isn’t any crisis pregnancy center, there’s not any Christian ministry, and frankly, even groups like the ACLU intervened in this...” (06:00)

• Summarizing government’s logic:
  “We have the right to crush you and you appeal being crushed. Well, if you’re still able to appeal, we haven’t crushed you enough yet.” – Mohler (07:30)

• Supreme Court Justice Roberts’ question:
  “So you don't think it might have an effect on future potential donors to the organization to know that their name, phone number, address, etc., could be disclosed as a result of the subpoena?” – Chief Justice Roberts (10:15)

• On worldview and demographic crisis:
  “There is nothing more basic to a society than who's having babies. And I guess, on the other hand, who's not.” – Mohler (17:05)

• On family stereotypes:
  “Let’s just be honest...you see a mom and a dad and a bunch of kids. Is your first thought, that’s a liberal family? No…it’s quite understandable.” (24:30)

• On fertility language:
  “It’s also not totally true.” vs. “It’s also totally not true.” – Mohler illustrates the power of nuance in contested cultural language. (30:25)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:04 – Introduction; overview of the Supreme Court case
• 01:25 – Details on the subpoena’s demands and gravity for nonprofits
• 02:10 – Introduction of ADF and Erin Hawley’s legal leadership
• 03:00–03:45 – Lower courts’ rejections and appeal to SCOTUS
• 07:30 – Mohler’s summary of the “crushing you” rationale
• 08:05 – NYT: majority of justices appear to favor First Choice argument
• 09:20 – Erin Hawley’s argument: harm is immediate
• 10:15 – Chief Justice Roberts’ questioning of AG’s logic
• 12:10 – Introduction to birth rate/fertility data coverage
• 13:00–15:20 – Summary of NPR’s coverage and Brad Wilcox’s analysis
• 18:05 – NPR/PRRI’s Melissa Deckman; Mohler’s response
• 21:00 – The religious factor in fertility
• 22:45 – Expert commentary on delayed motherhood
• 24:30 – Cultural stereotypes about family size and worldview
• 28:25 – NYT article on the “fertility cliff”; Mohler’s linguistic analysis
• 30:45 – Distinction between “not totally true” and “totally not true”
• 31:40 – Final reflection on language and truth

Conclusion

Albert Mohler uses current events—legal challenges to crisis pregnancy centers and the pronounced fertility divide across worldviews—as springboards for deeper discussion about religious liberty, the shaping power of worldview, and societal futures. This episode is packed with close cultural and legal analysis, worldview formation, and a keen awareness of the language used in public debates. Mohler urges listeners to pay attention—to legal trends, demographic changes, and the subtleties of public discourse—always aiming for faithfulness from a biblical perspective.