If you listen to certain commentators, you might think America is in the middle of a long-awaited, collective return to sanity.
With Trump's re-election and the public exhaustion over ideological gender experiments, many on the right have been celebrating a "vibe shift" as the cultural pendulum swings back toward common sense.
But a scandal that just erupted at the University of Oklahoma involving a she/they teaching assistant named Mel Curth and a Christian student Samantha Fulnecky is a flashing neon sign that the underlying worldview of our culture hasn't shifted at all.
According to reports, Fulnecky's class was assigned to write an essay on "gender typicality, peer relations, and mental health." The Christian student says she did exactly that - followed the prompt and articulated her position shaped by her Christian convictions and by biological reality.
Her transgender teaching assistant, Mel Curth, failed Fulnecky, assigning her 0 out of 25 points. Fulnecky revealed screenshots of an exchange with Curth where the TA declared the essay to be "bigoted" and "transphobic." Curth said Fulnecky's arguments could cause "harm" and violated OU's "inclusion" expectations.
Only after the situation went public and pressure mounted thanks to social media, did the university place the Curth on administrative leave pending an investigation.
While there's reason to be hopeful this situation turns out the way it should, it's also telling us we are naĂŻve to assume the deeper cultural currents have suddenly changed.
Vibe shifts aren't repentance. They're intermissions.
Cultures don't drift toward biblical fidelity on their own. Both reason and experience tell us that the history of the world proves the exact opposite. This OU scandal is further evidence of a centuries-old reality: the moment Christian conviction touches the nerve of the reigning spirit of the age (in this case, radical gender ideology) the facade cracks. Beneath the supposed "swing back to reason," the same old gods still demand sacrifice.
The apostle Paul described the core problem 2,000 years ago:
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator. - Romans 1:25
That exchange didn't get reversed just because Donald Trump got elected president.
We still live in a culture discipled by follow-your-heart theology.
We still inhabit institutions that believe feelings create reality.
We remain citizens of a society where the gospel of affirmation eclipses the authority of God's Word.
So any "vibe shift" we experience is more like a breeze. The worldview underneath is bedrock.
That's why Christians must remember nowhere in this world, not even in the United States, is our home.
Jesus told His disciples plainly:
The world will hate you because of Me. - John 15:18 - 19
Not "might." Not "could." Will.
So while I sincerely hope that all the facts emerge in Oklahoma, and that Samantha Fulnecky's rights to conscience are protected, and that all students are treated fairly, and that academic freedom applies to Christian students rather than just the ideologically compliant, I'm confident believers must prepare for the opposite.
This controversy at Oklahoma is not a glitch. It's happening elsewhere. And it is a preview of things to come regardless of any shift of vibes.
Christians must not mistake cultural fatigue for cultural repentance.
The public may be tired of the excesses of gender ideology.
They may be annoyed with activists.
They may be rolling their eyes at the latest list of invented pronouns.
But annoyance is not repentance.
Irritation with one form of insanity does not mean the culture has returned to truth. More often, it simply seeks a new form of insanity that feels more socially acceptable. Until there is a true turning to Christ, the long-term trajectory will not change.
Pray for Samantha. Pray for Mel. Pray for justice and fairness.
But let this be a reminder not to put our hope in a vibe shift, but in the King whose truth stands even when institutions crumble and crowds mock.
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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Not the Bee or any of its affiliates.
