Thread by @DrewHolden360

A good and timely piece from @RyanTAnd, who is an under-appreciated intellectual titan on social issues.

In my five years in DC, I’ve never been as blown away by a speaker as I was the first time I heard him. Quick (and not particularly profound) story.
wsj.com/articles/relig…

When I was on the Hill, Heritage Foundation held weekly briefings for staffers. I went mostly because my boss said I should; I thought they were often too punchy and provocative, in the way that conversations among people who all agree can be.

The transgender issue is one I’ve long thought conservatives need to approach with more compassion and charity. So when I saw that there was going to be a Heritage speaker on trans-relates issues, I figured the talk would be frustrating and dispiriting at best.

It was led by @RyanTAnd, whom I hadn’t heard of. I went, preparing to grit my teeth, and I was just floored. Not only was he obviously incredibly intelligent and enormously in command of the facts, he approached the issue with a humility and grace unlike anything I had ever seen.

I think this is good for its own sake, particularly from someone who is Christian. But it’s also the only way to win hearts and minds. We’re lucky to have him in a position to lead the fight for a better public understanding of morality.

This latest piece is incredibly important. Conservatives and Christians can’t allow our arguments to be written off as simply matters of faith.

“If basic truths of human nature are redefined as religious bigotry, they will be excised from society, in court and out.”

If we stay on the defensive - if we ask merely for the government to leave us alone - our positions will wither and die in the court of public opinion. We’ve got to assert truth *because it is true* - particularly when the public agrees overwhelmingly. Anderson gets that.

Anyway, this is a long way of saying that, if my two cents is worth anything to you, I can’t recommend reading and following anyone more than @RyanTAnd.