BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey went head-to-head with progressive political commentator Monte Mader in a wide-ranging Jubilee debate over abortion, feminism, same-sex marriage, and the role of Christianity in American public life.

Mader approached the debate as a critic of the conservative Christian worldview she once embraced, while Stuckey defended her positions from a biblical Christian perspective.

'Christians ... have the right and the responsibility to bring the fullness of our worldview into the public square, into the voting booth.'

The hour-long "Face Off" centered on four claims: whether Christians must oppose abortion, whether patriarchy or feminism is at odds with Christ's teachings, whether Christians can affirm same-sex marriage, and whether America can rightly be considered a Christian nation.

Across all four subjects, the debate repeatedly returned to a larger disagreement: What authority should Scripture have over Christian moral beliefs, and how much influence should those beliefs have in American public life?

Abortion and personhood

The debate opened with Stuckey's claim that "Christians must oppose abortion."

Mader challenged that position by pointing to disagreements over abortion throughout Christian history and arguing that bodily autonomy should allow a woman to decide whether to continue a pregnancy.

Stuckey rejected the idea that historical disagreement determines whether abortion is morally permissible.

"I'm really not interested in all of the people throughout church history who were wrong about a number of things," Stuckey said.

"My argument is that killing an innocent person is always wrong."

For Stuckey, the critical issue is personhood. She argued that drawing the line anywhere after conception creates an arbitrary standard for determining which human beings have rights.

"I think the morally safest, and of course the biblically safest too, position is to say, 'You know what? All human beings no matter how small, no matter how young, no matter their location, are people that have rights,'" Stuckey said.

Mader countered by repeatedly returning to bodily autonomy, arguing that the life developing in the womb does not supersede the rights of the woman carrying it.

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Courtesy Jubilee

Feminism, patriarchy, and the role of women

The second section centered on Mader's contention that "patriarchy, not feminism, is at odds with Christ's ministry and teaching."

The two agreed that Jesus elevated the dignity of women and that Christianity should not be used to excuse abuse. Their disagreement centered on whether biblical distinctions between men and women inherently create inequality.

Stuckey described herself as a traditional complementarian and affirmed the teaching in Ephesians that husbands and wives have distinct roles. Mader argued that complementarianism can create unequal power structures, particularly when churches reserve spiritual authority for men.

The disagreement eventually returned to abortion and why Stuckey believes many Christians reject modern feminism.

"We disagree on abortion being a civil right, and that is exactly why you see the demonization of feminism because your equality boils down to the right to kill your child inside the womb," Stuckey told Mader.

Can Christians affirm same-sex marriage?

The third portion produced perhaps the debate's clearest theological divide.

Stuckey argued that Christians cannot affirm same-sex marriage as morally good while remaining consistent with Scripture. She also distinguished that claim from questions about how government should regulate marriage.

"My claim is not even about the legislation of same-sex marriage," Stuckey said. She argued instead that it is not "biblically viable" for a Christian to support the idea that same-sex marriage is "moral and good and right and holy."

Mader challenged Stuckey's interpretation of Scripture, pointing to different forms of marriage found in the Old Testament and noting that Jesus' comments about a man and woman becoming one flesh came in response to a question about divorce.

Stuckey later clarified that she was not claiming Christians who affirm same-sex marriage cannot be saved.

"You can't be a Christian and affirm same-sex marriage and be correct," she said, adding that all Christians will ultimately discover they held incorrect beliefs about some theological questions.

Stuckey cited Genesis, Jesus' teachings, Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 6, and Ephesians 5 in defending marriage between a man and a woman as the consistent biblical model.

Should Christian beliefs influence American law?

The final section moved directly into the relationship between Christianity and America.

Mader argued that America is "not and will never be a Christian nation," defining Christian nationalism as the belief that the country is fundamentally Christian and that government should promote Christian identity and values through civil life and legislation.

Stuckey agreed that America has no established national religion and affirmed the principle of separation of church and state. She rejected, however, the idea that Christians should be expected to separate their worldview from their politics.

"It's impossible to create a law outside of a moral worldview," Stuckey said.

She argued that every voter brings moral assumptions into political decisions and that Christian beliefs should not be uniquely excluded from the public square.

"Christians also have the right and the responsibility to bring the fullness of our worldview into the public square, into the voting booth," Stuckey said.

Mader countered that religious freedom also requires protecting Americans from having another person's religious convictions imposed upon them through government.

The discussion eventually returned to abortion and gender, with Mader arguing that progressive positions can be grounded in science and data rather than religious doctrine. Stuckey disputed the idea that progressive politics involve a neutral, worldview-free position.

"Either everyone can bring the fullness of their worldview into legislation and we duke it out and see what wins, or no one can," Stuckey said.

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Courtesy Jubliee

A deeper disagreement over biblical authority

The biggest divide of the debate was not any single political issue. It was the authority each side believes Scripture should have over those issues.

Mader challenged conservative Christian interpretations of the Bible from outside the faith tradition she once embraced, often appealing to historical context, bodily autonomy, civil liberties, and modern understandings of science and sexuality.

Stuckey repeatedly returned to Scripture as authoritative for Christians, even when its teachings conflict with prevailing cultural beliefs.

That disagreement carried directly into politics. Mader argued that separation of church and state should prevent religious convictions from being imposed through law. Stuckey countered that no political movement legislates from a worldview-free position and that Christians have the same right as anyone else to bring their convictions into the public square.

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