Theology in the Raw Christian Disagreement in a Culture of Outrage: Dr. Tim Meuhlhoff
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Feb 26, 2026 
Dr. Tim Muehlhoff, a communication professor and leader of Biola’s Winsome Conviction work, discusses polarization, social media’s role in tribalism, and key flashpoints since 2016. He explores heart change before tactics, steelmanning opposing views, perspective-taking exercises, when to confront publicly or privately, and the costs and benefits of winsome engagement in contentious cultural debates.
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Contempt Explains Today's Polarization
- Contempt, not anger, explains current political and social divides.
- Tim Muehlhoff cites Arthur Brooks: anger preserves relationships, contempt expels people from the community, and social media amplifies that contempt.
Steel Man Opponents Before Critiquing Them
- Practice the dialectic by honestly articulating both sides before criticizing.
- Muehlhoff recommends Aristotle's method and John Gottman's five-to-one positivity ratio to avoid siloed demonization.
Misquote About 'Sin' And The LGBTQ Community
- Tim was misquoted in a national publication claiming he said Christians should stop using the word sin for LGBTQ people.
- He provided the full context: he advised awareness of trigger words in starting conversations, not forbidding doctrinal language.
