There’s no shortage of debate these days about the merits of commending a “third way” between theological or political extremes. It’s a worthy conversation. Remaining above the fray—especially over contested cultural issues—can certainly become an exercise in cowardice and compromise. But identifying a third way can also be about exposing idolatrous counterfeits and championing not a “safe” political middle but a transcendent center that refuses to fit neatly into any human category.

In an insightful new essay, Glen Scrivener advances the conversation by showing how third-way debates must go deeper than U.S. politics. Channeling recent comments from historians Tom Holland and Alec Ryrie, both of whom reside outside America, Scrivener ponders the West’s long-term future. In the battleground of cultural narratives, which will emerge victorious?

One option, of course, is continued post-Christian progressivism. Classic liberal values (think equality, compassion, consent) keep withering as they’re severed from their Christian roots. Another option is a postwoke backlash: “Might makes right” becomes widely entrenched in reaction to the perceived weakness of the liberal order. “Post-Christian progressivism is dying, but it’s not dead,” Scrivener reflects. “And any non-Christian antiprogressive backlash isn’t safe—not if it tears down both virtue signaling and virtue.” But there’s another possibility: postsecular Christianity. As it turns out, this third-way solution is the first way—the original path from which the others have diverged.

What a time for the church to rise up and tell a better story—about the bankruptcy of sin and the beauty of grace. What a time to point our neighbors to the One who is the way, the truth, and the life. Where else can they turn? He alone has the words of eternal life.

Editors’ note: If you’re interested in developing your writing skills, join me and the rest of TGC’s editorial team for our next TGC Writers’ Cohort, February 25 to April 15, 2026 (8 weekly sessions). Learn more.