The Cost of Conversation
Public discourse is under strain: recent research shows growing resistance to free speech and open dialogue in Western contexts. In the UK, police recorded 12,183 arrests in 2023 — about 33 per day — under laws criminalizing “grossly offensive” online messages, a 58% increase since 2019, raising civil liberties concerns. In the U.S., national free-speech surveys report that 34% of college students say using violence to stop speech is acceptable in rare cases and many students endorse shouting down controversial speakers. In this climate, the talk urges Christians to resist cultural trends that silence truth by creating space, confronting lies, clarifying convictions, and speaking boldly with a biblical foundation.
In The Cost of Conversation, Gabe explores how meaningful dialogue—not just talking more—is essential in our polarized age, and he highlights what it really costs us to engage in it well.
Watch as he explains how though the costs are real, Gabe emphasizes the payoff: deeper trust, communal wisdom, the ability to discern better paths forward, and a culture that resists division and builds bridges rather than walls.