“That’s a bold strategy, Cotton — let’s see if it pays off.”

This famous line from a Ben Stiller movie came to my mind recently as I watched, jaw slack, as Maine Governor Janet Mills (D) tussled with President Trump over radical gender ideology.

The confusion playing out in Maine has become very nearly the central divide of the age. Even as we have split the atom and landed on the moon, our civilization somehow continues to debate these questions: what is a woman? Is it right and good for boys to play girls’ sports? Should we protect our daughters from boys who want to enter their restrooms, or nah?

A rising tide of citizens (including many Independents) knows that these questions must be answered. One such person is Maine State Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn), who in late February shared a social media post that dared to oppose boys in girls’ sports. For her principled efforts, Libby was censured by the Maine House of Representatives. Libby has paid a heavy price for her courageous stand on behalf of Maine girls, who have largely suffered in silence as boys invade their sports and spaces.

Thankfully, Libby’s bravery has not gone unnoticed. The efforts to silence her have backfired in spectacular fashion, with the image of Democratic Leader Ryan Fecteau passing censure on Libby going instantly viral. The backlash against Fecteau grew so intense, in fact, that he disabled his social media account. The man who muted Libby muted himself.

Shortly after, Mills joined the fight. The Maine governor has established herself as one of America’s wokest governors, grafting a radical agenda onto the state traditionally called Vacationland due to its overflowing beauty and welcoming climate. Thankfully, Maine’s willful decline due to unobstructed leftism is not occurring in obscurity any longer. President Donald Trump has made sure of that.

During a meeting with state governors on February 21, President Trump sought out Mills. An explosive exchange followed as Trump made clear to Mills that he would not abide her flouting of his executive order barring men from women’s sports:

Trump: “Is Maine here, the governor of Maine?”

Mills: “I’m here.”

Trump: “Are you not going to comply with it?”

Mills: “I’m complying with state and federal laws.”

Trump: “We are the federal law.”

Mills: “We’re going to follow the law.”

Trump: “You’d better comply…Otherwise, you’re not getting any federal funding.”

Mills: “We’ll see you in court.”

Trump: “Good, I’ll see you in court. I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one. … And enjoy your life after governor, because I don’t think you’ll be in elected politics.”

In recent days, the Trump administration responded to Mills’s intractability by suspending funding for the University of Maine system. Though the suspension was lifted late this week, the White House rightly showed that it will not abide ongoing platforming of radical gender ideology that harms girls. For her part, Libby has filed suit against Fecteau; further developments will follow.

What does all this show us? Here are three brief reflections.

First, the fight against radical gender ideology is not over. The LGBTQ agenda held sway in America for years and is not going to disappear overnight. For this reason, we must redouble our efforts to dismantle it until there is nothing left of it. In doing so, we constantly remember that we are ultimately wrestling against principalities and powers that hate image-bearers and seek to warp and destroy every person they can get their claws on. The stakes are high here.

Second, President Trump is taking a needed stand. It is still “morning in America,” and President Trump is following through on his campaign pledge to protect girls from boys who would invade their sports and spaces. In my humble judgment, this is worth the full-throated support of Christians.

Of course, no public official is perfect. Only Jesus is. But until Jesus returns and makes the whole earth his footstool, we Christians do well to practice principled realism. We support what good our leaders do and urge our leaders away from unsound policies. On this issue (as on many others), President Trump is leading boldly and wisely. We should pray for him and his courageous stand.

Third, conservatives (and Christians) are now the champions of freedom. The image of Speaker Fecteau censuring Representative Libby captures the state of the modern Left: it is the blushingly earnest protagonist of censorship, lockdowns, and state control. By contrast, conservatives are now the champions of liberty. Long may that banner wave.

Once the self-professed defender of women, the Democratic Party has turned its back on America’s girls. This is instructive for the church. Now is not a time for Christians to fall silent. Now is the time to stand up for girls and women, speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), and pray big prayers to our great God that he will unleash the gospel and biblical truth in this embattled country.

This only fits the spirit of Christianity. Jesus is not a tame lion, and we must not be a tame church. In love for fellow sinners, we must stand. We are not on the losing side, after all. The side of truth — led in glory and power by King Jesus — is ultimately going to win and win big.