A new poll, commissioned by Summit Ministries with national survey firm McLaughlin & Associates, suggests that there is a gap between what people believe and what they're willing to say.

Some 64% of those polled believe that "transgenderism is not a healthy human condition." However, while 30% indicated they are willing to speak out on the issue, another 34% say they stay silent on the issue so as "to not offend others."

Measuring public opinion is notoriously tricky. At the same time, it's important to know that despite headlines and popular perception, the triumph of trans ideology is not inevitable. In reality, most Americans do understand the categories of biological sex and feel uncomfortable foisting harmful ideology on children.

This means that what we say and do on this issue matters.

Os Guinness made this point on a recent episode of the Upstream podcast. Americans like to think of themselves as rugged individualists, but we're more susceptible to the whims of the most vocal popular opinion than we realize.

The loudest voices often cow people into silence, but Christians, with courage and gentleness, must speak up. Along the way, we may just win some people over.