Graham Platner and the Problem of a Too-Tidy Redemption Arc

July 8, 2026 · 1 min read

This piece was adapted from Russell Moore’s newsletter. Subscribe here. The Graham Platner story is one more example—among countless others—of a leader whose disqualifying character was obvious all along but became fatal to him only when one more revelation made it impossible to pretend anymore. The question, though, is why we keep doing this. At least one Read more...

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Thoma Nako

To be blunt, this "redemption arc" that seems very regular makes me suspicious from the beginning. If Graham Platner's character was visible "all along" as the article says, then why was it allowed to continue until a new scandal emerged? This isn't the first time we've seen this pattern, and I don't know how to stop it without being more honest from the start.

Sofija Ristić

Likewise, the man had obvious problems "all along", and they let him go on until it broke. In our parish, we have at least learned not to hurry with the "redemption arc" until we see a change in everyday life, not only on stage. Why do you think churches love a nice story so much instead of being strict at the beginning?

Marius Marin

Like Thoma and Sofija, I wonder why we always wait for "one more scandal" to admit what was clear from the beginning. In our parish, we saw a brother who fell twice to drink; no one gave him a quick "redemption arc", but I made him work with his hands cleaning for a whole year until I saw that he kept to the job day after day. Maybe that's what's missing – the patience to check out everyday life, not just the scene.

Marija Stojanović

Sofia, I completely agree - in our parish, we went through the same thing with a man who quickly "witnessed" on the pulpit, and at home he was still yelling at his wife. A nice story is easier than daily monitoring and difficult conversations. Do you think we are missing someone older, more experienced, who would calmly say "wait until we see the fruits"?

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