Tom Ascol Goes Viral Calling Christianity Today’s Mike Cosper ‘Malakoi’

Tom Ascol is a renown Southern Baptist pastor in Florida who played a major role in fighting Critical Race Theory in the church and the broader culture. Tom Ascol has since become politically connected and has a relationship with Governor Ron DeSantis in Florida. In contrast, Mike Cosper has been an executive at Christianity Today, one of the most liberal outlets operating in Evangelicalism, doing so with shady grant money. Mike Cosper is best known for The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, whereby he attacked Mark Driscoll, who has since comeback as a result of opposing the Evangelicalism proffered by Christianity Today among others.

Ron DeSantis came out in support of Donald Trump and JD Vance for standing their ground in their public confrontation with Volodomor Zelensky, the president of Ukraine. DeSantis was critical of Zelensky’s disrespect of America.

Mike Cosper would attack Ron DeSantis as a coward, with the connection unspecified. This reaction brought much ire from Christians, but none set off more controversy than Tom Ascol’s.

Tom Ascol was perceived as calling Mike Cosper gay; however, malakoi means soft, which has been translated as effeminate in 1 Corinthians 6:9 in the NASB1995. Most modern translations believe it to be redundant for homosexuality despite Paul not using the word in 1 Timothy 1. Ascol explains.

PSA for all those malakoi bois who never learned Greek. pic.twitter.com/IGyX1mfKsu

— Tom Ascol @tomascol (@tomascol) March 3, 2025

Ascol adds:

I appreciate your concern but don’t find it compelling. Mike sinfully called a brave Christian, civil magistrate a “coward.” I do not call everyone I disagree with effeminate. Mike’s accusation was exactly that. Proverbs 26:5 informed my thinking.

[Ron DeSantis] has bravely worn our nation’s uniform & wisely, courageously governed Florida, often standing alone against wicked governmental powers. For  [Mike Cosper] to hide behind his keyboard cosplaying maturity & bravery while dishonoring my governor is classic effeminacy & tragically typical of much that is wrong in Evangelical circles like Christianity Today, where he is employed.

Anti-Christian NAtionalist activist Blake Callens chimed in trying to launch a struggle session against Ascol crying out:

This is who [Tom Ascol] really is. This is the spirit of the man whom I have encountered and tried to warn others about. Here he hurls the Greek word μαλακοὶ as a slur for “homosexual” towards [Mike Cosper]. It’s despicable and deserving of condemnation by every decent Christian.

Blake Callens, too, is malakoi. Well done Tom Ascol for not backing down to the woke mob.