Bigotry Against Christianity

TAKING ONE FOR TEAM JESUS

I played in a baseball tournament when I thirteen, and the kid was throwing so fast there was no way in the world we were ever going to get a hit off him. Somehow, he walked a kid and threw a few wild pitches, so we had a kid on third base. My coach came up and said, “If he throws inside, I need you to get hit by the pitch.” And I gave him a look that said, “This kid throws so hard I’m going to die.” He wouldn’t let it go. He’s like, “No, he’s throwing at kids to scare them and rather than getting hit they are jumping out of the way. If he throws at you, I need you to not jump out of the way and take one for the team. For our team to win, you have to get on base.” And it worked. It’s what you gotta do. There’s certain times for Team Jesus you just gotta take one.

The culture is watching Christians. They are thinking, “Whatever team quits first is the one that doesn’t really believe.” In their eyes our fortitude proves or disproves the truth of what we claim to believe. When the gay rights movement first started was a minority group that was viewed with disparagement and called horrible names. And what did they do? They hung in there. Or if a guy today is on his rug praying toward Mecca openly and publicly at the airport—post 9/11—he is probably pretty committed to Islam. It is not bandwagon time for Islam in America. So when I want to know more about Islam, I pick him. I want to talk to the guy who really believes.

Why in the world would we think that Christians should have less fortitude than people who are committed to their sexual identity—or to another religion? So don’t be a coward. Don’t quit. Don’t be surprised when people call you names. Hang in there. This is just the beginning. In the next blog we will explore the war over social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage.

(1)Nancy Pearcey, “Sexual Identity in a Secular Age,” August 5, 2013, Houston Baptist University, Summer in the City lecture series.

(2)http://www.wycliffe.org/about/Statistics.aspx