As the old saying goes, courage is contagious. That is the exact term that should be used when a professional athlete defies the calls for complete and utter loyalty to the LGBTQ agenda during Pride Nights.
We’ve seen it from Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen this season, and from a small few around professional sports that have refused to wear rainbow Pride jerseys, hats and more. On Friday night in San Francisco, Giants pitcher Landen Roupp made a powerful statement of faith in God by his protest against his team celebrating Pride Night.
On a night when the San Francisco Giants invited same-sex couples to renew their marriage vows in the presence of a drag queen on the field, the national anthem was sung by an LGBTQ-affirming nondenominational church, and the team celebrated transgender people and other LGBTQ identities through their rainbow-colored hats, Roupp stood out by writing the Bible verses Genesis 9:12-16. These verses are the same ones legendary Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw wrote on his Pride hat last season during his team’s Pride Night.
The verses are about God’s covenant (promise), signified through a rainbow, that He would never destroy mankind through a flood like He did in the days of the prophet Noah.
“And God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.'” Genesis 9:12-16
DODGERS PITCHER CLAYTON KERSHAW DISPLAYS BIBLE PASSAGE ON HAT DURING PRIDE NIGHT
While unsurprisingly many Giants fans weren’t happy to see Roupp’s message on his hat, one saying, “Just let Landen Roupp go to another team, disrespecting SF Pride with his biblical reference. We don’t want him on our team,” there were many Christians on social media that showed support.
One supporter on X said, “WELL DONE, Roupp. We need more Christians with his courage.”
When speaking to media postgame, Roupp said the message was meant to point people to “God’s covenant and the promise that He makes to us.”
Roupp went on to say, “It’s something that I believe in, and I stand firm in that. Thankfully, we live in a country where we get to believe what we want.”
He emphasized that the rainbow is a Christian symbol and as for the backlash to his anti-Pride messaging, he said, “There’s no hate at all. It’s just what I stand for, and what I stand in. I believe in God.” He also said he would “push them (LGBTQ-identifying individuals) to read the Bible.”
The important point is that disagreement with a specific lifestyle does not equal hate. Many years ago we could agree to disagree, but with the infusion of the LGBTQ in corporate America and sports, athletes are expected to affirm, accept and ally with this movement. That’s not freedom, that’s coercion.
In my opinion, this takes a lot of guts and should not only be admired, but celebrated. No Christian athlete should be forced to endorse and accept something that goes against their religion.
As for Roupp’s performance, his outing wasn’t what he and his team hoped for. He went 4.2 innings, giving up 4 earned runs on 4 hits in a decisive 5-1 victory for the Chicago Cubs.
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