A recent headline grabbed my attention: “NHL player refuses to wear Pride Night jersey during warm-ups, citing religious beliefs.”
The article explained further,
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov refused to wear a rainbow jersey during warm-ups for the team’s Pride Night for LGBTQ inclusion on Tuesday, citing his religious beliefs.
“I respect everybody, and I respect everybody’s choices. My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion,” he said while taking questions in the Flyers’ locker room after the team’s 5-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. “That’s all I’m going to say.”
Ivan Provorov, a Russian Orthodox Christian, is to be commended for taking his faith seriously. The rest of us who are followers of Jesus Christ could learn some valuable lessons from his example.
1. Genuine Christ-followers cannot endorse behavior that God forbids. After a list of grievous sins of the flesh (including homosexuality), Romans 1:32 ESV reads, “Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.”
Christians should not display pro-choice bumper stickers, fly rainbow flags, or take their children to drag queen shows. It is one thing to respect the rights of others to live as they choose. It is quite another to celebrate immoral behavior. The Bible warns, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil…” (Isaiah 5:20).
2. Courageous believers stand for their convictions without fanfare.
Ivan Provorov did not recruit others to stand with him. He did not file an official objection with the front office or invite local reporters to cover his protest. Instead, he simply made a personal decision to stay in the locker room. He drew a line in the sand and refused to celebrate what God’s Word condemned.
That is reminiscent of the Old Testament character Daniel, who took a bold stand when taken into Babylonian captivity. Although he was likely just a teenager at the time, Daniel quietly refused to eat and drink non-kosher substances when ordered to do so. “Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine,…” (Daniel 1:8). It takes a special courage to stand alone.
Joshua also had that kind of courage. Just before the battle of Jericho, the famous Israeli leader challenged the Israelites: “ But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15)
3. Many who defy God’s Word are not satisfied with tolerance. They demand approval.
There’s a difference between tolerating something and approving it. For example, I might keep silent about poor service in a restaurant. That is tolerance. However, giving the establishment a five-star review would be dishonest and hypocritical. There is a significant difference between respecting equal rights and endorsing illicit behavior.
Proponents of a post-Christian culture have advanced from requesting tolerance to demanding approval. Otherwise, those who disapprove are likely to become the target of outrage and threats of cancellation from woke bullies.
Consider how former NFL coach Tony Dungy, an unashamed Christ-follower, was vilified for participating in a national Pro-Life March for Life in Washington, D.C. The sports editor for The Nation, David Zirin, tweeted “I’m done with Tony Dungy and the way the NFL and NBC coddle his right-wing extremism.” Zarin further criticized Dungy in an article for The Nation: “The Hall of Fame coach is held up as the epitome of character—but Tony Dungy has used his devoutness as cover for anti-gay bigotry.”
Simon Peter encouraged believers not to be surprised when they were slandered because of their loyalty to Christ. On the contrary, “If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you” (1 Peter 4:14).
4. Most Christians will root for their heroes privately, but very few are brave enough to stand with them publicly.
Christ-followers are notoriously cowardly. Jesus’ disciples talked a good game in the upper room, but when the Lord was arrested, “They all forsook him and fled” (Mark 14:30 KJV). Likewise, when the Apostle Paul was imprisoned in Rome, he expressed disappointment, “At my first defense no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me” (2 Timothy 4:16). The believers wanted the best for Jesus and Paul but feared they might experience a similar fate if they were too closely identified with them. So, when the pressure was on, they faded into the woodwork.
We should not be surprised that very few church leaders publicly praised Ivan Provorov or Tony Dungy for taking courageous stands. Many church leaders dread the thought of being the target of cancel culture, so they watch quietly from the shadows as others take the heat. They hide behind rocks and in the caves until the fiercest fighting is over, and they can resurface to a normal, peaceful existence without any battle scars.
Sports columnist and podcast host Jason Whitlock is a fearless Christian. He recently lamented, “The backlash against Tony Dungy is well-orchestrated and not remotely organic. The motive is to outlaw a Biblical worldview. The anti-God agenda is so strong and obvious. I’m so sick of alleged Christians sitting silent while someone like Tony has his character assassinated.” Whitlock is right. We need bold leaders who say with David, “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Psalm 118:6).
Author Eric Metaxes commented on the inexplicable silence of the German Church leaders in the 1930s. Metaxes wrote, “Just as cowardice begets cowardice, courage begets courage. When we speak out, we inevitably encourage others to speak out along with us, decreasing the price of speaking out. So there is no way to remain neutral in such situations. Either we help evil, or we fight evil. Either we speak and thereby help others to speak the truth, or we cower in silence and thereby lead others to do the same.” (“Letter to the American Church”)
5. The wise determine their course of action in advance.
It’s obvious Ivan Provorov knew what he faced and plotted his response long before arriving at the arena. Courageous decisions are seldom made spontaneously. Someone asked, “What do you call people who are in a fight and don’t know it? Losers!” We all need to wake up and recognize we are in an intensifying spiritual battle. Every believer is called upon to “put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground (Ephesians 6:13).
I recently spoke with a successful executive in his 40s who has risen to the top of a large corporation because of his talent and hard work. He confided that he is concerned about possibly losing his job soon. He explained that all executives in his company are expected to actively participate in gay pride month and publicly endorse transgender rights. However, “As a Christian, I can’t put a gay pride flag on my social media page. And I refuse to call a man a woman just because he identifies as a female at the moment. To approve of what the Bible calls sin contradicts Scripture and violates my conscience. So I am making financial and spiritual preparations in anticipation of my inevitable termination.”
You cannot continue to remain anonymous and allow others to fight the spiritual battle for you. The devil is relentless. He’s coming to your family, your school, your church, and your place of business to invert good and evil. That’s why we are challenged individually in Scripture to fight the good fight of faith and stand firm in the truth. Determine where you will draw the line and be ready to take your stand.
Jesus said, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels“ (Luke 9:23-26).
Even a Christian hockey player knows that.
.
Follow BobRussellKY on Twitter and LIKE the Bob Russell page on Facebook
