I love sport. So do many of you. For Christians who are passionate about Jesus and also enthusiastic about sport (to a much lesser extent, of course), it’s great when we find a high-profile sportsman or woman who shares our faith. Modern day Eric Liddells! Who doesn’t love an Andrew Trimble, Bubba Watson or Gavin Peacock (if you haven’t heard of him, Google him – former Premier League player, scorer of two winning goals against Manchester United in one season, pastor now in Canada and hero of Boys Camp bookstalls of the 1990s!).

And when they’re getting slaughtered in the regular media or on social media for their outspoken views, or for what the world sees as outdated and intolerant convictions, we should back them up – right?

Israel Folau is a hugely talented rugby player. He has played at the highest club level and for his country, Australia, in both rugby league and rugby union (not to mention a few seasons of Australian rules football too). Folau had his contract terminated by Rugby Australia in May 2019 after posting on Instagram the previous month that hell awaits drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolaters. The post called on those living in sin to repent; proclaimed that only Jesus saves and that He “loves you and is giving you time to turn away from your sin and come to him”. It ended by quoting Galatians 5:19-21. Folau lost an appeal against his dismissal and also revealed that he had turned down offers from Rugby Australia to save his contract by removing the post, saying: “The way Satan works is he offers you stuff that could look good to the eye and makes you feel comfortable. If you follow that path all the worries and troubles will go away. But it is always the will of God that comes first.” A further Folau furore followed in 2020 when he signed for Catalans Dragons in rugby league’s Super League and rival clubs threatened legal action if his presence in the league caused them any financial loss.

Margaret Court, also Australian, is one of the most successful women’s tennis players in history. She holds the record for all-time singles titles. In 1970 she became only the second woman to win the Grand Slam of tennis singles: Wimbledon and the US, Australian and French Opens in one year. She is only player to have achieved this Grand Slam in doubles as well as singles tennis and collected 64 major titles during her career. In 2003, the Australian Open's Melbourne Park was renamed the Margaret Court Arena in her honour. She too has taken a public stance in opposition to gay marriage. "I believe in marriage as a union between a man and a woman as stated in the Bible”, she wrote to Qantas Airlines in 2017 in response to their promotion of same-sex marriage. She has described homosexuality as “abominable sexual practice” and her continued stance on matters of marriage and sexuality has led to repeated calls for the Margaret Court Arena to be renamed.

Where should we stand in relation to these outspoken views?

Is their view correct?

We would not argue with Israel Folau about any of the sins he listed on Instagram as those awaiting God’s judgement in hell. He quoted from the Bible – Galatians 5:19-21 – “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God”.

Few of his opponents probably stop to note that these verses condemn heterosexual immorality as well as homosexual sin, not to mention many less headline-generating sins like jealousy and anger. On the face of it, Folau’s post – while condemning sin and speaking about hell – did also call people to repent and come to Jesus.

Margaret Court has made a number of public references against homosexuality over the past couple of decades and, while at times we might not agree with the language she has used, we would certainly agree that it is unbiblical and sinful. We too “believe in marriage as a union between a man and a woman as stated in the Bible”. Holding these convictions does not make Court, Folau or us homophobic, bigoted or intolerant – though that inevitably is the attack that comes against them and will come at us too.

What about how they expressed it?

We need to remember that the media is often unfair to Christians. In fact, not just to Christians – many celebrities would protest that their words and actions are often taken out of the correct context and presented in an unfavourable light. Often high-profile figures are asked questions on known controversial topics, just to trip them up (as Jesus Himself often was – e.g. Mark 12:13; Luke 11:54).

There is very definitely a time to speak out against sin. A big temptation for too many of us will be to say far too little about the sin we see around us. We are not loving God (by honouring His holiness and His laws) nor are we loving our neighbour (by warning them of a coming judgement) if sin is allowed to go unchecked.

Yet there must be balance. While some of us need to search our hearts about whether or not we ever really confront sin, others among us perhaps need to be challenged about our motives and methods in doing so. Our message must be a message of grace and hope too. The word ‘gospel’ means good news. Only telling people about their sin is only half the message! Sure – they need to know about sin, but most of all they need to know about the Saviour! Also, all Christians – whether famous sportspersons, high-profile celebrities or just ordinary folks like us – need to be very careful that we don’t jump on a bandwagon about particular sins or ‘categories’ of sinners. The Bible tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Any condemnation of the sins of others should be marked by awareness, humility and repentance about our own sinfulness.

Were they speaking in the name of Christianity?

This brings an added twist with Folau in particular. As recently as January 2018 (again on social media – this time Twitter), he has denied the Biblical doctrine of the Trinity. This key Biblical teaching can be summarised as found in our catechism, which asks “Is there more than one God?” and answers: “There is only one, the living and true God. Three persons are in the one God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are one God, the same in substance and equal in power and glory”. Folau, in tweets that have not been removed and are still visible at the time of writing, categorically stated that this is not taught in the Bible. Carl Trueman, pastor and Bible professor, says (in an excellent article you can find online – Israel Folau, Unlikely Martyr):

Christians love nothing so much as a celebrity martyr. And yet here is the problem: Folau’s religious views are really anything but Christian in the historic, dogmatic sense of the word, because he denies that most basic of Christian creedal doctrines, the Trinity. Folau, who grew up as a Mormon, is now involved with a Pentecostal church. Whether or not this particular church affirms the Trinity, Folau himself has explicitly denied the doctrine.

This, of course, is not true for all high-profile Christians. But it does sound a warning to us! At first glance, Folau’s views of sexuality seemed Biblical and Christian and we might have been very tempted to align ourselves with him and jump onto that same bandwagon. However, it turns out that he openly denies one of the foundational truths of orthodox Christianity worldwide – that is, not some secondary issue about which many Christians may differ, but the doctrine of the Trinity which lies at the very core of our faith. In the age of social media, likes, shares, follows, soundbites, memes and ‘going viral’, there’s a danger that we rush to champion the cause of someone who seems like they agree with us (especially on some moral issue like abortion or marriage) when really we should slow down and be more discerning. Trueman’s article also questions if Twitter is really a useful place for discussing controversial and sensitive topics, observing: “Deep thought can at best only be transformed into fortune cookie pietism when refracted through the lens of 140-280 characters”.

Fallen Heroes

All of this should remind us too that while Christian heroes (sporting or otherwise) are no bad thing, all men and women are fallen sinners. Hebrews 11 lists a Biblical equivalent of a Hall of Fame, filled with men and women of faith, but all of whom were imperfect. And so the next chapter urges us to “look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” as we “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1-2).