Tampa Bay Rays & "Pride" Night.

 Not sure if you are aware or not. June is designated pride month for the LGBTQ community. All kinds of businesses are participating in this. Including major league baseball. Most of the MLB teams host a pride night to celebrate LGBTQ. This includes putting rainbow colored pins or patches on the teams hats or uniforms and a host of other things that they do to promote pride night.

Some controversy arose when five players from the Tampa Bay Rays refused to wear the rainbow patches on their uniforms and hats. They peeled them off so that just the regular logo appeared. They stated that as Christians, it went against Christ to wear these emblems on their uniforms. They didn't feel comfortable promoting a lifestyle that goes against their beliefs. So of course instantly, they are labeled as homophobic. Just because they didn't want to have the rainbow emblems on their uniforms.

This reminds me of the story in the book of Daniel. In Daniel chapter 3, there are three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who refuse to bow down to the kings gold statue. Anyone who refused was to be thrown into a fiery furnace. The king gave them a second chance to bow to the statue and again they refused. Saying that they will only bow to their God, not a gold statue. So the king had the furnace turned up seven time hotter and threw them in. Spoiler alert, they did not die. You can read the whole account in Daniel 3.

So my point is that these players are not bowing down to wearing something that they don't believe in and now they are being roasted by the press, other players, etc. etc. The court of public opinion can certainly be a fiery furnace.

So my question is this. Suppose MLB teams hosted a Christian themed night and the team had to have crosses on their uniforms or hats, or teams hosted a police night and they had to have some kind of police emblem placed on their gear somewhere, how many would refuse to do so? I wonder if these players would be facing the same kind of scrutiny that the Rays players are?

Matthew 10:32 English Standard Version

32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,

So I applaud these players for sticking with their faith and convictions and not bowing down to appease the public.

God bless each and everyone of you!