The managers of a massive Australian rugby team are struggling to walk back some comments one of their star players made on his personal Instagram page recently because they’re torn between political correctness and respecting the personal convictions of one of their star players.
Israel Folau, one of the principal players on the Wallabies, has had his name dragged through the mud in the international press as of late, for expressing his faith-based views on homosexuality.
It is a fact that many try to ignore or explain away, but the truth of the matter is that the Bible says that homosexuality is a sin, and sinners go to hell, and Folau is charged with the crime of being blunt and bold about this inconvenient fact. He was asked a question, and he answered plainly.
The simple comment made a huge impact: he’s been slammed with all the usual insults, “bigot”, “homophobe”, etc., and Quantas airlines, a key sponsor for the Wallabies, is considering withdrawing their support for Folau’s personal beliefs.
“A Rugby Australia official admitted ‘there was a lot riding’ on today’s meeting with Israel Folau as RA boss Raelene Castle attempts to find a way to somehow retain the Wallabies fullback while at the same time losing three major sponsors alienated by his conservative comments on gays,” writes The Australian on April 10th. “All have indicated they will be watching with great interest developments from today’s meeting when Folau and his manager Isaac Moses will meet with Castle and Waratahs CEO Andrew Hore. The implicit threat is that they could pull their support if the game cannot convince Folau not to spread his views on social media. Any more anti-gay comments and they could walk.”
“We’re proud of the fact that he’s a strong believer and he’s prepared to stand up for what he believes in,” says Rugby Australia chief Raelene Castle, an outspoken supporter of the LGBT community. “We want athletes in our code who are prepared to do that and that’s really important. But at the same time, Rugby Australia’s got a policy and position of inclusion and using social media with respect.”
Castle has attempted to walk back what Folau said, suggesting he could have stated his beliefs in a more “positive” way.
“Even Israel acknowledged that maybe he could have put a positive spin on that same message and done it in a less disrespectful way,” Castle said, according to The Daily Telegraph.
“But Folau, 29, failed to guarantee that he’d stop commenting on the gay community on social media as they’d hoped, and snuck out of RA’s Moore Park offices after the sit-down to escape media questioning,” the Daily Telegraph notes.
Folau has indicated via social media since the notorious Instagram comment that he is standing firm in his beliefs, and recently cited the passage from Matthew 5 that reassures us that when we are prosecuted for our belief in the Gospel, we are blessed.
🙏☝️ #allglorytoGod pic.twitter.com/6XwkEV6GrH
— Israel Folau (@IzzyFolau) April 8, 2018
Folau is a fine example of a bold and outspoken Christian, who makes no apologies for what the Bible preaches. Make sure to show your support for his steadfastness by following him on Twitter and Instagram, where you can see more evidence of his faithful servitude of our Lord and Savior! While it is unclear what his future in rugby will be, his faith in the Lord, come what may, is admirable and an inspiration to marginalized Christians everywhere.
