Israel Folau #TeamJesus
Israel Folau’s social media post in April 2019 saw a nation-wide backlash. He posted the following on Twitter:
What the World is Saying About this:
People are asking how someone in our day would be proclaiming these antiquated beliefs. Why would a rugby superstar be talking about the reality of sin and hell (and previously, the devil)?
Why does he see “living for Jesus Christ” and playing for “#TeamJesus” in this way? Summarising some of the backlash: Surely his tweet was an act of contract breeching, un-Australian discrimination? Surely this was a destructive and divisive message from a narrow-minded bigot?
Australian public life has changed dramatically in the past 20 years. Gone are the days where people might ‘agree to disagree’ over a current political or social issue. The mainstream view now holds that you either maintain and ratify the new morality or face public shaming and outcry. Biblical values are increasingly categorized as out-dated, intolerant & bigoted. A loud and aggressive opposition has become antagonistic and even prejudiced against Christian voices in the public arena. There are calls for Folau to be sacked, to get out of the public arena and even, ironically, to repent for his judgmental ways.
What does the Bible say
?
1. About what Folau got right.
There are numerous statements in Scripture about the nature and reality of sin (i.e. Romans 3:23; Psalm 14:1). It is true that everyone needs to repent and turn to Christ, a message Jesus himself commanded his disciples to spread (Luke 24:47). There are clear consequences for living in God’s world without acknowledging his Lordship, his holiness, and his intentions for how we are to live.
Human rebellion will one day face God’s final judgment (1 Thes 5:1-11). There will be eternal separation from God if you refuse his offer of forgiveness through the work of Jesus (Matthew 25:46). There is time now to turn and follow Jesus (Isaiah 55:6; 2 Timothy 2:4-6).
Israel Folau has been consistently open and honest about his faith in Jesus, even being willing to put his faith above his sporting career (Matthew 6:33).
2. About what Folau got wrong.
The Bible is clear about how Christians are to conduct themselves in their interactions with non-Christians.
How the truth is delivered matters a great deal.
Colossians speaks of walking with wisdom toward unbelievers, having speech that is gracious and salty (Col 4:5-6). A Christian’s defence (or answer) for their faith in Christ needs to be conducted with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). There is a difference between gospel boldness and arrogance. Folau (like we all do) needs to be careful to deliver the gospel message in an appropriate way.
Folau really needed to include himself in his statement about fallen human nature. We all have sinned; Israel Folau as well as you and me.
The chapter that he quoted from Galatians shows up a conflict within every Christian between their ‘new life of the Spirit’, and the old life of the ‘flesh’ (Gal 5). Paul is warning believers that the old way is not the way of Jesus.
3. About persecution for Jesus’ followers.
Jesus told his disciples one time that he was sending them out “as sheep among wolves… so be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves .” He cautioned them about what they would face because of their allegiance to him (Matt 10:16-25). He assured them that if they faced hatred because of their message, it was because of the world’s underlying hatred for him (John 15:18-25).
While Jesus promised ultimate peace for all who come to him, he also warns about the reality of tribulations in this world. Despite this hostility, he points us to a power far greater than any force we may come up against: “Take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
What can Christians say?
It is difficult for every Christian to be familiar with the best form of a particular argument and to deliver it in the best possible way. None of us gets that right all of the time.
Social media presents a rapid and wide- reaching platform for anyone (let alone a celebrity rugby player) to engage with the world around them.
A tweet or a post can be sent with little collaboration, reflection, wise counsel, or even editing – competing in the same arena as professional journalism. The image he posted with ‘hell awaits you’ is not a helpful way to meaningfully engage Aussie culture.
While many are obsessed and affronted by what Folau has done, we can still continue to point people to Jesus and what he says. In this sense, the conversation can be steered quite easily to a Christ-centred one. We can ask ‘do you know what Jesus has said?’ on all kinds of issues.
We can say, as Christians, that we are called to respect people , and yet beliefs and ideas (including our own) ought to be open for respectful and reasonable debate. Jesus said some confronting things for all of us!
We can say that it is important to recognize that all Australians ought to be able to hold their beliefs without discrimination. We should be able to share our beliefs, to practice them and even be able to change them without prejudicial inference or threats.
Further Resources
See the other N2N brochure on ‘Talking About Religious Freedom’
Barnabas Fund has put together a website on the issue of religious freedom: ourreligiousfreedom.org.au
