New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is taking serious heat after appearing in a clip promoting “Bring Your Bible to School Day” posted by Focus on the Family.
In the 20-second video, Brees simply recites one of his favorite Bible verses and encourages students to bring their Bibles to school to share God’s love.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPFEyeug99g
“One of my favorite verses in the Bible is 2 Corinthians 5:7, ‘For we live by faith, not by sight,'” Brees says in the clip. “So I want to encourage you to live out your faith on Bring Your Bible to School Day and share God’s love with friends. You’re not alone.”
Shortly after the video was shared, media outlets created an uproar over Brees supporting an organization accused of being an LGBTQ “hate group.”
Queerty.com accused Focus on the Family of “[supporting] gay conversion therapy and religious freedom laws, [believing] trans people are deranged, [saying] anti-bullying groups promote homosexuality, and [lobbying] for legislation allowing anti-gay workplace discrimination.”
In spite of the accusations against the Christian organization, FOTF clarifies on their website that while they take a firm Biblical stance on marriage, they do NOT stand for being hateful toward those identifying as homosexual or struggling with same-sex attraction.
“The example and commandment of Christ places us under obligation to proclaim both God’s truth and His redemptive grace,” the non-profit states on their website. “We must ‘speak the truth in love’ (Ephesians 4:15). There is no place for hatred, hurtful comments, or other forms of rejection toward those who experience same-sex attraction or identify themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual. Because we humans are made in the image of God, Jesus teaches us to regard all humanity as having inherent value, worth and dignity – including those affirming or adopting labels or behaviors which we believe the Bible associates with sexual sin. The priority of love for the Christian is unquestionable, and the cause of love is advanced by telling the truth with grace and compassion.”
Brees responded to the backlash on Instagram, clarifying his intentions with the promotion video.
“There’s been a lot of negativity spread about me and the LGBTQ community recently based upon an article that someone wrote with a very negative headline that led people to believe that somehow I was aligned with an organization that was anti-LGBTQ,” said Brees. “I’d like to set the record straight. I live by two very simple Christian fundamentals, and that is: Love the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
As such, Brees says he accepts all people regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, or political beliefs.
“The fact that these rumors have been spread about me, are completely untrue,” the quarterback continued. “What I did was I filmed a video recently that was encouraging kids to bring their Bibles to school for National Bring Your Bible to School Day. To bring your Bibles to school. To be able to live out your faith with confidence, and I even gave one of my favorite Bible verses. It was as simple as that.”
