3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Watchful - that is a potent word. We are called to be observant and recognize the behavioral trends that are occurring around us. Just as Jesus was distinctive from the sinful practices of His day, we are called to be people who hold to a different view of the world than many who live in it. Rather than embracing sin or turning our eyes way, we can develop a sensitivity to the errant practices around us and seek to live holy, dedicated lives in the midst of a seemingly evil age.
Scripture is very plain when it lays out in 2nd Timothy 3 that there will be intolerable behaviors expressed during the period that Paul calls the "last days." We can read these words:
1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5a having a form of godliness but denying its power.
He has been a successful NFL head coach, having won a Super Bowl in his illustrious career and currently serves as part of the NFL coverage on the NBC television network. But, Christians know Tony Dungy as a man who loves Jesus and is bold to speak God's truth.
He was one of the speakers at last Friday's March for Life, and the coverage on The Washington Stand website noted:
He contrasted the outpouring of prayer for Damar Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills player struck with a sudden cardiac event during a game in Cincinnati, with the unrecognized tragedy of abortion. “That game was canceled, because a life was at stake, and people wanted that life to be saved,” he related. “Every day in this country, innocent lives are at stake. The only difference is that [they] don’t belong to a famous athlete, and they’re not seen on TV. But those lives are still important to God.” Dungy then cited Psalm 139 before his wife, Lauren, shared their story of adopting eight children.
But, this past week, it seems, in the mainstream press, it has been open season on this man of God. Gary Bauer of American Values and the James Dobson Family Institute wrote:
Dungy is unapologetic about his Christian faith, which inspired Tony and his wife, Lauren, to adopt eight children. The two-time Super Bowl champion, NFL coach and best-selling author is one of the finest people you will ever meet.
But none of that matters to the pro-abortion, pro-death movement. They “shout” their abortions, literally bragging about how many innocent babies they have destroyed. Some leftists would even give up their right to vote in exchange for being able to legally destroy more babies.
And when they’re not “shouting” their abortions or vandalizing churches, they’re trying to destroy someone like Tony Dungy. The fact they can viciously attack a good man like Dungy, while some pastors are too afraid to talk about abortion because they “don’t do politics,” is sickening.
Case in point: another Washington Stand piece related that, after Dungy announced on Twitter that he would be attending the March for the first time...
...Dave Zirin, sports writer for The Nation, a far-left publication, vented about a dozen tweets responding to Dungy’s one, calling Dungy a “bigot,” complaining that “the NFL and NBC coddle his right wing extremism,” and alleging that attendees of the March for Life celebrate “dangerously violent disinformation.” Zirin was so offended by Dungy’s speaking appearance that he wrote a full-length hit piece about it.
According to the article:
He claimed that the March is a “madhouse of right-wing gadflies, disinformation addicts, Qanon adherents, and, most disturbingly, class after class of teenage and tween-age children dragged there by teachers.” He called the rally “a blunt instrument for robbing people of their rights to privacy and the rights to their own bodies.” He said it gathered this year “to celebrate a fascistic, discredited Supreme Court and the loss of our rights.”
But, not only has Coach Dungy received criticism for his March for Life appearance, but his views on human sexuality have also been challenged. Nancy Armour of USA Today took advantage of a tweet by the coach that contained some erroneous information, that he deleted, has apologized for and apologized again for being insensitive. Armour used that as a "green light" to go after the revered coach and commentator, according to a piece on Outkick.com:
Dungy’s tweet provided Armour and USA Today a green light to attack him in a column titled ‘Tony Dungy shows his true values with hateful tweet that puts transgender kids at risk.’
Not only was the tweet “hateful” in Armour’s opinion, but filled with “bigotry and ignorance” as well.
Attacking Dungy is nothing new, however, he’s been ridiculed by the left for years. So, Armour elected to take things one step further in her attack on the Hall of Fame head coach and bring Jesus Christ himself into the discussion.
Armour presented her opinion that Jesus would have loved everyone in the LGBTQ community, specifically transgenders and nonbinary people.
She continues:
“If you are Christian, you are supposed to follow the teachings of Christ,” Armour continues. “Not the humans who interpret them, or the churches that have taken license with them for their own gain.”
“If you believe in the Gospels – again, Christ’s own teachings, not others’ interpretations of them – can you honestly say he would approve of policies that ostracize and otherize gays, lesbians and, in this case, transgender and nonbinary people? That he would praise making them feel as if they are not worthy of belonging?”
Here lies the problem. The LGBTQ community believes they are the victims, that they have been mistreated by insensitive Christians. We have to recognize that you can love people who are in sin, but you don't have to condone their sinful behavior. This agenda is deceiving people and you have had Christian leaders throughout the years complaining that gay people are being mistreated by the Church. And, while we should welcome all into the fellowship of the body of Christ, the Bible is clear that those who persist in willful disobedience will face the consequences.
And, that will be misunderstood by those who want to exalt themselves over Bible-believing Christians and accuse them of being insensitive. The fact is, those who support homosexuality and its normalization, same as those who support abortion and its normalization hold to a different worldview than what is taught in Scripture. And, unfortunately, these are people who seemingly will never be satisfied with a Christ-follower speaking the truth in love. Christians must be mindful of opportunities to reach out to them and even build relationships, but never lose sight of the purpose of winning them to our Savior.
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