When a Christian Won’t Wear the Rainbow Flag
Thursday June 12 in San Francisco was a night much like any other. The San Francisco Giants hosted the Chicago Cubs for the first game of a three-game series. The Giants lost, managing only four hits but perhaps there was a silver lining to the game as promising rookie Bryce Eldridge hit his fifth home run of the season in the ninth inning to help the Giants avoid being shut out. Oh yeah, one other thing happened. It was Pride night at the ballpark, and three Giants pitchers, Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker, and Ryan Walker made news by writing the Bible verses Genesis 9:12-16 (referencing the rainbow as God’s promise to Noah) on their hats in close proximity to the rainbow themed insignia for the night. Additionally, Sam Hentges opted not to wear the alternative rainbow hat that night and stuck with the traditional orange and black Giants colors. Since then, the three pitchers have been issued a verbal warning by MLB and social media has blown up with everyone (and by everyone, I mean the very small portion of the population that pays attention to things like this) voicing their opinions. In recognition of the fact that I still hope to take a major league mound one day and even if I don’t MLB will probably be calling me for my opinion soon, I thought I would offer a few reflections here. I hope this will be a conversation starter and I would love to hear your thoughts.
Pride nights are an annual event for most major sporting teams. In fact, of the thirty Major League Baseball teams, only the Texas Rangers do not hold an annual Pride night opting for a faith night instead. And yet, each year when June rolls around and the rainbow themed uniforms come out of the closet (hah! I thought that up myself) everyone from the commissioner to the fans, including the players themselves seem surprised and caught off guard that there might be some in the organization who do not want to wear them. I have heard players address this conundrum thoughtfully and respectfully and I have heard brash comments that make my stomach turn and each time I have heard the dissenting players called “hateful” and worse. So, what is to be done?
I will say that for myself if/when I become a major league baseball player, I would not feel comfortable wearing a rainbow flag themed uniform. This is not because I am a hateful bigot (though I have been accused of just that) but rather because what that flag represents to me is not just solidarity with LGBTQ+ individuals but an endorsement of the lifestyle. Biblically, that is not a stance I can take. If you disagree with me on this, that’s fine, we can argue till we are both blue in the face, but my point is it’s what I believe. I won’t wear a rainbow flag, I wouldn’t wear a t-shirt that says “Allah Akbar”, and I wouldn’t ask a non-Christian to wear a jersey with a cross on it. Promoting a belief system that you don’t hold to just seems odd to me and I’m not sure why we would ask anyone to do that regardless of what the belief system is.
So, here’s what I would do. On Pride nights, as a Christian baseball player (again, I’m pretty sure my big break is right around the corner) I would like to wear a hat with a purple insignia. Purple is the color for anti-bullying specifically aimed at LGBTQ+ youth. Whether or not we promote LGBTQ+ beliefs surely, we can all agree that bullying is awful and should be opposed in every instance. So why not two hats? For those who want to wear the flag, great, do it. But for those who can’t/won’t why not a hat that recognizes the humanity and dignity of those LGBTQ+ individuals being celebrated. A hat that for followers of Jesus says, “My Savior has taught me to lead with love, oppose oppression, and hold fast to my faith.”
For those interested, if this idea catches on and I am made commissioner, I will keep ABS and the pitch clock, eliminate instant replay and the DH, and take away the extra-innings ghost runner. Furthermore, for those interested, while I have Sam Hentges’ autograph, my collection is currently missing the other three.