Is being a Christian in this day and age a whole lot more challenging compared to the times of the early church? That really depends, but it does seem as though persecution in the early church was a whole lot more compared to simple heckles or being socially ostracized today. Jaelene Hinkle is a Christian, and she decided to put her foot down to defend the values of her Christian faith by withdrawing herself from the US soccer team. The reason behind this? It is not political, but basically, both men’s and women’s national teams are said to feature rainbow-colored jerseys for the entire month of June in order to support the homosexual “Gay Pride” month.

Jaelene Hinkle did not personally specify the reasons behind her action, which would result in her sitting out of a couple of “friendly” competitions this month against Scandinavian countries Sweden and Norway. “Personal reasons” are all that we are able to work with, but Hinkle has exhibited a tendency to be outspoken about her faith in the past, as well as sharing her biblical views where same-sex marriage is concerned.

Hinkle also did tweet the scripture verse Colossians 3:23, where it mentioned that “whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” Apart from that, her Twitter tagline continued to underline her viewpoint, which reads, “If you live for people's acceptance, you'll die from their rejection.”

She has certainly shared her views about same-sex marriage in the past. In fact, it was in 2015 that Hinkle used Instagram to showcase a “gay pride” logo which has been transformed to showcase a cross. She commented on that modified logo, “Jesus didn't come to save those who already believed in Him. He came so that the lost, rejected, and abandoned men and women would find Him and believe.” That was the day that the US Supreme Court announced a favorable ruling when it comes to same-sex marriage.

Hinkle is definitely going to trust in the Word of God 100 per cent, saying, “I believe with every fiber in my body that what was written 2,000 years ago in the Bible is undoubtedly true. It's not a fictional book. It's not a pick and choose what you want to believe. You either believe it, or you don't. This world may change, but Christ and His Word NEVER will.”

Hinkle's outspoken behavior, as well as the way she expresses her faith, would certainly put her to be at odds with the rest of the US soccer team, which has teamed up with the pro-homosexual group You Can Play. The latter group’s mission is “to ensure the safety and inclusion of all in sports — its homosexual activist bent is revealed in the prominent tagline on the website: “LGBTQ athletes. Allies. Teaming up for respect.”

As Christians, we all know that we are to love the sinner but hate the sin. Homosexuality as a lifestyle is a very difficult topic to navigate, but we all know what God’s Word says about this lifestyle. While those who advocate or support such a lifestyle champion their rights to be heard, they trample on the rights to be objected to, throwing words such as “bigots” and “homophobic” freely. Where is all of the love that is supposedly being championed?

Assuming the table is turned, where the US soccer team wears a jersey that proclaims the only definition of marriage is that between a man and a woman, would pro-LGBT advocates pull out from the team as well in a dignified manner, or would they froth at their mouth and act otherwise?