Introduction
“The Manly 7” … What a title! How truly fitting, for that is what they are; manly. Courageous men taking a stand on faith and conviction. Holding fast to principles and showing a measure of courage and strength that has sent shock waves around the world! God bless them!
It has been amazing to see the events of this week unfold. On Monday, the Manly Sea Eagles were informed that on the Thursday of the same week, their team would be playing in new jerseys decorated with the rainbow pride flag. I am proud to say that my brother, Josh Aloiai, along with 6 teammates (Jason Saab, Christian Tuipulotu, Josh Schuster, Haumole Olakau’atu, Tolu Koula, and Toafofoa Sipley) refused to dishonour themselves in this way. And last night (Thursday) they were not even allowed to attend the game.
No Despair
What has truly stood out to me has been the contrast between the Manly 7 and the woke outrage mobs. On the one hand, you can see 7 men taking a stand for what they believe in. As a result they have received insults, death threats, slander in the media, people have turned up to their houses hurling abuse, and their families have been targeted. Nevertheless, unwavering! No despair to be found among them! Resolved, committed, and joyful.
On the other hand, among the reactors, there is wailing in the streets. In Leviticus, God pronounces the kind of judgment that he would inflict on a rebellious people. One of the punishments he imposes on them is a spirit of cowardice; he says, “I will send faintness into their hearts… The sound of a driven leaf shall put them to flight, and they shall flee as one flees from the sword, and they shall fall when none pursues.” (Leviticus 26:36). One journalist wrote about how all of this breaks his heart, justifies the deepest darkest thoughts of LGBTTQ+ people, leads to depression, self-harm, and suicide. He talks about how he is “transported into the home of a young NRL fan who is part of the LGBTTQIA+ community and is being told by this boycott their very existence is wrong.”[1] The faux outrage and pearl-clutching is cringe-worthy.
At a time when LGBTQ+ ideology is celebrated and promoted in every realm of life, the smallest perceived slight causes grown men to have emotional meltdowns. A few men refuse to bend over backwards to accommodate their every whim and tell them how lovely their sodomy is, and their lips tremble as they fear for their lives. They call this “homophobic bigotry”.[2] Some of them show their hand and make clear that mere acceptance is not enough. Nothing less than active allegiance is what they demand.[3] Meanwhile, The Manly 7 are receiving actual death threats and calls for social exclusion. Their knees are not quaking. A hundred thousand men could not set them to flight right now!
The alphabet crowd have shown themselves to be people who have spines of playdough, while the real men have been an inspiring example of strength.
Just A Rainbow?
Of course, I can’t speak for any of the men, but there are plenty of good reasons why no Christian would want to adorn himself with the gay rainbow. For starters, the rainbow is a Christian symbol that reminds us of the covenant God made with Noah. The gay rainbow is a co-opting of this symbol that instead glories in “pride”; a sin that has been considered the core of rebellion for centuries.
More than that, we all know that in our culture, the gay rainbow, in all its variants, is a celebration of LGBTQ+ ideology. The same ideology that fundamentally denies God’s rights as creator, rejects God’s good design for marriage and sex, ignores the obvious reality of the male/female order, and now chemically castrates and mutilates people.
Of course, Christians would not want to align themselves with such things. To Hell with that.
Denying reality and taking pride in shameful things is utterly foolish. In God’s providence, this was put on full display last night. While I always support whatever team my brother plays for, I couldn’t help but see the humour in how things played out. The Manly 7 refused to make themselves less respectable. They refused to sow the seeds of compromise in their own hearts. They refused to emasculate themselves. They refused to allow evil to gain another small victory through them.
At the same time, the men glorifying LGBTQ+ pride put on a shameful performance. The men in the rainbow shirts were pounded by the cocks (Roosters). Anyone watching that game knew full well that if The Manly 7 were there it would have been one sided destruction. In sum, the pride celebration was the cause of a shameful loss.
Hypocrites
Perhaps the most popular push back this week has been the charge of hypocrisy. The woke crowd really thought they had found a zinger when someone realised that the Manly jersey contains a logo for a gambling company and their stadium is named after an alcoholic beverage. Even though the Bible does not condemn alcohol or gambling as inherently sinful, it was enough for them to run with anyway. Here was me thinking that most people knew about the story where Jesus turned water into wine. Now, we all recognise that gambling and alcohol can be abused, and both are the instruments of harm in many lives, nevertheless, a casual bet here and there, or a beer with friends is perfectly fine. But even among Christians who think any use of alcohol, or any gambling is unwise, there is a recognition that LGBTQ perversions are on a whole other level. They are what the Bible describes as an abomination to God. There is no moral equivalence between the two.
To The Manly 7
Thank you for your bold and courageous stand. I know I am not the only one who has been deeply encouraged by you all. Right now, the world wants you to feel ashamed of yourselves. They want you to hang your heads and feel embarrassed for your beliefs. They want you to be afraid and shocked by what is happening. I am confident that they will fail in their efforts. These are words that I’m sure you have reminded yourselves of over the past week, but Peter says, “do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” (1 Peter 4:12-13).
Brothers, be joyful in this time. Be joyful because you have been counted worthy to suffer along with Christ. Be joyful that you have a strength that does not come from you; a strength that comes from God himself. You are men! Your enemies are faint of heart next to you. They are sold out to the narrative that they are perpetual victims. No matter how much you give, they are committed to always being discontent and on the brink of breakdown. I thank God that you men are not that frail. In Christ we are more than conquerors. As Christians and lovers of truth, we possess a kind of strength that cannot be taken from us. It can only be forfeited. Since this is the case, do not forfeit your strength. Let your conscience stand or fall before the Lord. This is the kind of faith that tyrants have feared for two thousand years.
Jesus said, “what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” I judge by your actions that you do know this, but whatever you do from here, there is likely a cost that will need to be paid. It’s not whether there will be a cost, but which cost will it be? On one side there is the physical cost of sponsorship deals, opportunities, popularity, and success. But on the other side, there is the cost that is charged to the soul of the man who compromises himself. Continue to be the kind of men that you want your sons to be. Continue to be the kind of men you your wives and partners admire. Continue to live before God and not men.
Thank you for igniting zeal in so many of us and God bless you all!
[1] https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/07/26/opinion-players-rejecting-the-manly-pride-jersey-are-hypocrites/
[2] https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/gender-and-society/300647815/rejecting-a-pride-jersey-while-endorsing-one-from-a-gambling-company-is-hypocrisy-at-best
[3] Ibid (“It is not enough for them to say that they are not homophobic. They must be actively against homophobia.”)