SOME THOUGHTS ON SPORTS PLAYERS KNEELING DURING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM:
I was encouraged to see the San Francisco Giants baseball pitcher Sam Coonrod refuse to kneel during a time of kneeling in support of Black Lives Matter. Why was I encouraged? It’s not that I don’t support equal justice and treatment under the law, because I do. Sam said he didn’t kneel because, as a Christian, he only kneels before God. He also has a problem with the BLM organization’s marxist and anti-family positions. It takes a lot of guts to stand up for Christ and for Christian values when so many people around you are caving in to peer pressure and political correctness. God bless you, Sam! “He who honors God, God will honor him.
“But there’s more I’d like to say about the act of kneeling in particular. Generally, kneeling has always been a sign of reverent worship, humble dependence and submission to God in prayer. Daniel’s three friends Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego refused to compromise when commanded to bow down to the emperor’s huge gold idol. They would kneel only to God. And God rewarded them for their courageous devotion as He supernaturally delivered from the fiery furnace. I agree with Sam, that there is a time to stand up for what is right. And a time to kneel, but only to God.
But that’s not the only thing I am thinking about. So what is the current kneeling about? It’s certainly not a sign of humility or honor or respect before God, but rather it has become a way to show defiance. It’s saying in effect, “Our country isn’t living up to its ideals, and since some Americans in particular are being unjustly treated by police, I can’t show respect for the American flag that symbolizes our country. Nor do I support certain political leaders.” I suppose if we were looking for reasons to despise our flag we could come up with lots more, too. We’re a country that has legally allowed the murder of 60+ million unborn babies, we have legally redefined marriage as instituted by God, and have largely thrown out the window any semblance of wholesome sexual morality. There are many reasons that we could protest, regardless of our ideological persuasions. But is kneeling at sports events the best way to express our protest? I believe it is important to preserve kneeling as a show of humility and respect and submission before God. Let’s not allow something as important to our nation’s heritage or faith as honoring God to be redefined or stolen.
I have an idea, a proposal that I believe has merit. It involves both standing and kneeling. First, we stand for the national anthem, honoring our flag for the ideals it represents: all people created equal, freedoms, liberty and justice for all, one nation under God, a country that in spite of its failures has done a lot of good. We can stand also to honor those who have served and fought, including the many who have made the ultimate sacrifice, to win and preserve our freedoms.
Then, after standing to show our respect for our country, we can ALL get down on our knees together in humility and earnest repentance before God, confessing our sins of racism, injustice, greed, abortion, violence, hatred, immorality, and rebellion against our holy and loving God. We can join hand in hand and heart to heart in prayer as we seek God’s forgiveness for our personal and corporate sins, and as we ask Him to heal our land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
This getting down on our knees and praying together would be great preparation for a coming day perhaps not that far down the road; a day we’re told that “at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11). Amen and Amen – Come, Lord Jesus!