Air Force Football Player Lauded for Sexual Preference
by Sonny Hernandez
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
– 1 Cor. 6:9-11, emphasis added
Air Force Academy football player Bradley Kim is being lauded by several news sources and supporters for what they call inspiration and heroism. But what did this young cadet do to earn such esteemed accolades? He did not earn a purple heart in combat while serving at the Air Force Academy, and he did not score the record for most touchdowns on his football team. Bradley Kim is receiving standing ovations and national recognition because he is a young man who has an immoral affinity for other men.
The news highlights that have underscored Kim’s story have not proven that he is deserving of a standing ovation for being a heroic inspiration to others. The only thing the applauding and news coverage prove are how fulsome and dense people are who seem to equate sexual immorality with valor. Being homosexual is not synonymous with heroism. A soldier who loses his arms, legs, or his life in battle may be a hero, while being a young man who likes other dudes is not. The former is inspiring, while the latter is iniquitous.
Is “coming out” as a homosexual man on a team of men that play football against other teams of men going to help anyone be a successful football player or officer? Of course it will not! The same way being a professing homosexual is not going to change academic grades or ensure promotion to the highest rank possible. This is why truth is important. No matter how desperately wretched and vacuous the culture may be, truth is not stipulated by cultural opinions or conjectures. Human opinions and conjectures are fallible and depraved. This is why the Bible is a necessity to determine truth. And that is because the Bible is an ultimate, self-attesting authority that can account for the preconditions of intelligibility – while appealing to what’s popular in the culture will not!
Notably, “cherry picking” Bible verses does not justify or corroborate the idea God somehow accepts sexually immorality. Clearly, those who advocate this have avoided the fact that, in the Old Testament, God destroyed Sodom because of sexual immorality (cf. Gen. 19:1-29). And in the New Testament, God promised that homosexuals will never enter into the Kingdom of God (cf. 1 Cor. 6:9-10). This may be why Kim had to romance the Bible by citing Jeremiah 29:11 in an Instagram post—to soothe his conscience. The Bible is not tolerant or supportive of homosexuality.
I certainly pray that Bradley will not disregard this article as a “hit-piece” or “yellow journalism.” I did not write this article to deliberately incite hostility towards him, nor to publicly embarrass him. I am not consigning him to hell, nor am I arguing that he should be mistreated, nor am I broaching the idea that Bradley does not deserve to serve in the U.S. military. I have written this article because I care about Bradley’s soul, and I am praying that he will inculcate a sense of moral responsibility to know that publicly professing his sexual preference is not patriotic or inspiring. On the contrary, homosexuality is immoral, according to Scripture (cf. Rom. 1).
Physicians meet sick patients every month who posit the idea that they are well and are free of maladies that exist in their life. But it is an inextricable responsibility of every physician to provide sick patients with diagnoses, and with every possible treatment that exists—regardless if it offends the patients. This is my task for those who are spiritually sick and need help (cf. Mark 2:17; cf. John 3:3). Cherry-picking Bible verses, news coverage fame, likes on social media, and fans that laud a public profession of homosexuality are only temporal, and will not last. As a Christian, I believe we desperately need Christ – as does Bradley Kim. I would welcome the opportunity to speak or meet with Bradley to dialogue about the metanarrative of the Gospel that can liberate him (cf. 1 Cor. 15:1-4).
#TrueLoveWarns
BIO:
Chaplain (Capt) Sonny Hernandez is a US Air Force Reserve Chaplain assigned to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. In April 2015, he was selected as the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Individual Mobilization Augmentee Company Grade Officer of the Year, and in May 2016, he was selected as 445th Airlift Wing CGO of the Quarter, first quarter. Hernandez earned a Doctorate from Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The opinions expressed here are solely his and do not necessarily represent the views of any government, military, or religious organization. Sonny Hernandez wrote this article as a civilian on his own time on an issue of public interest.
ADVERTISEMENT
I predict the Cadet Kim will NEVER graduate from the U. S. Air Force Academy.
Bob, why would you say that? I am sure there have been many gay cadets at academies who have graduated who have not be as vocal as this young man. He may have a harder time of it since he plays football.
I should know better by now, but honestly… I still find it shocking when religion (Christianity in particular) is so blatantly used to justify ignorant bigotry.
Looking forward to when society moves completely past your backwards way of thinking. It’s happening quickly.
@AtheistFighterPilot
Sir, since you claim to be an “atheist” fighter-pilot, please explain how you can justify calling my worldview ignorant bigotry when your worldview has no absolute standard of morality. To call something good or bad, you would have to appeal to a worldview that can account for moral absolutes. But that’s your dilemma: Your worldview cannot account for absolutes because it has no justification for absolutes of any kind.
Sir, I am not sure why you appear to be offended by my article. If human beings are just chemical accidents or molecules in motion according to atheistic evolution, why do you care what one chemical does to another? Chemical are only only subject to the laws of physics, not morality. Sound absurd? That is Atheism 101—your professing worldview.
Think about how absurd your worldview is? To deny God in a godless universe, you would have to think in your mind that an intelligent designer did not create your mind to think. If life happened because of a chemical accident and dumb luck, how can you justify your thinking, reasoning, and logic to know if it is right or wrong, when you have no justification for thinking, reason, logic, or anything at all? Because in your worldview, thinking is nothing more than a chemical reaction in the brain that is similar to mixing baking soda and vinegar and watching it react. The result is just a byproduct of fizzing that reacts along the synapses of the brain, which means that your mind does not think—all it does is fizz. Without God, you can think, but you cannot account for thinking, nor do you live in a way that makes thinking intelligible in your worldview.
Here is a reality check for you Sir: You cannot honestly deny the existence of God (ie. dioti gnontes ton theon, cf. Rom. 1). If you believe that an eternal, supernatural, and infinitely knowing God does not exist, then you would have to be an eternal, supernatural person who possesses infinite knowledge in order to justify if anything eternally or supernaturally exists. This is clearly self refuting, since you claim to not believe in an eternal, supernatural, and infinitely knowing God. In a godless universe, life originated by chance permutations, and human beings are nothing more than pond scum that developed itself into a self-replicating cell. Therefore, when you deny the existence of God, your arguments are nothing more than chemicals reacting over time or matter in motion. This is why I will pray that God will open your eyes. Christ is your only hope.
Respectfully,
What a great reply SH, I pray this atheist will see the truth and turn to Christ for salvation!