I sense that some people from other sports industries look with disdain at me on any praise delivered to “Jesus” as though I am delivering something fanatical or cultish.

Sadly, there have been countless examples of fanatics and even cruel people who have claimed allegiance to Jesus. 

In the Midwest Protestant pulpits, pastors preached Jesus in one breath and an invitation to the KKK in the other. 

In 1925, nearly 200,000 Klan supporters cheered and marched in Washington, D.C. to great fanfare. Over a million members throughout the Midwest attended church and bought KKK robes and hoods in the name of white supremacy, their abusive and murderous practices, and exclusionary rhetoric harassing people of color, Jews, Catholics, and new immigrants. 

For me, seeing the name of Jesus used as a weapon of power to hurt others is soul crushing. How many people were whipped, hunted, sold, lynched, burned, or hated by people who praised the name of Jesus?

Where is the hope?

Despite all, I feel hope deeply alive in my heart because my entire family line, carrying its own genocidal and familial abuse receipts was healed, delivered, rescued, and set free because of a relationship with Jesus. 

How can I not praise what has so utterly altered my entire generational DNA? 

I take consolation that as I praise and thank Jesus for healing families, a new curiosity may emerge from those abused, as my family line was, in His name: Jesus coming with compassion and wisdom to right the wrongs, speak a new hope and a new way forward. 

Christians were named “followers of Christ” not because they went to church or claimed to be of Christ. Rather, they were called Christians because of their love for others. In fact, Jesus warns those who claim His name but who do not have His heart will be cast out with terror. “Depart from me, I never knew you.”

My prayer of hope is that those deeply wounded by people using Christ’s name as a weapon of destruction will find freedom, restoration, justice, and peace in the reality of those who love transformationally like Jesus. 

“Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’”

“Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”