It is OK to talk about Jesus

I enjoyed watching the NFL playoffs and am thrilled that Missouri's Kansas City Chiefs are in the hunt for a title for the fourth time in five years. One thing that encourages me is the many professional athletes who openly share their faith in Jesus.

Did you hear about the controversy with the C.J. Stroud interview? The network edited out his praise to Jesus and cut to the rest of his answer.

Here is what he said, "First of all, I just want to give all glory and praise to my lord and savior, Jesus Christ," Stroud said. "I mean, it's been amazing being in this city for as short as I've been but the love that I've got. I've really just been doing it for Houston, man. The people back home, I'm blessed enough to be in the position that I'm in and blessed enough to be playing at a high level right now. We gotta just keep it going, but I'm super blessed."

NBC faced a backlash from people who realized they edited the video interview to strike the first sentence, giving the impression that he never said it.

I watched his interview live and was deeply impressed by his boldness. We hear much about tolerance, but it does not apply to all groups. Christians, Jews and political conservatives are having their voices censored. Instead, we are mandated to celebrate what people do in the privacy of their homes.

Whenever I watch awards shows and celebrities rant against everything I believe, I am thankful to live in a country that is supposed to have free speech. It is shameful and embarrassing that many college campuses show intolerance to guest speakers, refusing to allow opposing views to be heard.

Another popular sport is Mixed Martial Arts. The Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC, is led by Dana White. A reporter asked White why he gave his fighters a long leash, referring to controversial post-fight interviews. He lashed out at the reporter and said:

"First of all, I don't give anybody a leash. A leash? Free speech," White said. "To control what people say and to tell people what to believe -- I don't tell any other [expletive] human being what to say, what to think and there's no leashes on any of them."

"It's ridiculous to say I give somebody a leash. Free speech, brother. People can say whatever they want and they can believe whatever they want."

While I agree with White, we see our freedoms eroding. It has been clearly revealed that Twitter censored many accounts of people who did not fall in line with the political narratives of the day. When the truth came out, there was more outrage aimed at Elon Musk than those who violated free speech.

As a Christian, we need be careful with our words even though we have freedom of speech.

Ephesians 4:29 says, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."

James 1:19, "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger..." Sometimes it is difficult to avoid saying the wrong thing. If we are careful to listen, and choose our words well, we can keep control of our emotions.

Only NBC knows why they edited praise to Jesus out of Stroud's interview. At another press conference, Stroud wore a white shirt with artwork representing Jesus wearing a crown of thorns. I wonder if networks will start blurring out such images when they repost video interviews?

Many Christians censor themselves. They are afraid to confront the culture. We must remember that Jesus was sinless, and not everyone liked what he had to say. Jesus tells us that we will face the same persecution as his followers. Remember, he was shouted down by a mob who screamed, "Crucify him."

Do you believe in the virgin birth of Jesus, his sinless life, death, burial, and resurrection? Do you tell others about him?

May God bless everyone who uses his or her platform to tell the world about Jesus.