7/30/2017
Today the St. Louis Cardinals are hosting Christian Day at the ballpark. They have invited former Cardinal Lance Berkman to speak at the event. Lance Berkman has engaged in homophobic, bigoted political activity in Texas. He has stated that his political activity stems directly from his Christian faith.
Jesus Christ preached love and tolerance. He taught us to love our neighbors and to treat others the way we would want to be treated ourselves. Lance Berkman’s political activity has done the exact opposite of what Jesus taught. He has stated that “tolerance is the virtue that’s killing this country”. Tolerance. Really? Think about that statement for a moment. Let that thought sink in. Take a look at our world today. The idea that we are suffering from an overabundance of tolerance in our society is preposterous.
Lance Berkman’s words and actions towards the LGBTQ community are decidedly anti-Christian and as such Lance Berkman has no business speaking at Christian Day at the ballpark. I have no issue with the Cardinals hosting Christian Day. I do have an issue with the Cardinals choosing a speaker who uses Christianity as a means to discriminate against a community that faces continual assault on their very right to exist.
The Cardinals had an opportunity to rectify the situation when they received criticism from Pride St. Louis and others for inviting Mr. Berkman to speak at Christian Day. However the Cardinals instead decided to double down on Mr. Berkman and issued the following tone deaf statement on why the event would move forward as scheduled.
The Cardinals have hosted a Christian Day at the ballpark for nearly three decades. The post-game event usually features a well-known keynote speaker (often a former Cardinal or professional athlete) who talks about his or her experience of being a practicing Christian in the public arena. Lance Berkman participated in Christian Day when he was a Cardinals player, and we welcome him back this year to discuss his faith.
As an organization, the Cardinals have always been committed to bringing like-minded groups together to share in the unifying experience of Cardinals baseball. We are an inclusive organization with a social responsibility to be welcoming to all types of people and organizations. We continue to try and reach out to every part of our community, and have hosted a variety of themed events like Christian Day, Jewish Community Night, Catholic Family Night, Bosnian Heritage Night, Fiesta Cardenales, and many others. We are excited to announce that we will be hosting our first Pride Night later this season (details to follow shortly) which will bring members of the LGBT Community together to enjoy Cardinals baseball.
Christian Day will take place on Sunday, July 30.
The statement is completely dismissive of the concerns raised by the LGBTQ community. Mr. Berkman’s perverted views of Christian faith have driven him to engage in political activity that threatens the rights and safety of the LGBTQ community. The Cardinals have invited him to the ballpark to speak about the faith that he has stated compels him to engage in such political activity. This is wrong. Why on earth would any member of the LGBTQ community want to attend a Pride Night or any other game at Busch Stadium under these circumstances?
When you see someone you love making a major mistake it is important to speak up. I love the St. Louis Cardinals. They have made a major mistake. I am speaking up. I will not be working the game today. I can not in good conscience make money at an event where a bigot is being given a platform to preach discrimination disguised as faith.
Instead of working the game today I will be attending a rally for transgender rights.
