PolitiChicks Exclusive w/Craig James: Standing Strong in Defense of Religious Liberty
The headline on September 1, 2013 of the Dallas Morning News read, “One and done”. That’s the way Craig James’ brief job position as a Fox Sports Southwest football analyst was described. He was hired and even personally pursued for the job with Fox Sports. Craig, a former New England Patriot player, has a respected resume working in sports broadcasting for 24 years. However, after just one show he was fired from his position. The reason for his termination was that a video had surfaced from his 2012 run in Texas for U.S. Senate. In a primary debate he was asked about his beliefs on same sex marriage. He stated that he was opposed to same sex marriage and that he held the biblical belief that marriage was between and man and a woman. Fox corporate dismissed James after this video had surfaced in the media and his personal religious beliefs were made known.
In a previous article, I wrote about Craig James and his case of religious discrimination. I had the opportunity to meet and later interview him. He is determined to take a stand against Fox Sports and their violation of his religious freedom. However, more importantly he is standing strong with the many other Americans who are being attacked on a daily basis for their First Amendment Rights and the freedom to express biblical beliefs and have religious liberty as defined under our Constitution.
What follows is my interview with him:
JK: Some will most likely accuse you of making this discrimination lawsuit about homosexuality or your stance on same sex marriage. Why have you personally decided to take legal action against Fox sports?
Craig James: I want to stay on message here. The focus of this thing is religious liberty. It’s not about homosexuality. It is not even about me. It is 100% about me along with other Americans having the right to hold a biblical belief and the belief of what the definition of marriage is.
JK: I am sure taking on Fox sports seems a little daunting. I know why it is important to you and your focus but what do you hope is the ultimate outcome from this legal action?
Craig James: Here’s what we can’t allow to happen- for guys like me, in a high profile situation where people are watching, we can’t let this be brushed under the rug and forgotten for a while. By doing that very thing, we are allowing more and more things to be swept under the rug and we will get to the point where it will be impossible to stop. It will become the law of the land through policy. I am not for being silent on this. I feel like the Lord has put me in this place and position for a reason and I have great comfort and peace that this is God’s plan. This didn’t happen by mistake.
Fox Sports sought me out. They called me. This feels like a bad prank. I do one show for 60 minutes and they fire me the next day because of my biblical belief. They knew me and that I was a believer in Christ and I have never hidden my faith. However, God is in control and has placed me here. I am not afraid to stand up for Him.
JK: Where is your case against Fox sports at this point?
Craig James: Liberty Institute (who is taking on James’ case) and I have a November 5th hearing. We will meet with Fox’s top executives and my lawyers want to hear from them. We want to know what happened. We want to take their depositions and find out who we should include in the lawsuit going forward.
JK: There are more and more cases like yours where Christians are being attacked for their religious beliefs in the workplace and their First Amendment Rights are being violated. What can we do as Christians to support you as well as others who are fighting these types of battles?
Craig James: The one thing we know for certain, those who don’t want us to have our biblical beliefs are being heard. The other side is being bold and passionate. We have to meet it with the same vigor if we want to maintain and keep our religious liberties.
You can go to Liberty Institute.org and they have got a request to help people get involved. People can get in touch with Fox Sports and reinstate me to the job they hired me to do. This will send the message that they were wrong and they cannot discriminate based on someone’s biblical beliefs. Conservatives are under attack and if we don’t recognize the challenge the tidal wave will be so big that it’s going to be hard to overcome.
JK: Do you have any aspirations of running for political office again in the future?
Craig James: When I ran for office I felt 100% called by God to do it. That doesn’t mean I was going to win that position but I wasn’t running to set-up for another office. Today I read 2 Corinthians 5:20, “For we are called to be ambassadors for God”. This verse was for me because I am being called by God, right now, to be an ambassador for Him to go out and help us all to fight for our religious liberties and the First Amendment. I personally can’t think of a higher calling or a higher office.
JK: Well my last serious question for you here is who is your pick for the Super bowl?
Craig James: (Laughing) Well, since I am a Patriot I better say New England but realistically I think Peyton Manning in Denver is really hard to beat. He is just too good. He’s got a pretty healthy team and it’s a quarterback’s game. If you don’t have a great one you’re not going to win.
To follow Craig James’ case and for contact information to help reinstate him to his broadcasting position at Fox Sports, please go to www.libertyinstitute.org. Help Craig, as well as countless others, so that Religious Liberty can be restored and our voices will be heard!
