Wrestling for the truth

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

– Hebrews 11:6

Where I come from, the state of Iowa in the heartland of America, wrestling is a big deal. We have a long tradition in the sport and are known throughout the world for our wrestling. For a high-school athlete to qualify for the state wrestling meet is an incredible honor.

One of the young men in our church has worked hard enough and been dedicated enough to qualify for the state wrestling tournament for the second year in a row. But as in all of life, there is a hitch.

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This year, for the first time in 91 years, two girls also qualified for state, in his weight class. Joel was scheduled to wrestle one of them in the first round. As a Christian, Joel has a conviction – a man doesn't wrestle a woman. Period.

It shouldn't be that he would even have to choose between keeping his conviction or advancing in the state wrestling tournament, because in a saner time, no one would consider allowing girls into the highly aggressive, highly physical, hands-all-over sport of wrestling.

In those days womanhood was regarded as sacred. A man didn't touch a woman in a familiar way, much less body slam her into a mat, grapple and grope, body to body in an attempt to pin her body to the ground. It was understood that men and women are different and should be treated differently. That was then; this is now.

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Now we have a feminist movement, which is really against femininity as previously understood. Women are out to prove that they can be as rough, tough and coarse as any man. Feminism really ought to be called "masculinism," because feminists are envious of the male role, and masculinity is the effect it has had on women in general.

Feminism is the movement responsible for "abortion rights," which is the repudiation of the heart of femininity, motherhood, nurture and sacrificial love. Those were the aspects of being a woman once widely thought to be sacred, worthy of all protection and respect by society. Every abortion kills two people, a baby and a mother.

Amateur sports in the U.S. have been profoundly undermined by feminism, for in their quest for equality, feminists have successfully destroyed hundreds of public university men's sports programs through "Title IX," a court imposed mandate that women and men be "equally represented" in sports programs by quota.

There is an underlying spiritual component to all of this, for man would eradicate all God-ordained distinctions such as good/evil, male/female, Creator/creation, as an expression of his independence from the God of the Bible. "Let us ... cast away their cords from us," according to the second Psalm, is what rebellious men say.

But Christians are to bear witness to the truth, each of us to our generation. Particularly that truth that is being called into question or denied at that particular moment, by the spirit of the Age. This age would blur the God-assigned gender roles and would insist that all of us participate in the rebellion.

But Joel Northrup, the young man I spoke of earlier, stood up for Christ at that point. He would not treat a young woman in that way; he would not go along with the new androgynous spirit of the Age, nor would he deny the Genesis truth that man and woman are equal but not interchangeable. Not even for a shot at the state title he had worked so hard for.

In spite of the pressure of anticipation (this was a historic first, a girl qualifying for state), the desire to help his team win a team title, the media, his peers and just wanting to win, Joel walked out to the mat and defaulted rather than wrestle the young woman.

He then issued a simply worded statement to the media:

"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Cassy and Megan (Black, the tournament's other female entrant) and their accomplishments. However, wrestling is a combat sport and it can get violent at times. As a matter of conscience and my faith, I do not believe that it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner. It is unfortunate that I have been placed in a situation not seen in most of the high school sports in Iowa."

True faith is not to be confused with mere preference; faith is conviction. God showed Joel something, and he acted on that revelation, even though it cost him something. At that very point that the world is denying truth, Joel confessed Christ. God bless you, Joel, you are a champ in my book!

Pastor Bill Randles is the founder and pastor of Believers in Grace Fellowship in Marion, Iowa, which has been in existence since 1982.He is the author of four books – "Making War in the Heavenlies," "Weighed & Found Wanting," "Beware the New Prophets" and "Mending the Nets." He has traveled to Nigeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe, England, Australia, New Zealand, India, Russia and the Philippines preaching the Gospel and contending for the faith that has been delivered to the saints. He and his wife, Kristin, have six children and 10 grandchildren. Randles blogs at billrandles.wordpress.com.