'Gays' pick fight with heavyweight champ

Homosexual activists have taken their fight to schools, universities, the government, churches, social clubs, the military, the media, the corporate world and more.

Now they're taking it to the heavyweight boxing champion of the world.

Tyson Fury, the British boxer who became the heavyweight champion after upsetting Wladimir Klitschko in November, is the target of a new campaign to ban him from consideration as the British Broadcasting Corporation's Sports Personality of the Year.

A pro-homosexual group called The Rainbow Project announced it would protest the awards ceremony on Dec. 20.

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A petition calling for the BBC to remove Fury from the list of contenders gathered some 140,000 signatures.

Fury is a Catholic who has stated "not everyone goes to heaven" and "being right with God is the most important thing in life."

Fury also sparked outrage in the British press when he told a journalist "the end is near" because of moral decline.

"There are only three things that need to be accomplished before the devil comes home: One of them is homosexuality being legal in countries, one of them is abortion, and the other one's pedophilia," Fury said.

This has led to accusations the champ had compared homosexuality to pedophilia. But Carl Gallups, a pastor and the author of "Be Thou Prepared: Equipping the Church for Persecution and Times of Trouble," called the media coverage biased and suggested this is just another case of Christians being "targeted" by an anti-Christian media.

"When one reads the transcripts in their complete context, it becomes crystal clear that Fury was simply voicing a list of biblically prophetic things (from his understanding of the Scriptures) that would be a part of end times signs of the soon return of the Lord," Gallups told WND. "Simply because one names items in a list does not necessarily mean those items are of equal magnitude – nor does it even have to mean that those items are directly related to each other. In fact, Fury clarified in subsequent interviews that this was his point exactly – he was merely citing a chain of events that he believed would occur on a massive scale throughout the world before the return of the Lord."

Gallups, also the author of "Final Warning: Understanding the Trumpet Days of Revelation," agrees the end times are coming soon. And he says Fury has a point as to why that belief is justified.

"Fury has certainly spoken the biblical truth concerning the prominence of the spirit of Sodom and Gomorrah in last days prophecy. Both the apostle Paul and Jesus Christ describe this end times phenomenon in no uncertain terms," Gallups said.

Paul Kengor, a historian, college professor and author of "Takedown: From Communists to Progressives, How the Left Has Sabotaged Family and Marriage," dismissed the controversy as absurd.

"Ah yes, we want our modern boxers to be pro-LGBT!" he joked. "This is just insanity."

He compared the situation to the furor when NFL quarterback Brett Favre appeared insufficiently enthused about Bruce Jenner, who now calls himself Caitlyn, receiving a "courage" award from ESPN and was interpreted as only reluctantly applauding.

At the time, Kengor compared the situation to that of those living in the Soviet Union under Stalin and observed, "Never be the first to stop clapping."

Fury has been scrambling to defend his reputation in the face of protests. Fury even kissed a gay man (on the cheeks) who had previously accused him of being "homophobic."

The homosexual man told the media he had "changed his mind about him" following the incident and called the champion "a big friendly giant."

But some of this may be driven by fear. Fury was even investigated for committing a "hate crime" because of his comments about homosexuality. Though he was ultimately not charged, the comments were still recorded by the police as a "hate incident."

The United Kingdom, which does not have freedom of speech, has arrested Christian pastors in the past for preaching against homosexuality.

However, despite Fury's faith, critics charge he is hardly a model Christian. Fury has been accused of sexism for saying female athlete Jessica Ennis-Hill "looks quite fit when she's got a dress again." He also claimed "a woman's best place is in the kitchen and on her back."

A single mother has also told the press she had engaged in an affair with the champion when he was separated with his wife. Fury did not confirm or deny the report and cursed at the press when asked about it. He remains married to his wife, Paris.

Dr. Michael Brown, a Christian commentator who has spoken widely on homosexuality and is the author of several books including the recent "Outlasting the Gay Revolution," said Fury needs to behave better. At the same time, he found it incredible Fury was almost charged with a crime simply for speaking against homosexuality.

"While I repudiate some of Fury's comments and find many of his antics and words inconsistent with his passionate profession of faith in Jesus, I find it absolutely abhorrent that a 'hate crime' charge could be brought against him because of his condemnation of homosexuality," Brown told WND. "It is outrageous that England, with its rich Christian history, could potentially arrest and punish someone for speaking against homosexual practices, among other sinful practices. But in recent years, British police have done that very thing on several occasions.

"My hope for Tyson Fury is that he will really come to know the Lord more deeply and grow in maturity and wisdom – I'm glad to help him if he'd like the assist – but under no circumstances should his words be viewed as constituting a hate crime."

Fury has challenged the media’s portrayal of him as a divisive figure, bragging about the racial and religious diversity of his boxing team and challenging the press to report that instead. He also denies he "hates" anyone.

"I wouldn't be a very good Christian if I hated anybody, would I?" Fury asked rhetorically during an interview. "If Jesus loves the world, I love the world."

Gallups says Christians should accept Fury as one of them.

"The truth of the matter is that, even though Fury is admittedly rough around the edges in the portrayal of his Christian witness and his ability to communicate the overall biblical message, he does clearly proclaim, 'Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.'"