Too much offense: Christian soccer star rejects U.S. team

A star women's soccer player rejected a call from the U.S. women's national team last year because team organizers and sponsors were promoting homosexuality at the time.

ESPN reported Jaelene Hinkle refused the call-up because as a Christian she could not wear the team jersey honoring LGBTQ "pride."

"I just felt so convicted in my spirit that it wasn't my job to wear this jersey," Hinkle said. "I gave myself three days to just seek and pray and determine what he was asking me to do in this situation. ... I knew in my spirit I was doing the right thing. I knew I was being obedient."

Hinkley, who had made eight appearances for the team, hasn't been called up to the national team since then.

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She plays for the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League, and some fans at the Courage game in Portland this week booed her and waved rainbow flags.

Hinkle did not comment after the match but received the backing of her teammate Jessica McDonald, the report said.

"She is high on her faith, and in my honest option that's absolutely incredible,'' McDonald said. "If she's for God, then that's fine, that's great if that's what keeps her going in her life and keeps positivity in her life, then let that be. Everyone has their opinions about the Bible and God. It's obviously not in my control what she thinks."

She added: "I'm still going to be friends with her. We have no problems with each other. She's never said anything bad about me. She never said anything bad about anybody. So, for people to pass on that kind of judgment on another human being, I think it's sort of uncalled for."

The coach of the Courage, which is at the top of the NWSL standings, Paul Riley, said he must credit her for being honest.

"Whatever her beliefs are, whatever she believes in, that's her. It doesn't affect the team. It doesn't seem to affect anybody on the team."

The Courage beat Portland 4-1.

Hinkle's comments first appeared in an interview with the "700 Club."

That report said: "Jaelene's love for the game started on the youth soccer fields of Denver, Colorado. Raised in a Christian home, she learned about her identity in Christ, and committed her life to Jesus when she was 12."

She said: "At that age, it was like, 'OK, I'm starting to connect the dots and I want to see where this takes me. Like I want to find out who God is.'"

Her public-school career landed her a scholarship to Texas Tech University, where she sometimes found herself between two worlds.

"And like on paper I was doing really well, but like inside it was just like I'm kind of miserable right now," she said in the report. "I mean, there were Saturdays where you'd go out and you would hang out with your friends and you're partying and then I'm like, 'I have church tomorrow morning.' And then I'm in church and I'm like, 'What did I just do Saturday night?'"

Her path to professional soccer was sidetracked briefly when, during her junior year, she was diagnosed with a blood clot in her leg.

But that treatment could stop her from playing soccer, the "700 Club" reported.

"The first thing that my mom said to me was, 'We're just going to pray. We're just going to pray all night long,'" she recalled.

In the morning, the doctor told her her vein was open.

"You got your miracle," he said.

After a successful senior year, she was drafted by the pro team and invited to play for the national team.

Then LGBT activists announced the team would be promoting homosexuality with their jerseys.

She withdrew.

And found peace.

"I knew in my spirit I was doing the right thing."