There is a great irony in being a Christian these days.

While we have been taught to confess our trespasses against God and neighbor in the context of repenting of our sins, we seem incapable of admitting our trespasses against the same in any other societal context.

Brittney Griner’s mistreatment at the hands of evangelical Christians is a glaring example. But how did that come to be?

At six-feet, nine-inches tall, with an 87.5-inch wingspan, Griner is a spectacle on the court. Her career stats at Baylor University include 3,283 points, 1,305 rebounds, 748 blocks, 18 dunks, six Big 12 titles, four NCAA Tournament appearances and an NCAA championship.

Very few women in the history of U.S. basketball have been known to drive into the lane and dunk the ball with authority – even fewer at the collegiate level. Brittney Griner made it look easy.

Anytime she got the ball within 10 feet of the rim, anticipation threatened to blow the gold-domed roof clean off the Ferrell Center basketball stadium. I remember; I was there.

Here in Waco, Texas – the buckle of the Bible belt – the only thing louder than the roar of Baylor’s crowd when Griner led the team to victory was the silence of the religious community when she revealed that she was a lesbian.

Brittney Griner is owed several apologies – not that she’s asking for them. The opinion of others never kept her from enduring life with poise. Indeed, the Olympic gold medalist and WNBA star turned-political-pawn has accomplished, and endured, more than the average American ever will.

Yet, even after those who once applauded her for elevating their brand stopped clapping, she remained undaunted by her status as a Black, lesbian woman. But if the triple crown of marginalization wasn’t enough, Griner also holds the distinction of being ostracized for publicly protesting the death of Breonna Taylor during the national anthem.

Said another way, during the most racially divided time of our nation since the civil rights movement, Griner had the audacity to tell white Americans something they didn’t want to hear. The record shows this was her greatest offense in the eyes of many of her former fans.

When Baylor University called for Griner’s safe return on social media, a disturbing host of comments posted by alumni and fans suggested her continued incarceration in Russia’s gulag was well deserved – not for committing a crime, but because her protest two years prior was deemed unpatriotic.

Apparently, many graduates of the largest Baptist university cannot conceive of a public figure from a marginalized people group challenging the authorities of the age with the biblical notion of treating others as we wish to be treated.

It also seems lost on her detractors that Griner’s father was a law enforcement veteran who supported his daughter’s stance. Nevertheless, the most overlooked detail in all the criticisms of Griner is the fact that she is right.

Now, again, the unbecoming nature of modern American evangelicalism is exposed in stark contrast to Brittney Griner’s bravery concerning the murder of Breonna Taylor.

Recently, the leaders of the Republican Women’s Club of South Central Kentucky (many of whom proudly identified themselves as Christians on social media before making their accounts private) have been accused of hosting a virtual lynching of Breonna Taylor. The group’s event showed the video of Taylor’s ambush and featured one of the officers involved in the raid as a guest speaker.

Other restaurant guests complained that their families were unwillingly subjected to the horror the video displayed, including raucous applause from club members glorifying Taylor’s unlawful execution by law enforcement.

This spectacle is yet further evidence that Brittney Griner was correct to call attention to the disdain so many have for Black and brown lives, particularly women of color and especially Breonna Taylor. As such, it is incumbent upon us to take stock of Griner’s insight and give honor where honor is due.

During a press conference in July 2020, Griner aptly explained the layers of injustice provoking her activism: “Yeah, we’re here to play basketball. But basketball doesn’t mean anything in a world where we can’t just live. We can’t wake up and do whatever we want to do. Go for a run, go to the store to buy some candy, drive your car without the fear of being wrongfully pulled over.”

These were not abstractions. Ahmaud Arbery was lynched during a run through a predominately white neighborhood. Trayvon Martin was killed walking home from the store to buy candy. Tyre Nichols died in a hospital due to injuries inflicted on him by police officers during a traffic stop. And the list could go on.

Beyond her poignance, add clairvoyance to Griner’s arsenal of talents. It took two years, but Brittney was proven correct in her outrage over Breonna Taylor’s death.

In August 2022, the Department of Justice announced indictments against four officers connected with Taylor’s death for crimes that included falsifying search warrant affidavits and reports, excessive force, civil rights violations, and a conspiracy to cover the whole thing up.

In plain English, it appears that the officers who killed Taylor were every bit as crooked as Griner and others assessed they were.

The bravery exhibited by Brittney Griner in calling our nation to fulfill the promises of democracy follows a rich history of minority athletes sacrificing popularity and utilizing their platform to effect changes society is reluctant to make.

Notoriously, that lineage includes Colin Kaepernick, who has not been signed by any NFL teams following his national anthem protests, and Lebron James, who one Caucasian television personality instructed to “shut up and dribble.”

But those whom minorities expected to be advocates during the national turmoil – those who should have been most vocal – were silent.

In a time when most evangelical leaders, and their congregants, were unwilling to publicly decry the scourge of systemic racism and implicit bias, Griner spoke. Loudly. In this regard, she took on a prophetic role that the church has abdicated.

With Griner now safely back in the U.S. and preparing to play another WNBA season, Christians have yet another opportunity to heed the wisdom that spoke truth when the church went silent, giving honor where honor is due.

Thank you for your courage, Brittney. Keep speaking. Keep dribbling.