Today’s blacklisted American: Christian chaplain for Austin fire dept fired for believing in Christianity
Andrew Fox
The modern dark age: Andrew Fox, who had been the chaplain for the fire department in Austin, Texas, was fired by the department’s fire chief, Joel Baker, because Fox had expressed some opinions on his own independent blog that Baker did not like.
Dr. Fox is an ordained minister who started Austin’s fire chaplaincy program and served as the city’s lead chaplain—a volunteer position—for eight years. After sharing on his personal blog his religious and commonsense view that men and women are biologically different and men should not compete on women’s sports teams, city officials demanded that Dr. Fox recant and apologize for expressing that view, and then proceeded to fire him.
More details here. Fox has now filed a lawsuit [pdf], which notes the following about the website where Fox posted his comments:
The blog is not associated with the Fire Department in any way; rather, it introduces Dr. Fox as simply a “speaker,” “author,” and “teacher.” The blog is geared toward readers in academic and ecclesial circles. The blog is not monetized, but it has led to paid writing and speaking opportunities for Dr. Fox. Dr. Fox does not follow a set writing schedule for his blog; he writes as he has time and when he has something to say.
When a new blog post is published, it goes out to the blog’s subscribers (just under 1000 of them), and Dr. Fox shares it on his social media. Dr. Fox has never intentionally promoted his blog to any AFD [Austin Fire Deparment] members, nor has he intentionally promoted his blog while carrying out his chaplain duties.
The Fire Department did not have a say in the running of any of Dr. Fox’s businesses or nonprofit organizations or the messages that Dr. Fox communicated in his teaching, writing, or wedding officiating.
In other words, the blog has no connection to the fire department in any way. Yet, the department demanded Fox apologize for his comments and change them in order to satisfy the demands of several anonymous complainants from the queer community. Though Fox did issue an apology, he refused to change his opinions, and was subsequently fired.
He is now suing, saying that his firing was in violation of his rights under both the First Amendment to the Constitution as well as the Texas Constitution.
The lawsuit also notes this one very important detail that illustrates its partisan agenda:
While punishing Dr. Fox for expressing his own views on his own time, the City permits and even celebrates speech promoting its own social-justice agenda. The City celebrates “Pride Month” every June, and the Department does as well, touting that it was the first public safety agency in Austin to participate in the Pride Parade. In October 2019, the Fire Department released a public safety message featuring a drag queen. In summer 2021, the Fire Department had its crews wear shirts emblazoned with a rainbow during the month of June for Pride Month. On information and belief, in June 2022, some AFD members were required to wear the same or similar shirts emblazoned with a rainbow for Pride Month.
In other words, in the Austin fire department it is all right to push the queer agenda, but don’t you dare exercise your first amendment rights to disagree with it.
Kudos for Fox for suing. Sadly, I doubt he will get his position back, and even if he does, his reputation and ability to serve will be severely hampered. The queer community has now smeared him as a “hater”, for no reason, and nothing he can do will change that smear.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Andrew Fox
The modern dark age: Andrew Fox, who had been the chaplain for the fire department in Austin, Texas, was fired by the department’s fire chief, Joel Baker, because Fox had expressed some opinions on his own independent blog that Baker did not like.
Dr. Fox is an ordained minister who started Austin’s fire chaplaincy program and served as the city’s lead chaplain—a volunteer position—for eight years. After sharing on his personal blog his religious and commonsense view that men and women are biologically different and men should not compete on women’s sports teams, city officials demanded that Dr. Fox recant and apologize for expressing that view, and then proceeded to fire him.
More details here. Fox has now filed a lawsuit [pdf], which notes the following about the website where Fox posted his comments:
The blog is not associated with the Fire Department in any way; rather, it introduces Dr. Fox as simply a “speaker,” “author,” and “teacher.” The blog is geared toward readers in academic and ecclesial circles. The blog is not monetized, but it has led to paid writing and speaking opportunities for Dr. Fox. Dr. Fox does not follow a set writing schedule for his blog; he writes as he has time and when he has something to say.
When a new blog post is published, it goes out to the blog’s subscribers (just under 1000 of them), and Dr. Fox shares it on his social media. Dr. Fox has never intentionally promoted his blog to any AFD [Austin Fire Deparment] members, nor has he intentionally promoted his blog while carrying out his chaplain duties.
The Fire Department did not have a say in the running of any of Dr. Fox’s businesses or nonprofit organizations or the messages that Dr. Fox communicated in his teaching, writing, or wedding officiating.
In other words, the blog has no connection to the fire department in any way. Yet, the department demanded Fox apologize for his comments and change them in order to satisfy the demands of several anonymous complainants from the queer community. Though Fox did issue an apology, he refused to change his opinions, and was subsequently fired.
He is now suing, saying that his firing was in violation of his rights under both the First Amendment to the Constitution as well as the Texas Constitution.
The lawsuit also notes this one very important detail that illustrates its partisan agenda:
While punishing Dr. Fox for expressing his own views on his own time, the City permits and even celebrates speech promoting its own social-justice agenda. The City celebrates “Pride Month” every June, and the Department does as well, touting that it was the first public safety agency in Austin to participate in the Pride Parade. In October 2019, the Fire Department released a public safety message featuring a drag queen. In summer 2021, the Fire Department had its crews wear shirts emblazoned with a rainbow during the month of June for Pride Month. On information and belief, in June 2022, some AFD members were required to wear the same or similar shirts emblazoned with a rainbow for Pride Month.
In other words, in the Austin fire department it is all right to push the queer agenda, but don’t you dare exercise your first amendment rights to disagree with it.
Kudos for Fox for suing. Sadly, I doubt he will get his position back, and even if he does, his reputation and ability to serve will be severely hampered. The queer community has now smeared him as a “hater”, for no reason, and nothing he can do will change that smear.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
I looked it up and Dr. Fox is being represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom.
Christianity and the church are at theee top of the Leftist radical list for destruction, elimination and banishment from all society under the “Fundamentally Change America” agenda. This is primarily what Obama was referencing when he made the statement.
#6. “POLITICAL POWER AND LEADERSHIP CAN NOT TOLERATE A RELIGION, A BELIEF SYSTEM OR A GOD THAT DOES NOT SUPPORT AND FURTHER THEIR ACQUISITION OF AND RETENTION OF POWER”
*Destroy Christianity and the church. (Easily sold to the wacky moralistic Leftist masses based on the sordid history of the church that has in recent years been revealed. There are costs associated with the abuse of power).
*Destroy the family unit.
*Make all of society more dependent on government.
*Bankrupt the public by devaluing the currency.
*Flood the country with illegals and dilute the work force and economy of the neediest Americans and make them even more dependent on government.
Ah, its a long list.
Somebody want to tell me why this comment on Rodman injecting himself into the Griner affair is under review for ” “possible violation of community standards?” – Quote There’s laws against US citizens attempting private diplomacy. “The Logan Act (1 Stat. 613, 18 U.S.C. § 953, enacted January 30, 1799) is a United States federal law that criminalizes negotiation by unauthorized American citizens with foreign governments having a dispute with the United States. The intent behind the Act is to prevent unauthorized negotiations from undermining the government’s position.] The Act was passed following George Logan’s unauthorized negotiations with France in 1798, and was signed into law by President John Adams on January 30, 1799. The Act was amended in 1994, changing the penalty for violation from “fined $5,000” to “fined under this title”; this appears to be the only amendment to the Act. Violation of the Logan Act is a felony End quote. Apparently the law of land is against community standards!
“Apparently the law of land is against community standards!”
.The law really should take into account all the factors of the person who committed the act before we decide if that act is indeed a crime, you see.
Lady Social-Justice does not wear a blindfold, so she always knows which scale to place her thumb upon.
That kind of law just FEELs so good, doesn’t. And if it does not feel good, we should just, you know, ignore it. Feelings are always the best way to decide community standards.
(Sarcasm off)
See also the recent NYT editorial by two so called law professors arguing that we need to abandon the Constitution. It is too restrictive.
“Sadly, I doubt he will get his position back, and even if he does, his reputation and ability to serve will be severely hampered. ”
Why would he want it back? I applaud his ministry to first-responders, but I don’t think doing the Lord’s work would outweigh the work environment.
I was raised Christian. My business partner and most long-lived significant-other is Jewish (she went bat-stuff crazy and I had to separate because of her aging-related medical issues, for my own legal protection). Before her, my ex-wife is a muslim. Her family put a stop to us.
I was for a time an atheist. For a very long time I’ve been agnostic.
I personally know that none of the major religions is the ultimate solution for happiness.
Which is why I couldn’t care less what you believe as long as it doesn’t directly affect me..
GaryMike–
That is an interesting backstory! (I’m a semi-retired mental health case-manager type.)
Dr. Jordan Peterson / Akira The Don
“I Act as If God Exists” (2018)
https://youtu.be/SG7mKcIVvQQ
6:44
“What’s the answer to the meaning of life? Here’s an answer.”
Haters should take a page from President Trump
Wear it with pride, shove it in their faces
#6. “POLITICAL POWER AND LEADERSHIP CAN NOT TOLERATE A RELIGION, A BELIEF SYSTEM OR A GOD THAT DOES NOT SUPPORT AND FURTHER THEIR ACQUISITION OF AND RETENTION OF POWER”
Tucker on the outlaw Amish: https://youtu.be/X1oABmOolFo
Fine them $300K.
Wayne, my problem with Jordan Peterson has been he takes 2 hours to make a 10 second point and never makes the point. In that way he’s a lot like C.S. Lewis, one of the great Christian apologists of the 20th century. In fact I consider Peterson the C.S. Lewis of our time. Both he and Lewis were drug by God kicking and screaming against their will into the faith, and while not theologians had greater impact on their times than almost any trained pastor and theologian.
Both Lewis and Peterson go to great lengths wrestling with truths, which people love. They don’t have pat pre-digested answers to everything like the rest of Christendom that make people say “phony”.
Lately Peterson has been hitting it out of the park, like this 26 minute video where he reads an editorial addressed to the swamp that he wrote for the U.K. Telegraph:
Article: Back Off, Oh Masters of the Universe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–QS_UyW2SY
Wayne:
“I’m a semi-retired mental health case-manager type.”
(Actually interested in knowing.)
How many people types like me have you had to case manage ?
Out on a limb here: none.
James Street-
-totally empathize with that thought (paraphrase, “Peterson takes forever…”) but I just take it as him trying to be complete, given that his audience most likely wasn’t taught any of the substrates to any of his point(s).
How about….
“12 Conservative Principles in 12 Minutes”
(edited down from 90 minutes)
https://youtu.be/_MyduTaCh18
12:30
GaryMike-
Everyone has a Story, and I’ve been honored to hear some amazing tales.
Wayne:
“… tales.”
Camp fires ever involved?