{"id":3128,"date":"2012-08-07T12:18:11","date_gmt":"2012-08-07T16:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/?p=3128"},"modified":"2012-08-07T12:18:11","modified_gmt":"2012-08-07T16:18:11","slug":"jay-sekulow-gymnast-gabby-douglas-keeping-faith-at-olympics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2012\/08\/jay-sekulow-gymnast-gabby-douglas-keeping-faith-at-olympics.html","title":{"rendered":"Jay Sekulow: Gymnast Gabby Douglas – Keeping the Faith at the Olympics"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It’s amazing. With social media dominating the Olympic Games in London, athletes have no shortage of ‘tweets’ they are sending. For some, it’s gotten them into deep trouble with offensive ‘tweets’<\/a> that resulted in removing them from competition.<\/p>\n

But there’s one athlete who has captured the world. Gymnast Gabby Douglas is excelling in the games and is proud to ‘tweet’ about her Christian faith.<\/p>\n

As Christianpost.com points out<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Douglas’ latest Bible verse tweet occurred on Friday, the day after her historic Olympic win making her the first African-American and person of color to win the women’s gymnastics all-around. She tweeted a verse from Romans 12:19: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord'” (ESV).
\n\u00a0
\nThe biblically-inspired tweet came a day after she thanked God in front of millions of viewers Thursday for her second Olympic gold medal during an NBC interview: “And I give all the glory to God. It’s kind of a win-win situation. The glory goes up to Him and the blessings fall down on me,” she said.<\/p>\n

But as you might expect, this kind of expression has generated criticism as well. Yes, hard to believe, but as my colleague David French documents in this post<\/a>\u00a0there are those who are critical of this outstanding teen because she is publicly thanking God for her success.<\/p>\n

What’s encouraging though is the number of celebrities who have come to her defense. According to Christianpost.com<\/a>, Christian rapper Lecrae \u2013 who happens to be one of the favorite music artists of another Christian athlete, Jeremy Lin \u2013 sent a tweet to Douglas on August 2: “@gabrielledoug congrats. Glad to hear you meditated on scripture I know how distracting the Village can be.” Christian recording artist Natalie Grant also tweeted an encouraging message to Douglas in late July.<\/p>\n

Gabby is inspirational. She is extremely talented. And, she proudly proclaims her Christianity at a time when many are afraid to do so.<\/p>\n

Her winning transcends the Olympics, as demonstrated by this ‘tweet’ acknowledging her success: “Thank you guys for everything! I am SO grateful God has truly blessed me! Remember to ALWAYS give him the glory for he is GREAT!”<\/p>\n

Jay Sekulow<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s amazing. With social media dominating the Olympic Games in London, athletes have no shortage of ‘tweets’ they are sending. For some, it’s gotten them into deep trouble with offensive ‘tweets’ that resulted in removing them from competition. But there’s one athlete who has captured the world. Gymnast Gabby Douglas is excelling in the games…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":401,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[406,706,703,702,704,705],"class_list":["post-3128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-religious-freedom","tag-christian","tag-gabby","tag-gabby-douglas","tag-olympics","tag-tweets","tag-twitter"],"yoast_head":"\nJay Sekulow: Gymnast Gabby Douglas - Keeping the Faith at the Olympics - Faith & Justice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2012\/08\/jay-sekulow-gymnast-gabby-douglas-keeping-faith-at-olympics.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Jay Sekulow: Gymnast Gabby Douglas - Keeping the Faith at the Olympics - Faith & Justice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It’s amazing. With social media dominating the Olympic Games in London, athletes have no shortage of ‘tweets’ they are sending. For some, it’s gotten them into deep trouble with offensive ‘tweets’ that resulted in removing them from competition. But there’s one athlete who has captured the world. Gymnast Gabby Douglas is excelling in the games…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2012\/08\/jay-sekulow-gymnast-gabby-douglas-keeping-faith-at-olympics.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Faith & Justice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-08-07T16:18:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/files\/2012\/08\/115866765-300x200.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jay Sekulow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Jay Sekulow: Gymnast Gabby Douglas - Keeping the Faith at the Olympics - Faith & Justice","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2012\/08\/jay-sekulow-gymnast-gabby-douglas-keeping-faith-at-olympics.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Jay Sekulow: Gymnast Gabby Douglas - Keeping the Faith at the Olympics - Faith & Justice","og_description":"It’s amazing. With social media dominating the Olympic Games in London, athletes have no shortage of ‘tweets’ they are sending. For some, it’s gotten them into deep trouble with offensive ‘tweets’ that resulted in removing them from competition. But there’s one athlete who has captured the world. Gymnast Gabby Douglas is excelling in the games…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2012\/08\/jay-sekulow-gymnast-gabby-douglas-keeping-faith-at-olympics.html","og_site_name":"Faith & Justice","article_published_time":"2012-08-07T16:18:11+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/files\/2012\/08\/115866765-300x200.jpg"}],"author":"Jay Sekulow","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2012\/08\/jay-sekulow-gymnast-gabby-douglas-keeping-faith-at-olympics.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2012\/08\/jay-sekulow-gymnast-gabby-douglas-keeping-faith-at-olympics.html","name":"Jay Sekulow: Gymnast Gabby Douglas - Keeping the Faith at the Olympics - Faith & Justice","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2012\/08\/jay-sekulow-gymnast-gabby-douglas-keeping-faith-at-olympics.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2012\/08\/jay-sekulow-gymnast-gabby-douglas-keeping-faith-at-olympics.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/files\/2012\/08\/115866765-300x200.jpg","datePublished":"2012-08-07T16:18:11+00:00","dateModified":"2012-08-07T16:18:11+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/#\/schema\/person\/fd4c384af0620d4b82ae09cf1d77bdb4"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2012\/08\/jay-sekulow-gymnast-gabby-douglas-keeping-faith-at-olympics.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2012\/08\/jay-sekulow-gymnast-gabby-douglas-keeping-faith-at-olympics.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2012\/08\/jay-sekulow-gymnast-gabby-douglas-keeping-faith-at-olympics.html#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/files\/2012\/08\/115866765-300x200.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/files\/2012\/08\/115866765-300x200.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2012\/08\/jay-sekulow-gymnast-gabby-douglas-keeping-faith-at-olympics.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Jay Sekulow: Gymnast Gabby Douglas – Keeping the Faith at the Olympics"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/","name":"Faith & Justice","description":"Jay Sekulow - ACLJ","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/#\/schema\/person\/fd4c384af0620d4b82ae09cf1d77bdb4","name":"Jay Sekulow","description":"Jay Sekulow is Chief Counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a law firm and educational organization that focuses on constitutional law. He is also Chief Counsel of the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ). Jay Sekulow is one of the leading defenders of constitutional rights and religious liberties in the United States. Over the past 25 years, Jay Sekulow has amassed an unparalleled record of accomplishment, arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court on 12 occasions. His aggressive litigation strategy before the Supreme Court has led to many landmark First Amendment victories. In his first case before the Supreme Court, Jews for Jesus, Jay Sekulow secured the right of religious groups to pass out tracks in airports. In Mergens, Jay Sekulow successfully protected the right of students to form Bible clubs and prayer groups on public school campuses. In Lamb\u2019s Chapel, Jay Sekulow cleared the way for churches to have equal access to public facilities in the same way that other groups are permitted to utilize those facilities. In the Bray and Operation Rescue cases, Jay Sekulow protected the free speech rights of pro-life advocates to be free from criminal prosecution for conveying their pro-life message. In McConnell v. FEC, Jay Sekulow protected the right of young people to engage in the political process by donating to the campaign of their choice. In Pleasant Grove, Jay Sekulow paved the way for governments to be able to display Ten Commandments monuments, and other monuments of their choosing, in public parks. Through the ACLJ, Jay Sekulow engages the political, legal, and cultural battles facing America today. He routinely works with Members of Congress, advising them on proposed legislation and representing them in critical legal matters. Jay Sekulow has also testified before Congress on the constitutionality of proposed legislation. Also, in addition to being a successful Supreme Court advocate, Jay Sekulow is a highly respected broadcaster. Jay Sekulow is the host of Jay Sekulow Live! which airs each weekday on over 850 radio stations nationwide, in addition Sirius and XM satellite radio. He brings insight and education to listeners daily through this national call-in radio program. He is also the host of the ACLJ This Week, the ACLJ\u2019s weekly television program. Jay Sekulow regularly appears on major media outlets, including FOX News, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC, where he is sought out for his vast experience in constitutional law and his unique insight into many of the pressing legal and political issues facing America today. He is frequently quoted in the nation's leading newspapers and often contributes opinion editorials to national publications. Jay Sekulow has also published numerous law review and other scholarly articles. Jay Sekulow has received numerous honors for his groundbreaking legal work in the area of free speech and religious liberties. The Legal Times has named Sekulow one of \u201cThe 90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 Years\u201d and the National Law Journal has twice named Sekulow one of the \u201c100 Most Influential Lawyers\u201d in the United States. In addition, TIME Magazine listed Jay Sekulow as one of the \"25 Most Influential Evangelicals\" in America. Jay Sekulow\u2019s legal work in defense of religious liberties and human rights extends beyond the United States, having founded the ECLJ in Strasbourg, France, which maintains consultative status with the United Nations. He has also opened offices in Pakistan, Africa, and Jerusalem, Israel. Jay Sekulow is a staunch defender of Israel, presenting arguments before the International Criminal Court at the Hague. His efforts in support of Israel\u2019s right to defend itself from terrorist attacks have been commended by Israeli government officials, one official stating, \"Jay was instrumentally-involved in projects that the President of Israel and the Prime Minister put on our national agenda.\" Jay Sekulow also has a passion for educating the next generation of religious liberty advocates. He is a member of the Regent University Law School Faculty as a Distinguished Professor of Law and routinely teaches courses on constitutional law and presents guest lectures. Jay Sekulow has also started educational programs in international human rights law in Strasbourg, France and at Handong University in South Korea. Jay Sekulow is a graduate of Mercer University, earning both a bachelor\u2019s degree and doctor of jurisprudence. Sekulow served on the editorial staff of the Mercer Law Review and graduated cum laude. He later earned a Ph.D. from Regent University, writing his dissertation on American Legal History. Jay Sekulow also serves on the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, D.C. Jay Sekulow, ACLJ Chief Counsels full biography and video. Jay Sekulow on Facebook. Jay Sekulow on Twitter. Jay Sekulow on YouTube.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/author\/jay_sekulow"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3128"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3138,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3128\/revisions\/3138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}