A rookie police officer for Port Wentworth, Georgia, Police Department says he turned in his gun and badge rather than turning his back on God's truth.
Officer Jacob Kersey angered his bosses because he shared his biblical views about marriage and sexuality on his own time and on his personal Facebook page.
On January 2, Jacob shared, "God created marriage. Marriage refers to Christ and the church. That is why there's no such thing as a homosexual marriage."
That kind of comment can easily stir up debate and anger on Facebook any day of the week but Jacob's comment caused an overnight panic in the police department. In the little town of 10,900 people, the 19-year-old was placed on leave January 4 after the department said it received an anonymous complaint about his comment.
According to American Family News (AFN), he was told by a police department supervisor to remove the post but he refused.
"I said I don't believe I can do that," the young man recalls. "It's a deeply held religious belief of mine, and it would compromise my morals and values to delete the post."
Then came an official letter, dated January 13, in which a police major informed Jacob the department did not find "sufficient evidence to establish a violation of any policies," but that the comments could be "likely offensive to protected classes."
The trap was set. The letter threatened that any future comments on social media would harm Kersey’s ability to do his job in a "fair and equitable manner," and be "unable to perform" his duties. If he can't do his job, the letter concludes, "you could be terminated."
So the young police officer, realizing he was cornered, decided to quit rather than kneel.
"But I think the important thing is that people hear this story. That they're encouraged," he told AFN, "and they don't allow themselves to be silenced by people who have no respect for the First Amendment and no respect for the Word of God."
To that, we can all say "Amen, Jacob!"
TAKE ACTION
Show your support for Jacob Kersey's strong stand for his faith. Let him know you are praying God will bless him for his faithfulness by opening doors that lead to another law enforcement job.
The country needs more police officers like Jacob Kersey.
