Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson found himself defending his Christian faith after he made the comment that the new controversial movie 50 Shades of Grey was "great."
"Thanks for the early showing of #50ShadesOfGrey late last night.. #EmeraldCity Great movie," Wilson wrote to his 1.19 million Twitter followers last week. The Christian quarterback is certainly not shy about his faith and regularly quotes inspirational Bible verses on his social media accounts, but this particular message struck fellow Christians as odd.
Fifty Shades of Grey is a new movie starring Anastasia Steele and Jamie Dornan in the film adaptation of the popular erotic novel of the same name. The movie portrays pornographic and sadomasochistic situations that many are calling damaging to women for the portrayal and promotion of sexual abuse. The movie has already been denounced by prominent Christians and is certainly not recommended for a Christ-centered audience.
"Really? I'm honestly not sure how you can quote bible verses all the time and then say this is a good movie..." one Twitter follower responded, while another said, "Don't say you represent Christ, and the[n] publicly endorse a moved filled with immorality and sexual violence."
But the criticism didn't stop there as one follower made the interesting suggestion that Wilson's endorsements be questioned following the tweet. "I hope your contract has endorsement restrictions because endorsements seem to be contradicting your ethics. #passthepeace."
Wilson later defends his mini review of the movie by saying that it didn't make him any less faithful. "Saw a movie filmed in the town I call home. Provocative/disturbing no doubt but that does not make me less Faithful," he said on Twitter after receiving backlash from Christian fans. "Have a blessed day!"
Russell Wilson led the Seattle Seahawks to Super Bowl XLIX last month, but was defeated 28-24 by the New England Patriots after a game-ending interception pass. Wilson set the single season FBS record for passing efficiency while at the University of Wisconsin, winning both the 2012 Rose Bowl and the Big Ten title that year. He also received honors for baseball at North Carolina State University and played minor league baseball for the Tri-City Dust Devils in 2010 and the Asheville Tourists in 2011.
In 2012, Wilson was signed to the Seahawks under a $2.99 million contract and was quickly named as the team's starting quarterback. Despite losing the Super Bowl in 2014, he led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory in 2013.
Aside from his inspiring football career, Wilson is also best known for his expressions of faith. After the Super Bowl loss, Wilson talked to reporters about his faith and how it plays into accepting the loss. "In terms of my legacy off the field, I want to be a Christian man that helps lead, and change lives and helps serve other people," Wilson said. "It's not about me, it's not about me. It's about helping other people. And that's where I keep my focus more than anything."
"In terms of my faith, my faith is everything: God comes first, family and friends come second, and football comes third," Wilson continued in another interview. "I think when you keep it in that order, great things happen to you. You don't stress out about much."
