Rep. Banks Defends NFL Quarterback Drew Brees For Encouraging Students To Bring Bibles To School

Rep. Jim Banks defended NFL quarterback Drew Brees Thursday for participating in a Focus on the Family video that encouraged students to bring Bibles to school.

The 40-year-old New Orleans Saints quarterback and 12 time Pro-Bowler participated in a video Focus on the Family created that depicted Brees encouraging students to share their faith with others as part of a “Bring Your Bible” initiative.

“One of my favorite verses in the bible is 2 Corinthians 5-7: ‘For we live by faith, not by sight,’” Brees said in the video shared on Facebook.

“So I want to encourage you to live out your faith on bring your bible to school day, and share God’s love with friends,” Brees added. “You’re not alone.”

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Critics bashed Brees on Twitter for participating in the video.

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Banks tweeted Thursday about Brees’ participation in the video, noting that some have come to the conclusion that Brees hates LGBTQ people because he participated in the video.

“The relentless assault on Christians must stop,” Banks tweeted.

The representative told the Daily Caller News Foundation he finds it “disgraceful” that Brees has been criticized for his actions.

“It’s disgraceful that Drew Brees’s encouragement to kids to share God’s love with their friends is turned into hate-mongering by the Left,” Banks, an Indiana Republican, told the DCNF. “Brees and Focus on the Family are promoting Bring Your Bible to School Day — that’s it.”

Focus on the Family said Bring Your Bible to School Day — set for Oct. 3 — is a day that the organization set driven by its “belief and conviction that young people are permitted to politely express and share their faith with classmates.”

“We have great respect for New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and appreciate him encouraging young people to show God’s love by participating in this year’s celebration,” Focus on the Family President Jim Daly told the DCNF, adding:

“America’s pluralism demands tolerance and civility towards those who may hold to a different point of view. As such, it’s our hope that those who may object to us expressing our deeply held religious beliefs may nevertheless afford us the same respect they rightly expect in return.”

The organization is an evangelical Christian ministry that believes sex is not only intended to be “shared and enjoyed exclusively between a husband and wife,” but also that “the Bible leaves no room whatsoever for confusion or ambiguity where homosexual behavior is concerned,” according to its website.