As the quarterback of the MSU football team, Kirk has responsibilities to his teammates and coaches as well as his educators and classmates. In addition to his responsibility to represent his university exceptionally, he also has a responsibility to himself. While reading the State News article explaining the posters (10/26), I glanced through many of the comments. I could not believe the amount of negativity and arrogance surrounding this issue. Although you will have to wait until Thursday to hear what Kirk thinks, here’s what I think.

As most people are aware, the First Amendment protects the rights of individuals to speak their mind on any viewpoint, with the strongest protection granted to individuals speaking in a public forum. Although there are some exceptions to this rule, the freedom of religious expression is not barred. Unfortunately, there are cases in which religious and other groups have used their faith as a beacon for hate and prejudice. This is certainly not the case with Kirk. Many comments complained that Kirk is using his “local celebrity” and athletic prowess as a platform to preach what he believes. Yes he is. And he should be.

As a Christian, I believe God has blessed us all with gifts and talents and it is our job to utilize those gifts and talents for the betterment of this world, glorifying the God who gave us everything. It is amazing to see someone use the platform they were given to acknowledge and praise God in hopes of helping others to find more joy and peace in their life. We often see athletes, celebrities and other public figures celebrating their own achievements, pounding their chests and claiming they did it all on their own. Here is an individual who has achieved much in his athletic and academic careers while maintaining a vast amount of humility, gratitude and enthusiasm. As someone whose public reputation changes drastically from week to week based upon a win or a loss, Kirk is demonstrating that football is what he does, not who he is. To suggest he should not share his Christian beliefs because he also is “the face” of MSU football is absolutely absurd.

Modern sports culture has deified athletes, and when these athletes rightly deify the God they view as bigger than sport itself, the media vilifies them as “another Evangelist” looking for attention. One comment on The State News article questioned if Cousins was trying to be “the next Tim Tebow.” Athletes who find their strength in something more than wins and losses are to be commended. That strength is what allows them to take the editorial bashings when the team loses and remain humble when their “Hail Mary” pass connects. To be able to share their faith in a God who makes it all possible is amazing, especially when others accuse them of using their faith as a means of winning an award or public favor. Awards are great, but when you have something even greater to look forward to (an eternity with God), a trophy on a shelf becomes a less dire need.

My piece to those of you who feel Kirk is exploiting his role at MSU: Pick up a Bible. Leaf through it. God does not require us to speak to hundreds as Christians, but he does call us to use the gifts and blessings that he has placed in front of us to help others and glorify Him. Kirk is in a unique situation where his words are published in various media outlets locally and nationally due to his athletic gifts, charisma and dedication to his sport, school, and his friends and family. He is in a sense a public figure, but he retains his right to share his beliefs, his faith and the unconditional love of God.

If more people attend his event due to his role at MSU, great. No one is forcing you to agree with Kirk. No one is requiring your attendance. It is simply an opportunity to hear someone whose earthly success has provided him with another perspective from which to speak about what he sees as the most important part of life: a relationship with Jesus Christ. I hope I will be able to attend and I encourage all of you who are interested in what Kirk has to say, whether you consider yourself a Christian or not, to come out on Thursday. Maybe it will give you a new perspective, even if it does not necessarily convince you to “agree with Kirk.”

Victoria Merritt is a State News guest columnist and political theory and constitutional democracy senior. Reach her at merrittv@msu.edu.