Clad With Zeal As A Cloak

What do you bet that the far righties upset by using Spanish on baseball uniforms (see the story just below this one) won't have a single complaint about this:


The title of this post is from Isaiah 59:17, which was more famously expanded on at length in Ephesians 6:13-17. Now just in case you didn't have the benefit of a Southern upbringing with such verses drummed into your head from pre-school days, some noble souls have decided to industrialize the method of those gadflys who hold up "John 3:16" posters at events. Roger Ailes (the good one) has spotted this news from deep below the Bible Belt:

For the first time in sports history, a professional franchise will wear Bible-themed jerseys during a game. On Friday, May 5th, the Birmingham Steeldogs arena football team, which plays in the arenafootball2 league (www.af2.com), will don jerseys with the name of Bible hero "SAMSON" embroidered on the front as they take on the Louisville Fire ... On the back of the jerseys, instead of having the player's last name, it will be replaced by a book of the Bible. ...

For example, Steeldogs quarterback Ryan Hawk wears jersey number 12. On May 5, he'll still wear number 12, but the name on his back will change from "HAWK" to "JAMES", referencing the book of James, Chapter 1 Verse 2. The Bible-themed Steeldogs jerseys are the latest creations of Christian Throwback Jersey Company of Birmingham. The idea to wear the Christian jerseys during the game and auction them off with proceeds going to local non-profit ministries ....

The promotion is part of the first of three Barber's Dairy Faith Nights with the Steeldogs. Christian recording artists Audio Adrenaline will perform in a pre-game concert. Free Bibles will be handed out courtesy of Spiritual Outdoor Adventures. The Bibles will come in handy as those in attendance search to find the Bible references on the jerseys of each Birmingham player.

It gets wilder. Literally. Spiritual Outdoor Adventures not only gives out scripture (including "a leather-bound Mossy Oak Camo NKJV Bible" for a donation) but produces programs to further spread the word:

During each weekly episode, the viewer is taken on an exciting adventure such as bow hunting for big game across the world, rifle hunting for whitetail in the southern US, wingshooting for ducks, geese, quail, and pheasant, or fly-fishing for trophy trout. ...SOA takes elements of the outdoor adventure and compares them to the life of Jesus.

You remember the miracle of the Slaughter of the Ducks and Fishes? Matthew 15 and Mark 6 disagree whether it was four thousand men "beside women and children" or about five thousand men who partook of this bounty. I assume that the aptly-named "Christian Throwback Jersey Company" will also produce hunting jackets which read "What would Jesus kill and eat?" Can we lock these people in with the PETA activists for a steel cage death match?