Bi-Vocational Martyrdom and the Pronoun Police: Crying Wolf in a Library
Tony Perkins wants us to weep for Pastor Luke Ash, a so-called “bi-vocational” minister who lost his second job at a public library for refusing to refer to a coworker by their chosen pronouns. Perkins paints this as a tragic stand for “truth.” But let’s call this what it is: a self-inflicted wound dressed up as persecution cosplay.
First, let’s pause on the term’ bi-vocational. ‘ It sounds noble, right? Like he’s moonlighting as a missionary in the Amazon instead of, you know, working the circulation desk. Lots of folks work two jobs. It’s called making a living. However, when a pastor does it, it somehow seems to confer automatic sainthood.
Now to the real issue: Pastor Ash was not fired for his beliefs. He was fired for refusing to do the basic, decent thing in a workplace, treating a colleague with respect. No one asked him to change his theology. They asked him to call someone by the name they preferred. If a coworker named Robert says, “Please call me Bob,” you do. It’s not ideological submission. It’s manners.
Perkins whines that the library didn’t “accommodate his faith.” But what about accommodating someone’s dignity? Christians aren’t being hauled off in chains. They’re being asked to coexist. To use words, basic ones, that acknowledge the existence of others. If your faith demands you ignore a person’s identity, then maybe the problem isn’t the policy. Maybe it’s your faith.
And let’s not pretend this is about “respectful disagreement.” Pastor Ash said, “I’m not going to lie.” That’s not respectful. That’s moral grandstanding. He could have said, “I’m uncomfortable, but I’ll refer to my colleague by name.” Instead, he went full martyr mode. One day later, he got what he wanted: a chance to be a talking point on “Washington Watch.” Listen, if you’ve spent your life willing to call Robert “Bob,” or me “B. John,” instead of insisting on “Bennett,” then just get the hell over this pronoun issue. Even if you’re going to cling to the belief that God created only two hard-wired sexes (which he didn’t), he didn’t create pronouns.
Perkins tries to wrap this in Jesus’ words, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” as if refusing a coworker’s pronouns is the same as bearing the cross. But Jesus also said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” (Luke 6:31). If Pastor Ash wants to be called pastor, would he be okay if someone refused, saying, “I won’t lie, you’re just a guy with a part-time gig at a library”? Probably not.
This is about power, not faith. The Family Research Council doesn’t care about public libraries or pronouns. They care about preserving dominance. Their version of “religious freedom” means special treatment, not equal treatment. The rest of us are just supposed to tiptoe around their feelings while they trample on everyone else’s.
Well, sorry. If you punch down, don’t act surprised when people stop absorbing the hit. If you can’t extend the courtesy of calling someone what they ask to be called, then don’t demand the courtesy of deference when you get shown the door.
You’re not being silenced. You’re just being told no. Welcome to the public square, Pastor Luke.
Since we haven’t bestowed a “Douche-Bag of the Day Award” in a while, I think we’ll give one to Tony Perkins (a previous winner), and a bonus one to “Bi-vocational Luke.”
