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I Don't Have Enough FAITH to Be an ATHEIST

Standing for Christ on the NBA Court with Jonathan Isaac

I Don't Have Enough FAITH to Be an ATHEIST

Dr. Frank Turek

Religion & Spirituality, Education, Christianity

4.8 • 5K Ratings

🗓️ 25 July 2025

⏱️ 48 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Would you compromise your Christian faith to save your job, your relationships, and your reputation? Or would you have the courage to stand up for what you believe, no matter the consequences?On July 31, 2020, the Orlando Magic starting forward, Jonathan Isaac, was the lone NBA player not to kneel for the national anthem amid a league-wide demonstration in support of Black Lives Matter. This week, Frank sits down with Jonathan to talk through his inspirational story of faith, conviction, and courage in the face of overwhelming pressure. In this episode, you’ll learn:* How did Jonathan first become a Christian?* What apologetics arguments solidified his quest for seeking out the truth?* How did Jonathan overcome panic attacks and find his true identity beyond basketball?* What was it like being the only player on his team not to kneel during the national anthem and how did his teammates react?* What kind of backlash (and unexpected blessings) followed his decision?* What are some of the unique psychological struggles associated with being a professional basketball player?* Why did Denzel Washington say "fame is a monster" and how does Jonathan stay grounded in Christ amid the fame, money, and pressure of the NBA?* What surprising thing happened after Jonathan was dropped by Nike?We hope this episode encourages you to boldly live out your Christian faith, even when it’s unpopular. To learn more about Jonathan’s powerful story, grab a copy of his book, 'Why I Stand', and check out his sneaker and Christian apparel line at WeAreUnitus.com (http://weareunitus.com/).Resources mentioned during the episode:'Why I Stand' by Jonathan Isaac - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1956007067 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1956007067)Unitus Faith-Forward Footwear & Apparel - https://weareunitus.com/ (https://weareunitus.com/)

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

How do you resist the temptations of the world?

0:07.0

Sex, money, and power when those temptations are dangled in front of you continually?

0:12.0

How do you tactfully go against your employer when you should in order to stand for Christ?

0:19.0

And will you stand for Christ when the entire world is telling you to kneel to the culture,

0:26.5

kneel to their values?

0:28.1

Where our guest today actually did stand when everybody wanted him to kneel.

0:34.3

He stood for Jesus and the gospel on an NBA court in the middle of 2020.

0:39.3

You remember 2020, the COVID year, also the George Floyd year, when the NBA was playing

0:44.9

inside a bubble and the Black Lives Matter push was at its peak and the pressure to conform

0:50.9

was relentless.

0:52.7

We're going to tell you about that in a few minutes because our guest

0:56.0

today actually stood for Jesus on that court on July 31st, 2020. He was drafted by the Orlando

1:06.0

Magic in the six, the sixick overall in the 2017 NBA draft.

1:12.0

So he's entering his ninth season.

1:14.4

He played only one year.

1:15.9

He only had to play one year in college to see how good he was to be immediately drafted

1:20.2

into the NBA.

1:22.1

He is a minister at Jump Ministries in Global Church in Orlando.

1:27.1

He speaks at topics on God's love, faithfulness,

1:30.7

Christian unity. He also wrote a best-selling book, and it's a book that has a lot of great reviews.

1:37.8

It's called Why I Stand. Here he is, a seven-footer all the way from Orlando.

1:43.9

The great Jonathan, Judah, Isaac.

...

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