Dr. Andrew Fox, the lead chaplain for Austin’s Fire Department, served the people of Austin for eight years. During his service, he led more than 1,000 firefighters and remained on-call 24/7, willing to put himself in harm’s way at a moment’s notice.
Fox received continuous praise, numerous awards, and zero complaints about conduct, demeanor, or counseling. The fire department even sought to put Fox on full-time payroll because of his talents.
But in December of 2021, he says his service came to an end because of his faith in Jesus Christ.
Dr. Fox maintained an online blog, and things went sour the moment he began to comment on today’s problems—such as woke culture, transgenderism, and social justice—based on Christ’s teachings.
The leftist mob took swift action to cancel Dr. Fox. He was called to meet with Austin Fire Department leadership and was told that LGBT members were offended by his blog. When he inquired as to what offended the anonymous “whistleblower,” he was told to meet with the LGBT liaison for the department.
Out of respect, Dr. Fox unpublished his blog.
Having met with the LGBT liaison multiple times in good faith, Dr. Fox believed the matter was resolved. He decided to republish his blog, but in a matter of weeks was summoned to discuss his writings. This time, however, Dr. Fox was presented with multiple pages of nameless complaints accusing him of “male chauvinism,” “racism,” “sexism,” “transphobia,” and the usual “isms” leftists often throw at political opponents.
The Austin Fire Department allegedly demanded Dr. Fox write a public apology. He obliged and sent a draft, but it was rejected by the fire department for failing to recant the beliefs expressed in the Bible.
Dr. Fox sent another draft, which expressed apologies for the offense caused but refused to denounce the beliefs in the Bible.
Soon after, Dr. Fox was fired from his volunteer position as chaplain of the Austin Fire Department.
However, Dr. Fox isn’t going away quietly. In mid-August, he filed a suit with the help of Alliance Defending Freedom against the Austin Fire Department for violating fundamental rights outlined in the Constitution.
A National Review article authored by U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R–TX) and Family Research Council President Tony Perkins states, “No one should have his conscience held hostage or private opinions silenced simply to volunteer and serve those in need.”
Their commentary points to “radical secularists — guided by a disdain of Christianity,” adding that the leftist mob “now demand[s] absolute allegiance to their woke ideology.”
Today, Christians are told they must not only tolerate but celebrate the abuse of children through dangerous medical gender experiments and the insanity of boys competing against girls in sports, and that failing to abide by these ever-changing tenets of woke orthodoxy, they will be punished by rigid ostracization and demonization.
The commentary ends with a Bible quote: “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” – Matthew 5:10.
As of publication, Alliance Defending Freedom has not announced progress beyond filing the suit.
No ads. No paywalls. No government grants. No corporate masters.
Just real news for real Texans.
Support Texas Scorecard to keep it that way!
