Former NFL star Benjamin Watson is a leading voice in the pro-life community, but he doesn’t always toe the line with his fellow pro-lifers on other issues. That’s because, he says, Scripture — and not political party — is his guiding force. Watson is a pro-life apologist on social media and even wrote a book, The New Fight for Life, that offers a path forward to defend the unborn in a post-Roe society. Yet, on other issues, including those involving race, his position does not fit neatly within any political party.
It’s not uncommon for Watson to challenge and criticize both Republicans and Democrats on social media in the same week. Political tribalism, he said, is “definitely a big issue with the church.”
“We are to be a people of the Word,” Watson told Crosswalk Headlines. “And obviously, many of us interpret it in different ways. But I think we should be able to have the conversation as believers: What would God have us to do? And if it doesn’t align with our political party, who cares?”
Watson played 15 seasons as a tight end in the NFL alongside legendary quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Drew Brees. He won a Super Bowl in 2005 (the 2004 season).
Now that he’s retired, he’s balancing his time between family life, sports (he’s a studio analyst with the SEC Network), and advocacy. He’s vice president of strategic relationships for the Human Coalition, a pro-life organization. His social media profile describes him this way: “Believer. Husband. Father. Justice Advocate. Author.”
A Bible verse from the Old Testament fuels him, he said.
“Micah 6:8 — ‘He has told you, oh, man, what is good and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, to walk humbly with your God.’ I want to be a man who stands for justice,” he told Crosswalk Headlines. “And that comes in a lot of different colors and a lot of different sizes. What does God say about justice? What does He say about protecting vulnerable people [and] about compassion and kindness?
“I’m here with my kids, my wife, and we want to be people that are kind to others,” Watson added, referencing the K-Love Fan Awards, where Crosswalk Headlines interviewed him. “And so that kind of drives me, not necessarily what either side of the aisle has on their platform, although some of it’s good, some of it I don’t agree with. But Scripture is what guides me.”
The pro-life community, he said, must defend the unborn while offering compassion and support to mothers. Immediately after Roe was overturned, he said, “There was a bit of apathy in the pro-life movement.”
“I think a lot of people thought that the battle was over,” he said. “But now we’re understanding that [it’s] a state-level battle. There’s also a battle within our churches: How are we as believers [and] churches going to speak about it from the pulpit? How are we going to serve women in our communities?
“It’s got to be a multi-pronged approach. The law is vitally important. You have a lot of states now with more permissive abortion laws — that’s something that has to be addressed. I work with the Human Coalition, and we found that 76 percent of the women we serve say they would prefer to parent if their circumstances were different. So how do we advocate for those circumstances to fill that gap?”
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Mike Lawrie/Staff
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
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