A few days ago, Wesley Kirk Ford, a former employee at Chili’s, took to Tiktok to explain why he had recently been fired from the restaurant. The incident that led to his disemployment was his refusal to call his female co-worker by her “chosen” name, “Fish.” The performance report states that the co-worker’s actual name was Madeline, and Ford was unwilling to yield to this woman’s multiple requests, constantly calling her by her “government name.”

He was fired soon after the incident. (The video is full of profanity, so I can’t recommend it.)

Prior to to his firing, Ford had never been reprimanded, disciplined, or removed from any previous jobs. Based on his own testimony, he has a record of being a reliable, faithful employee. Ford finds it hard to believe that he would be fired for the “high crime” of calling someone by their first name.

Ford is angry. His sense of injustice is what led him to post a nearly four minute video outlining the situation and declaring his resolve to never change who he is.

I don’t care. I’ll put my foot down. And I’m just not participating in it. And nobody can make me. Nobody is going to shame me into participating in it. You’re not going to force me by controlling my money….People are telling me I’m never going to get another job. You will never shame me or force me into changing who the **** I am. Period. Not Chili’s. Not any job.

While he doesn’t say it explicitly, one can assume that the “it” that Ford is refusing to participate in is the transgender delusion that allows people to create their own gender, rename themselves according to their self-determined identity, and require others bend to their warped view of reality. Seeing this for the ruse that it is, Ford is done playing the game.

Ford has been commended by many for his courage and boldness to stand up for what is right and to challenge Chili’s decision. His unwillingness to capitulate to an ideology of “compassion” that resists the natural order yet aims to crush all dissidents, should resonate with anyone who has grown weary of bearing with such nonsense.

Different Sides, Similar Language

But what struck me about this story wasn’t mainly what occurred at Chili’s—it was the way Ford framed his response. Notice again the above quote. If you didn’t know the circumstances surrounding the quote, you could easily embed it into a Tiktok video from the opposite side of this current culture war.

You will never shame me or force me into changing who the **** I am.

Ford also said that his firing was a violation of his First Amendment rights: His religious freedom, free speech, and freedom of expression.

Yet, we often hear similar statements from those who demand to be treated according to their chosen gender or preferred sexual orientation. The similarities arise because both sides are rooting their moral convictions in self: their own sense of morality and their own sense of how the First Amendment should apply to them.

But unless we are anchoring our moral convictions in the revealed Word of God, our only recourse is to self. And when we turn to self, we have no basis by which to claim our morality is superior to anyone else’s. Although we may disagree on what is right and wrong, we will sound the same when we defend those beliefs.

Something Greater Than Outrage

Inasmuch as Ford was resisting transgender ideology, I stand with him. But since we don’t know the full story, we can’t say definitively that he wasn’t guilty of harassment. Either way, this situation is an excellent example of why it is not enough to just stand up for what you believe in.

Acts of resistance are valiant only if you are resisting what is objectively evil. Standing up for your beliefs is virtuous only if are your beliefs are based in the truth. Fighting in a cultural war is commendable only if you are on the right side.

But how can you know? Appeals to our own moral resolve or to our country’s founding documents are not sufficient. We need a Word from our Creator to reveal definitively what is truly good, and what is truly evil. Transgenderism is wrong, not because I or anyone else says or feels strongly that it is. It is wrong because God has made us male and female (Gen 1:26-31; Mark 10:6) and calls us to walk in ways that are fitting to our respective genders (Deut 22:5; 1 Kings 2:2; Prov 31:10-31; 1 Cor 16:13).

Should we be angry at injustice, push back against incoherent, destructive ideologies, and resist immoral policies. Yes. But only the Word of God provides us with the moral foundation for these efforts, and only the gospel provides us with the right motivation for taking up such issues.

Holding the line on cultural sins is not about highlighting our own resolve or courage. It’s about exalting the glory of God and maintaining a moral framework so people will know what true repentance looks like as they are confronted with their sin.

God has established humanity’s moral boundaries, and he has offered us complete forgiveness for violating those boundaries. For the Christian who knows what it is like to have the infinite debt of their sins forgiven, taking a stance against societal evils will be as humble as it is bold. Humble because we’ve been forgiven a massive debt (Matt 18:23-35; Eph 4:32), and because our moral convictions are not ultimately grounded in us, but in God and his revelation.

We will be bold because our defiance will not be an act of our intrinsic courage, but an expression of our trust in Christ and a Spirit-empowered desire to see God’s truth upheld (Prov 28:1).

Conclusion

I am grateful for the men and women who are actively resisting the prevalent gender confusion in our society. But we cannot lose sight of the necessity of God’s revelation to ground our convictions or the gospel to ground our motivations. May God continue to raise up Christ-centered, Spirit-filled warriors who stand for truth for the glory of God and the good of their neighbor.