A Christian steel worker in Ohio has been fired after he shared his beliefs and the Ray Comfort film "Audacity" with two lesbian co-workers.
In August, Chris Routson, a husband and father-of-two, was fired without severance pay or unemployment from his job at Precision Strip metal processing in Middletown, Ohio, where he had worked for the last 13 years.
According to a GoFundMe page started by the Routson family, the trouble started when Chris shared Ray Comfort's new movie "Audacity" during a Facebook chat with a lesbian co-worker.
The theme of "Audacity" is that Christians who speak up about their belief that homosexuality is a choice aren't trying to spread hate or hurt someone, but are doing it to warn people and save them from God's wrath.
"He did this from his own home and while off the clock. He was called into the office the following day and was given a warning to stop communicating with that individual," explains the GoFundMe page.
A few days later, Chris was "lovingly sharing his personal testimony, along with the gospel with another lesbian co-worker" when she complained to management. Chris was subsequently sent home and eventually fired.
"Chris' desire was to lovingly and gracefully share his faith. He didn't single out homosexuality but said that all people need to repent and put their trust in Jesus. He never intended to make anybody feel uncomfortable and had no idea that he was putting his job (of 14 years) at risk," the page notes.
In an interview with the Christian Post, Chris explained that that since he became a Christian about four years ago, he has made a custom of sharing his love for Jesus with all of his co-workers - regardless of their sexual orientation.
Chris is still in search of employment and using GoFundMe to help his family get by while he remains unemployed. The page notes that support is "greatly appreciated," as one of their children suffers from asthma. Thus far, $5,037 has been donated by 123 different donors.
The family is also asking for fellow believers to pray that they would "trust in the plan of their Almighty God during this difficult season."
"If you are put in a situation where you are going to be fired or you are going to be persecuted for your faith, never give into the fear of man, always fear the Lord," Chris told the Christian Post. "No matter what happens, trust the outcome to God rather than trying to think about how we can stop it from happening."
