Article By Andrew Littleton // EEW Magazine // Faith & Culture

A Christian actress who openly expressed her view that homosexuality is a sin and was fired as a result, has unveiled plans to sue a theatre and her former agents for breach of contract and religious discrimination.

In March, Seyi Omooba, 25, was cast as Celie, a character in The Color Purple whose same-sex relationship is a focal point of the stage play adapted from Alice Walker’s culturally iconic, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name.

But one day after landing her dream role, the London-bred pastor’s daughter lost out on the gig at Curve theatre in Leicester and was released by her agents, Michael Garrett Associates, because Hamilton star Aaron Lee Lambert revealed a social media post Omooba had written in September 2014 condemning homosexuality.

“I do not believe you can be born gay and I do not believe homosexuality is right,” she said at the time, referencing a Bible passage found in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, which says: “Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who have sex with men, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

After public outcry, Leicester’s Curve and Birmingham Hippodrome urged Omooba to issue a public apology and remove the offending post. But when she refused, a joint statement from Leicester’s Curve and Birmingham Hippodrome was released, which said, “The comments made by Seyi in that post have caused significant and widely expressed concerns both on social media and in the wider press. Following careful reflection it has been decided that Seyi will no longer be involved with the production.”

In the post, Omooba, who told the Daily Mail her career is now ruined, had urged fellow Christians to “step up in love and also tell the truth of God’s word.” She essentially said she had grown weary of tolerant, “lukewarm” Christians—a label derived from the biblical book of Revelation where Jesus address Christians living in a city called Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22). Jesus chided this group, saying they were “neither hot nor cold,” and had been drawn away from true faith in Him due to the carnal comforts of wealth and worldly possessions.

Below is the unaltered, original post in full:

“Some Christians have completely misconceived the issue of Homosexuality, they have begun to twist the word of God. It is clearly evident in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 what the Bible says on this matter. I do not believe you can be born gay, and I do not believe homosexual practice is right, though the law of this land has made it legal doesn’t mean it is right.

I do believe that everyone sins and falls into temptation but it’s by the asking of forgiveness, repentance and the grace of God that we overcome and live how God ordained us to. Which is that a man should leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Genesis 2:24.

God loves everyone, just because He doesn’t agree with your decisions doesn’t mean He doesn’t love you. Christians we need to step up and love but also tell the truth of God’s word. I am tired of lukewarm Christianity, be inspired to stand up for what you believe and the truth #our God is three in one #God (Father) #Jesus Christ (Son) #Holy Spirit.”

According to Omooba, despite the widely-held public view that Celie is gay, she does not agree and therefore, did not see a portrayal of the character as contradictory to her biblical stance on homosexuality.

Christian Legal Centre, Omooba’s legal representation, said Curve offered to pay the terminated actress’s full wages to avert a lawsuit, but she rejected the offer. Her legal reps also said her agency removed Omooba without giving her two months’ notice—which she is entitled to.

Her father, Pastor Ade Omooba, is co-founder of Christian Concern, an evangelical organization that supports Christian rights.

The actress is insistent that she is not homophobic and explained, “I just quoted what the Bible says about homosexuality, the need for repentance, but ultimately God’s love for all humanity. I stand by what I wrote, but had I known that it would have come to this, I would have set my account to the privacy mode.”