If you search for former NFL all-pro running back Larry Johnson’s Twitter profile, you’ll come across the following in his bio. 

“Broke Records for the Nittany Lions ~ Broke Records for the Chiefs ~ More importantly I Broke the Devils hold on my soul (1Tim. 1:13-16).”

First Timothy Chapter One verses 13-16 reads as follows in the King James Bible:

“Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

"And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

"Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.”

Johnson was that blasphemer if you hear him tell it. He says when he stopped playing in the NFL, it left a big void in his life and he tried to fill it with all the wrong things. 

The trappings of fame and celebrity were what he identified with. Alcohol, money and chasing women. Secular things. Or things separate from Yah or God.

When those secular things left him feeling empty and void of any feeling of self, when he no longer had fame, money and women he was at his lowest. 

He was desperate and needed to find work, but because of his arrests, that was a daunting task. 

It was in that dark hour he said he fell to his knees and surrendered his soul to Yah. 

During this period he began doing internet research on the occult, found conspiracy groups on YouTube, and studied what he could find about the fabled Illuminati. 

Johnson said he was “thirsty for knowledge” and a spiritual path. He became convinced that the world was about more than what’s on the surface and that there is a sinister battle being waged by evil forces. His mission is to be a “rebel” for God and speak the “truth.” 

Fast forward to today and if you do even a cursory audit of Johnson’s timeline, it’s wild. 

He goes in on athletes and entertainers, all people he believes are into “pagan worship” and “sworn blood sacrifice to false idols.”

What’s interesting is Johnson finds an opportunity in every news item related to a famous individual to espouse his theories and doctrine. His explanation of the Antonio Brown situation is a perfect example. 

If you read between the lines, and that’s a dangerous proposition with anything Johnson tweets, he believes nothing serious will happen to Brown as a result of these sexual assault allegations because he has made some kind of “sacrafice.”

Johnson also used the hashtag #GoatGodplan while calling out the mercurial wide receiver, Antonio Brown. 

It’s easy to mock this as the musings of a conspiracy theorist, but Johnson believes this stuff wholeheartedly and zealously. 

He holds nothing back and attacks the biggest and most popular names in the zeitgeist. 

You could make the argument he does it for publicity. But despite his name being referenced seemingly weekly as a “nutjob,” what’s the upside?

When “Hot Girl Summer” creator and rapper Meg Thee Stallion shared some personal thoughts on Twitter about her late mother and the success she’s now experiencing, Johnson saw it as an opportunity to share his views. 

Stallion tweeted:

“After my mom passed I promised myself I was going to keep going hard [because] not only is music my dream but it was her dream for me too. I have days where I want to go hide and cry because she’s not here, but I know that ain’t what she would want me to do! I know she’s proud of me!”

Johnson replied tweeting:

“A coincidence: her mother, who was her manager died in the month of March 2019, the same month of her ‘break out’. [The] Music industry [is] filled with the easily [corruptible], fatherless children looking for Satan to be the 'daddy' they never had.” 

Just this past Sunday (September 22) Johnson seemed to respond to Meg’s fans on Twitter. 

Johnson seems to think his backlash from Meg’s fans is a simple misunderstanding over them thinking he’s upset she would never date him. 

In a not uncommon sexist response, he lists some of the “better” famous women he says he’s dated. And it appears, as far as he’s concerned, his “message” to Meg and her fans comes from a place of spreading the “truth,” not jealousy.

One of Johnson’s latest targets is none other than LeBron James. Johnson believes James is part of this “lost generation” that has sold their souls for fame and fortune. 

In a series of tweets Johnson makes reference to “devil horn signs” Bron makes before and/or during games. 

Johnson took it a step further on Sunday (September 22) drawing reference to a Canaanite deity and the ritual of child sacrifice. His tweet had pictures of LeBron “Bronny” James Jr. and Drake. 

For what it’s worth, Johnson also believes the NFL and NBA are pushing effeminate agendas for non altruistic reasons.

Whether or not you believe what Johnson is “preaching,” and I find this extremely dubious on a variety of levels, he is not alone in his beliefs. 

For every person that dismisses him as sexist, homophobic or a religious zealot, he has many, including people in the Black community, that believe he is the “light” in a “dark” place. 

Some questions need to be asked. Why does sexism and homophobia shrouded under the cover of religion still have a place in the Black community?

Religion is very important to the Black community and should not be minimized. Christianity in particular. According to the Pew Research Center, roughly eight in 10 Black people identify as Christian. 

By and large the majority of enslaved Africans were not Christian when they arrived. Stripped from their native land, customs and rituals, many Africans and their descendants embraced Christianity, finding comfort in the Biblical message of spiritual equality and deliverance. 

The Black church was a key cornerstone of building a community post enslavement and was essential in the civil rights movement. 

In adopting Christianity, unfortunately some Black people adopt the belief that homosexuality is an abomination. 

Throughout the Bible, women are largely depicted as vessels to bear children and support a man in managing a household. Seldom having their own agency. 

Anything secular or of the world is sin (our actual nature if you believe), and souls must be cleansed from such ills. Religion has its place, and if that’s what is needed to help an individual get through life and have a sense of purpose, far be it for me to criticize. 

I grew up in a Pentecostal house, my father spent time ministering in a church in Brooklyn when I was a kid, and my mother has advanced degrees in theology and religious studies. 

On an intellectual level, I understand blind faith and zealotry. But I can’t help but question the type of dogmatic doctrine and conflicting messages inherent in Christianity. 

God is presented as omniscient, omnipotent and the creator of all things. He is also presented as a God of enduring love and everlasting mercy and forgiveness. But God is also presented as jealous and vengeful if you don’t do exactly as commanded. See the contradictions. 

If Johnson and other believers' ultimate goal is to spread the “good news,” how is it accomplished by spewing negativity? 

If you want people to “join” or “come to know him,” wouldn’t an atmosphere of inclusivity need to be present? Does anything about Johnson’s feed seem welcoming and inclusive?

No, this is more of the same. Religion in its worst form is something created by men (allegedly inspired by God) to control and restrict. If you do your research, those that typically benefit from religion, in the macro, are men. 

If Johnson was still bankrolled with millions, would he be on this “crusade” of exposing truths? 

That’s the thing about religion, just like Twitter, it tends to find a lot of people when they are at their most vulnerable. For good or bad.