A Christian's Take on Tim Tebow

The people or issues that get the most media attention are what are most important to us as a society. Right or wrong, this is what it is. Or just what the media thinks is important, maybe. No matter how you slice it, given his media attention, Tim Tebow is pretty darn important right now. Everyone has an opinion on Tebow. Countless articles have been written, interviews conducted, and things said. Our words about Tim Tebow, whether written or spoken, say far more about us than they do about him.

Tebow is constantly criticized and rarely praised. Why? Is it because of his unorthodox throwing motion? Because he runs too much and throws too little? Because Broncos fans love him so much that Kyle Orton was let go? No, it is none of those things.

Tim Tebow is criticized so often because he is a born-again Christian and not afraid to talk about it. People are quick to say that his faith flows out of his football, and the two should be separated. People say God doesn’t care about sports, and to believe He does is ludicrous. People are wrong on all these points. First of all, Tebow’s faith doesn’t flow out of his football. It is precisely the other way around. His football flows out of his faith. Tim Tebow is a Christian first, a football player second (or third). Thus, the two cannot, and should not, be separated. Christians are not called to only talk about God or “act” like Christians within the four walls of a church on Sunday. Those, in fact, are the Christians who are ineffective in spreading the love of God and his kingdom. Christians are called to take their faith wherever they go, because it is who they are. Notice I did not say a part of who they are. There is no part about it, it is everything. As far as God not caring about sports; God cares about what His children do, especially when they use what they do as a way to show Him to other people. Now I am not saying that Tebow has won these games simply because he is a Christian, but the bottom line is that if God wants Tebow to have a good game, he will have a good game. If He decides Tebow will have a bad game, then he will. And that is when we will hear the uber-ignorant, “Where is your Savior, now?” crowd. He is right where He has always been. Everywhere. The fact that people would use a loss or a bad game as “evidence” that God doesn’t exist, God doesn’t care about Tebow anymore, or Tebow is an idiot speaks volumes about us as a society. None of those volumes are good.

Many people attack Tebow for his faith. Those that attack him for his football skills (or lack thereof, as some say) are simply masking their disdain for his evangelical lifestyle. He brings the ball too low and takes too long to release his throws. He abandons pass plays too quickly in favor of the run. His accuracy has issues. Perhaps, but consider the people God has historically used to lead people. He uses the weak to lead the strong. He uses the humble to lead the proud. He chose lowly fisherman and a tax collector to be by His side. He has used people who lack public speaking skills to motivate crowds of people. Why then, can He not use a quarterback with a jacked up throwing motion to lead a revolution in the football world? I am not saying Tim Tebow is leading a revolution, but he will if that’s what his Father wants from him.

C.S. Lewis wrote, “One must keep on pointing out that Christianity is a statement which, if false, is of no importance, and, if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important." That is why Tebow cannot “tone it down” as Jake Plummer and even fellow-Christian Kurt Warner would have him do. The media attention Tebow has garnered proves that this issue is pretty important to us. I argue that it is infinitely important.

People argue that if Tebow celebrated touchdowns by some display of faith in Allah it would not be tolerated. If he were Muslim, or some other religion, society would not stand for it. Bull. The world today preaches tolerance and coexistence, but wants those things for everyone other than the Christian. Those who believe in the Lord and Savior of the Bible are told to shut their hypocritical mouths and let others do what they want to do. If Tebow celebrated a touchdown by kneeling down facing East, the same people who criticize him for being an outspoken Christian would not have a problem with it. The NFL would, of course, and they would flag him for going to the ground in his celebration, but that’s a whole separate issue.

People want to see Tebow fail simply because he is a Christian. Because he makes them uncomfortable. Because he makes them think about God and a Savior and Heaven and a multitude of other things that they want to ignore. Maybe that’s why I want him to win. Why are we so quick to hate a man who is an actual role model? He praises his Savior, family, and teammates. He does not exalt himself. He plays the game his way, unorthodox as it may be. I sincerely hope he continues to succeed. I hope this is a new era in football and the sporting world in general. I hope the system they have set up in Denver continues to work.

I hope we all, in one way or another, get Tebowed.

*These are the opinions of the writer of this blog. Please keep any comments clean, or they will be deleted.*