Tim Tebow, who I respect as a person, competitor, and football player, sometimes makes me cringe. I appreciate his openness regarding his faith, but some of the cliches that stream from his mouth make me wince... But I may need to stop.
As Tim has become the most talked about person in the last two months, the issue of his faith has been a part of those discussions. As I listened to the Max and Marcellus Show on ESPN 710 Sports Radio the other day, I heard four sportscasters: Marcellus Wiley, A. Martinez, John Ireland, and Mychael Thompson proclaim their support for Tebow and give a testament to their Christian faith... I also heard Max Kellerman, a self-proclaim atheistic secular Jew, say that he is okay with it because Tebow has said that his faith has made him a better person and given him perspective...and Max respects that.
So hand it to Tebow. He has taken his standing in society and entertainment to "give an account for the hope that is within you." (1 Peter 3:15) He has been able to do it without proclaiming in the media that God is helping his team win or interveening in the outcome of games...
Unfortunately, others have, which I really struggle with. I don't think that God cares one way or the other who wins a football game. I don't believe that God weighs the collective righteouss and faithfulness of each team and then chooses a side to be on. I think God has bigger things to be worried about, like poverty, violence, deep-seated ethnocentrism and the self-centeredness of the people God created...things the Hebrew prophets were concerned about and things Jesus had much to say about.
So blessings to you Tim Tebow! Thank you for challenging my witness in the world...but could you please speak from your heart rather than the clumsy cliches? Can you do that for me?
But Steve, he's not doing it for you!
ReplyDeleteBTW - love the blog.
I agree, God doesn't care. What he cares for and died on the cross of us is sooo much deeper than the final outcome of a 4 hour game. I feel sorry for people who can not see the whole picture.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of High School when we all said a prayer for victory over the opposing team in whatever event we were competing in. Meanwhile the other team was doing the same thing in the same words. Like two medieval armies going into battle with each other and receiving the blessings of the clergy before hand. Even at 14 it struck me as hypocritical and somehow amoral to be engaged in such a behavior. Tebow has it right when he states that it is his faith that makes him a better person. That is the essential reward of living a faith filled life. To bad so many of the "social crusaders" out on non-sports talk radio want to turn it into something for their benefit, the advancement of their beliefs and philosophies and justification for the morality or immorality of their behavior. The sick irony is that for many of these people Tebow's demonstrations of personal faith are being used to advance distrust and hate of each other rather than being used to promote positive acts of selfless behavior.
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