Understanding Timothy Richard Tebow
One of the most admired and reviled athletes in US history is Denver Bronco QB Tim Tebow. So why is he so controversial? The reason has nothing to do with his throwing technique at quarterback, as unorthodox they may be. Instead, it is his out-of-the-closet and unapologetic presentation of his faith.But is Tim Tebow wrong in how he presents his faith, grabbing every opportunity he gets to say something for Jesus? Well, this question must be answered by each person according to their own values. Instead of judging Tebow, it might be more productive to try and understand him. For example, as an evangelical Christian, Tebow is undoubtedly motivated in his quest to spread the “Good News” of Jesus be his conviction that a hell of eternal torments awaits unbelievers. But one thing is certain—Tebow can be criticized or praised, but not ignored—which might be his larger goal, anyway. This topic of Tebow’s outspoken faith is the subject of this essay.
I. Who is Timothy Richard Tebow?
Tim Tebow was born on August 14, 1987, in Makati City, Philippines, to missionary parents. Though home-schooled by his mother, Tim Tebow participated in high school football at Nease High School in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, his hometown. Following two Florida Player of the Year honors, Tebow was recruited by the University of Florida.Tim Tebow helped the Gators win several national championships as he himself won the Heisman as the nation’s best college football player. He became hyped across America for his humble demeanor and winning ways. When he left school after his junior year to declare for the pro draft, ¬†he was declared by some analysts as the greatest college football player ever to lace up cleats.
Tim Tebow was chosen in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos with the 25th overall choice. After playing a few games in his rookie season, Tebow was relegated to third string QB in the off season. Yet, after the Broncos badly stumbled fans mounted a “Play Tim Tebow Now” campaign and he was started in place of the now departed Kyle Orton. Against a great deal of popular opposition and professional scoffing, Tebow was named starter and despite unconventional style now sports a record of 6-1. But many of Tebow’s detractors remain undeterred in opposition.
Yet, the real reason Tebow has attracted such vehement criticism is his utterly uncompromising stance on sharing his Christian faith.
II. Understanding Evangelism—Biblical & Modern
Understanding Tim Tebow means gleaning a view of classic evangelism, i.e. the sharing of one’s faith. Of course since the days of Jesus, men and women have become ambassadors for Christ. The Bible itself is evangelical in character and, especially the New Testament, is missionary in philosophy and spirit. Therefore, to tag Tebow an evangelical troglodyte is somewhat absurd. Instead, Tebow is living out the logic of his faith in the most public of forums imaginable. This takes great sacrifice and commitment.Many of the New Testament books are letters, sent to or from missionaries in the field. For example, the Book of Acts describes the first days of the incipient Christian Church, including much evangelical activity.
Model Religious Behavior: Tebow or Superbowl MVP Aaron Rodgers?
An amazing number of Christian athletes have come out in opposition to Tebow’s actions in spreading the Word on his faith. But who are more biblical—those who preach restraint, or in-your-face advocates like Tebow?Aaron Rodgers is the current leader of the Green Bay Packers, while having a phenomenal record-setting year again. Yet, what was interesting about his criticism of Tebow’s evangelizing is—who would have even known Rodgers was a Christian if not for his criticism of Tebow? Rodgers said this about Tebow,
Well, I started playing before Tim, so these are things I’ve thought about for a long time, and I think one thing that I try to look at when I was a younger player, and I mean, in high school, junior college, and Division I, I was always interested in seeing how guys talked in their interviews, talked about their faith, or didn’t talk about their faith. And then the reactions at time, I know Bob Costas at one point was critical about a player thanking Jesus Christ after a win, questioning what would happen if that player had lost, or do you really think God cares about winning and losing. That’s all to say that I feel like my stance and my desire has always been to follow a quote from St. Francis of Assisi, who said, ‘Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.’Yet, if every Christian was as silent as Rodgers about their faith, how would anyone else get saved? Further, isn’t Rodgers wasting the opportunity that his fame gives him to explain where he draws strength, wisdom and inspiration? Other players have also complained on topic, such as Kurt Warner:
“You can’t help but cheer for a guy like that,” former NFL star Kurt Warner said. “But I’d tell him, ‘Put down the boldness in regards to the words, and keep living the way you’re living. Let your teammates do the talking for you. Let them cheer on your testimony.’Sadly, Tebow’s own religious brethren are some of his worst critics, finely expressing their Politically Correct faith. But isn’t Tebow doing exactly as Christ demanded—to spread the Word to all nations?
“I know what he’s going through, and I know what he wants to accomplish, but I don’t want anybody to become calloused toward Tim because they don’t understand him, or are not fully aware of who he is. And you’re starting to see that a little bit.”
III. America’s Evangelical Roots: Great Awakening: Jon Edwards & George Whitefield
The most influential events in US history may not be the War of Independence or signing of the Constitution, but the great religious revivals preceding our march to freedom and the formation of USA. Consider the Great Awakening:The Great Awakening was a spiritual renewal that swept the American Colonies, particularly New England, during the first half of the 18th Century. Certain Christians began to disassociate themselves with the established approach to worship at the time which had led to a general sense of complacency among believers, and instead they adopted an approach which was characterized by great fervor and emotion in prayer. This new spiritual renewal began with people like the Wesley brothers and George Whitefield in England and crossed over to the American Colonies during the first half of the 18th Century. Unlike the somber, largely Puritan spirituality of the early 1700s, the revivalism ushered in by the Awakening allowed people to express their emotions more overtly in order to feel a greater intimacy with God.Some historians believe that if there had been no Great Awakening, the Americans would not have developed the strength of character and vision to oppose the British. States one author:
The Awakening’s biggest significance was the way it prepared America for its War of Independence. In the decades before the war, revivalism taught people that they could be bold when confronting religious authority, and that when churches weren’t living up to the believers’ expectations, the people could break off and form new ones.The person sparking America’s Great Awakening was Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758). Born in East Windsor, Connecticut, he entered Yale in 1716 age twelve, graduating four years later as valedictorian. He received his Masters three years later. Often called America’s greatest theologian and philosopher, he was a powerful force behind the First Great Awakening, as well as a champion of Christian zeal and spirituality. His famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” is still read today.
Through the Awakening, the Colonists realized that religious power resided in their own hands, rather than in the hands of the Church of England, or any other religious authority. Colonists came to realize political power did not reside in the hands of the English monarch, but in their own will for self-governance (consider the wording of the Declaration of Independence). By 1775, even though the Colonists did not all share the same theological beliefs, they did share a common vision of freedom from British control. Thus, the Great Awakening brought about a climate which made the American Revolution possible.
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, kicked off the revival, causing congregants to faint as they sat listening:
The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked: his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire; he is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in his sight; you are ten thousand times more abominable in his eyes, than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours. You have offended him infinitely more than ever a stubborn rebel did his prince; and yet it is nothing but his hand that holds you from falling into the fire every moment.Englishman George Whitefield may have been the most successful evangelist in history and also associated with the Great Awakening. Reminiscent of Tebow, Whitefield famously stated he would not spend more than 15 minutes in a person’s presence without sharing the Gospel. His unconventional style meant churches would not hire him, so he began preaching outside and came to address crowds as large as 50,000 at a time. One source describes him:
George Whitefield lived from 1714 to 1770. In his adult life he was as famous as any man in the English-speaking world. From 22 years of age he was the foremost figure in a religious movement that held the attention of the entire English-speaking world, called the Great Awakening.
IV. Inherent Conflict: Jesus: “I Came not for Peace, but to Bring a Sword..”
Tebow represents a tradition which is long, confrontational, but highly successful for the Church. For example, when Jesus sent out his disciples to witness about Him, he warned them that they would be hated on account of who they followed, in Matt 10: 32-39:“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn
“‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
V. Conclusion: Needed—Another Great Awakening
What Tim Tebow brings to America is the tremendous gift of unapologetic faith. Seeing this young man stand next to even other Christians brings to light the culture of compromise which now envelopes America like a suffocating fog. In fact, hundreds of millions of Americans claim to believe in Jesus without ever mentioning this to anyone who does not believe. Further, we seem to care more about our fleeting reputations than we do about such imagery taken from the Bible regarding the eternal rewards of the damned, which Jesus describes in Matt 13:40-43:“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”Perhaps America will be saved from collapse by brave souls like Tebow, willing to set aside the approval of the elites to deliver a message to a confused and lost generation. And if we ever needed another Great Awakening, the time is now.
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