On Tim Tebow

As a football fan since roughly age 8 (I can remember 3 of Buffalo Bills' 4 Super Bowl appearances - not terribly relevant as today I am a Packer fan), it's been impossible for me to avoid the story of Tim Tebow. And I know for a fact that some people are sick of him and wish he'd go away, which he has far less control over than does his rabid fan base. Part of the reason he's been such a compelling story is that many commentators have said he will never make it in the NFL, and yet he has won 5 of his last 6 games. The other, of course, is that he is an outspoken Christian, quoting the bible both in the locker room and in interviews. Recently, the great former quarterback (and fellow Evangelical Christian) Kurt Warner said in an interview that he believes Tebow should spend less time evangelizing and let his good works do the talking (story here). Aaron Rodgers, the current quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, said something somewhat similar in his weekly ESPN radio show: "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.' So basically, I'm not an over-the-top, or an in-your-face kind of guy with my faith. I would rather people have questions about why I act the way I act, whether they view it as positive or not, and ask questions, and then given an opportunity at some point, then you can talk about your faith a little bit. I firmly believe, just personally, what works for me, and what I enjoy doing is letting my actions speak about the kind of character that I want to have, and following that quote from St. Francis.' (via Sports Illustrated's Peter King here)

Definitely a complicated issue. And while for the most part I tend to agree with Warner and Rodgers, I think it's nice to see a person in an entertainment industry so outspoken about his faith, so free of the fear that many might feel to truly speak his mind - clearly he thinks it more important to share his faith than to win endorsement deals. And it was gutsy of him to appear in a commercial during the Super Bowl that was clearly against abortion - to court controversy. Now, I'm not saying here that his fame gives him any special authority when talking about his faith; but the reality is that we are in a celebrity-driven culture, and if he is choosing to use that as a platform to express his faith, I say more power to him. It may eventually backfire, but if it does I'm sure he'll adjust the delivery of his message as time goes on - he is still of course quite young. Until then, I say keep it up, so long as it remains for God's glory and His alone.