OKLAHOMA CITY, Januray 8, 2012—The Tim Tebow phenomenon is something that has been beaten to death. Everything that could be said has been said. Everything that could be written has been written. Exactly why he is so polarizing is up for debate, but without question one of the reasons is how he displays his overt Christianity.
A recent lesson in Sunday school class talked about the responsibility of Christians to spread the message. Someone asked the teacher, “What gives you the right to tell people what religion they should be?” She asked. “If you’re in someone’s face about it too much it can turn them off.”
My mind couldn’t stop going back to Tim Tebow. The lesson and the question seemed so comparable to the Tebow phenomenon. A quick proposal to my teacher and I was on my way to preparing a lesson on Tebow.
The class was to fall on January 8. As I prepared for the lesson I found myself cheering for the Broncos to make the playoffs so my lesson would be as topical as possible. The Broncos had a three game losing streak and still wound up in the playoffs, and as luck would have it they would play on the 8.
The lesson didn’t really give my opinion, but showed both sides of the argument. Why is Tim Tebow so polarizing? How much does his religion play a role in that? Not how bad or good of a quarterback he is or if he deserved to be a first round pick. My biggest fear was that someone would get mad or offended because the topic of Tebow has become such a lightning rod.
The agenda basically asked a few questions:
Why is Tebow so polarizing?
Other athletes like Kurt Warner or Josh Hamilton have proclaimed their Christianity without a hint of the hate that Tebow has endured. Athletes in the past have stood up for their religion like Muhammad Ali and Sandy Koufax so this is nothing new.
What if Tebow were another religion besides Christian?
Would people be more willing to defend him or less? Does the fact that he is in the majority in the U.S. mean that he is more susceptible to be criticized or mocked?
What if Tim Tebow were black?
Remember, the question isn’t if he was a black quarterback, but how would he be perceived if he were black. We’ve seen black athletes in the past be very open about their faith with little to no criticism. Deion Sanders used to kneel in the end zone with his arms raised to the sky before punt returns. Reggie White was an ordained minister and nicknamed the “Minister of Defense.”
There are several verses in the Bible that back up the way Tebow delivers his message as well as some that take the other side. The Bible is up for interpretation and most topics can have verses that will justify people’s actions.
The class seemed to enjoy it, and to my knowledge no one got offended or mad.
As I sat on my couch to the watch the Steelers/Broncos I game I thought what good timing because this will be Tebow’s last game of the season.
Then the unthinkable happened. The Broncos beat the Steelers in overtime with an 80 yard pass from Tebow giving him 316 passing yards. That can’t be right. 316? John 3:16. Tebow 3:16? This story keeps getting harder to comprehend.
None of this makes sense. Exactly why people hate him or how he is winning these games. None of it. And he can’t possibly keep it up. Can he?
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Also read:
The Tim Tebow Train will bash right through the New England Station
Sunday School with Tim Tebow: 316 passing yards and counting
NFL playoff schedule set: Tebow, Broncos get some help
Tebow train now boarding: NFL playoff schedule set
Who dat? New Orleans’ Darren Sproles breaks the mold
Coincidently, or not, Jason also does movie reviews for KJ103. You can also follow Jason on Twitter@jasonblack23.
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