Tim Tebow...Have you heard of this guy? I can't help but notice that he has been in the news just a bit lately...Ok, make that all over the news - ad nauseum! There is so much to say about this guy, but not a lot that hasn't already been said and said and said a bazillion times. So allow me to focus on just two aspects of Tebow Mania that I think have been undertreated, one thing I love about Tebow, and one thing I hate about him.
First, the thing I love about Tebow and what he has done is the very same thing I loved about last year's NCAA Basketball Tournament. Remember when Virginia Commonwealth got an invitation to the Big Dance? On that memorable Selection Sunday, Seth Davis, Dicky V, Jay Bilas, and all the other supposed experts went ape-shit with the injustice of VCU getting a tournament bid. Oh, and by the way, then VCU made it to the Final Four after 61 other "more deserving" teams had long since been sent packing. Watching all those great basketball minds have to feast on crow for the rest of the tournament was truly Must See TV! They just couldn't imagine, much less admit, that they had been so horrifically wrong in their analysis of the tournament. Most of them weren't even man enough to admit just how woeful their judgment had been, though Dicky V - ever the good sport - visited the VCU campus and let the students and players exact their pound of flesh from him.
To me, Tebow has created a very similar scenario. Dozens and dozens of the "best" NFL analysts have been wrong again and again about Tebow, his capabilities, and how far the Broncos will be able to go with Timmy at the helm. Yet they keep appearing on their shows equivocating about Tebow, saying everything they possibly can except the one thing they should be saying: "I guess I was wrong. I guess Tim Tebow really can play this game and this position."
Who knows how long the Tebow train will roll in 2011-12 or whether he'll be an NFL quarterback into the future. I certainly don't. But I sure have enjoyed watching him confound and exasperate the so-called experts.
And now for the the thing about Tebow that drives me nuts. I am an ordained Christian minister. I have been studying the New Testament scriptures for over 35 years, and if there is one thing I know frontwards and backwards it is Jesus' explicit instructions on how and where to pray. In his most famous sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says the following:"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go to your room, close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matthew 6:5-6)
Tebow ought to know better. We all ought to know better. Such blatant displays of piety in the endzone, the sideline, and the 50 yard line are not expressions of genuine faith; they do not call attention to the One who sees in secret. The only person they call attention to is the person "Tebowing" in plain view. Such acts, even if undertaken on bended knee, scream "Look at me! I'm a believer! I'm humble and pious! I'm one of the good guys!"
I am troubled by the increasing number of falsely pious wannabe's that are now bowing, pointing skyward, and thanking their "Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ" at every turn. Too many people are being led by Tebow to believe that these are the appropriate actions of a genuine follower of Christ, when, in fact, they are in blatant violation of both Jesus' explicit teaching and his lived example.
I don't question Tebow's heart, his character, his Christian commitment, nor even his motivation. What I question is how and why he would ignore such a central tenet of his Lord and Savior's yoke.
We live in an age of complete arrogance, a time when genuine humility is rarer than one of Rex Ryan's steaks. We don't need more athletes calling attention to themselves, even if it is while they are in a prayerful pose. The Tim Tebow's of the world need to trust that their earnest on-field efforts, their good sportsmanship, their treatment of teammates, opponents, officials, and the media is a sufficient public witness of their deep faith. After all, they serve One who sees in secret and prefers to reward in secret.
Pray in solitude Mr. Tebow, not on Television. Good article by Toby Jones, sports fan, ordained minister, and my camp counselor at age 7. Prior to reading this, and not being familiar with the scripture cited in the post, I thought, hey, why not? It bugs me when Pujols points to the heavens every time he crosses the plate, but this Tebow act somehow seemed more authentic. But what Tobey says makes better sense.
ReplyDeleteAmen Toby! Loved this. And what gets me is if Tebow really has such a great connection with the Man/Woman Upstairs, shouldn't he use his influence on something a bit more important than a football game? Just saying.
ReplyDeleteThis is merely a transition move on Timmy's part. We have watched for years as the number of self-proclaimed Christian athletes (including Bonds) have cast a finger skyward to show gratitude for their homer, tres, goal, catch, field goal, etc. For whatever reason -- though he does cast his share of fingers heavenward -- TT has taken it downward, giving new meaning to "taking a knee." It's not false or without heart, just unnecessary. I dare say if he spent as much time working on a quality throw -- wobbleless -- as he does praying, he'd have some longevity as a QB in the NFL. Otherwise, fahgettaboutit...
ReplyDeleteOne last note: Can we have separation of church and sport -- straightup?
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