Tebow's Christianity: just live it!
By Malin Jordan
The B.C. Catholic

When the sun shines and we foolish gnats make sport, does God take any interest?

It's a question often asked in the heat of intense competition, but one that, upon sober reflection, seems to offer an obvious no.

Faith and sport go well together. An athlete and team must understand faith and have a boatload of it, in themselves and their ability, even before they step onto the rink or field. But having a religious faith in a higher power can put sports into much needed perspective.

Faith is what Tim Tebow, a youthful evangelical quarterback for the NFL's Denver Broncos, is all about: faith in himself, his teammates, and God. He has captivated millions of people, sports fans and non-sports fans, with his uncanny ability to carry the Broncos to comeback wins against higher-rated opponents, and with his outward manifestation of his Christian faith. He also lives his faith in a very visible way on, and off, the field.

Tebow's energetic, enigmatic, and engaging run as the Broncos' starter helped give the team and their fans a season to remember this year. His special brand of football has given rise to lovers and haters. Many are enthralled with the 24-year-old and many others have cast stinging remarks his way. But what can't be denied is the effect he's had on the NFL, its fans, and the general public.

In his first start for the Broncos this past season he led the team to an 18-15 win after being down 15-0 with three minutes to go in the game - the first NFL team in history to make such a comeback in so little time.

He followed that game with some more come-from-behind victories, including a 13-10 overtime win against the Chicago Bears. The Broncos were down 10-0 with just over two minutes left in that game.

He struggled as well with three late-season losses, but ultimately shone once again in the Broncos' first-round playoff win, 29-23, over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In that playoff game Tebow threw for 316 yards. He averaged 31.6 yards per completion, an NFL record. The game's Nielsen ratings hit a high of 31.6. So many 316's called to mind John 3:16, a favourite passage for Tebow.

The performance had a profound effect, with some claiming the hand of God had touched the hand of Tebow. John 3:16 was the top search entry on Google the next day. The performance even inspired a Colorado-based group to buy a TV ad during the Broncos' next playoff game in which children recited the famous verse.

Born in Makati City, Philippines, to missionary parents, Tebow has made 3:16 a big part of his life. He wrote the verse under his eyes, on his eye-black, during college football games for the University of Florida Gators. (The NFL has rules banning messages on eye-black, so he can't do that now, and the NCAA has since adopted a similar rule, now dubbed the Tebow Rule.)

It was an ironic quirk that his numbers for the Steelers game - so many 3:16's, reflected something he couldn't wear.

It's refreshing to watch someone like Tebow. We live in an era where celebrity status is god-like and where many celebrities nauseatingly flaunt their cause célèbre. From eco-politics to aggressive atheism, many push their agendas on the public, but they aren't as aggressively derided as Tebow is.
Tebow during warm-ups with the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in 2010. Photo by Jeffrey Beall
Tebow isn't even overtly vocal about his faith in the public square. He just lives it and becomes an inspiration to all Christians to "just live it" too. He knows it's politically incorrect to be an open Christian, but he does it anyway. He should be admired for his courage, while many attack him personally.

Since everything about Tebow is for the glorification of God, do his game numbers represent divine intervention? Probably not. But divine inspiration? Definitely - if only human inspiration to ponder the divine.

If it weren't for Tebow's Christianity, those numbers would have remained quiet game stats. But Tebow's witness has turned them into inspiration for millions to read and reacquaint themselves with John 3:16. And some of them, perhaps, set their minds on eternal life, even if only for the length of a football game.

Maybe God is interested in sport because, like every other moment of life on earth, it allows for His glorification.