Tebowmania

Now that the Denver Broncos have been eliminated from the NFL playoffs, “Tebowmania” should subside, at least for a few months.  After watching Tim Tebow’s play since he took over as starting quarterback in mid-season, I have to agree with Mel Kiper and the other draft gurus who claimed two years ago that he did not have the skill set necessary to be a successful quarterback in the NFL.  Yet despite lousy mechanics, so-so arm strength, and poor accuracy, he actually led mediocre Denver to eight wins including a first round playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Was there divine intervention at work here?  And so the Tim Tebow mystique continues and the legend grows.
Of course Tebow is so newsworthy because of his unprecedented combination of athletic ability and evangelical Christian focus.  Of all the athletes who have started a press conference by thanking their Lord and savior Jesus Christ, (and there have been too many), he is the most genuine.  The media, who love to build up and then tear down heroes, are unlikely to find a skeleton in Tim’s closet, but you know they will look hard.  Tebow’s evangelical work in prisons, with young people, and his habit of spending time with critically ill people before games is well documented.  These are admirable traits so why is he such a polarizing figure? 

People who outwardly demonstrate such a strong, confident faith can be disconcerting to those of us who struggle with faith or who remain bewildered by the mysteries of God and the universe.  The ministry of Bob Tebow, Tim’s father, is based on an extremely conservative, fundamentalist, Christian belief.  The Tebows believe that the words of the Bible are inerrant, including the book of Genesis.  They, like many other evangelicals, believe that salvation is only achieved through belief in Jesus Christ.   It is a ministry that is very intolerant of other beliefs (Christian or otherwise) and is blatantly anti-Catholic.  According to their website, their ministry in the Philippines, a predominantly Catholic country, has five major priorities; Evangelism, Church Planting, Pastor Training, an Orphanage, and the Training of the Next Generation of Evangelists.  I’ll give them credit for the orphanage. 

It must be very comforting to have such a strong and simplistic faith.  Personally I struggle with the contradiction between John 3:16 (salvation through faith alone) and the 25^th chapter of Matthew (where Jesus instructs the Apostles to love their neighbor as the means to salvation).  I can accept the book of Genesis as an inspirational story of God’s covenant with man, but I can’t accept the contradictions with evolution or cosmology that arise if one takes the creation account literally.  I also can’t accept that there is no place in Heaven for those who live their lives in accordance with Matthew 25:31-46 whether they have ever heard of Jesus Christ or not.  I respect and admire Tim Tebow for his character and his virtue.  For at least a few months I won’t miss his press conferences with the obligatory reminders of his father’s religion.