Tebow’s public expressions of his faith, while not intended to be "in your face," have elicited anger and vitriol in some people.
"Columnist asks, would players get away with mocking his faith if he were a Muslim?"For background, read Christian Quarterback Brings NFL to its Knees and also read Tebow Pro-life Super Bowl Commercial Riles Abortionists
UPDATE 12/10/12: ESPN Sacks Tim Tebow Coverage
UPDATE 6/18/12: NFL's Tim Tebow's Sermon Draws 26,000, Media Ignore
UPDATE 12/12/11 - ABC News says it's not Tebow's faith, but his philosophy (video):
-- From "Tim Tebow leads the Broncos from behind against the Chicago Bears" by Ryan Wooden, Chicago Bears Examiner 12/12/11
The notion that God obtrudes with the fate of an obscure football game might sound ludicrous, but with Tim Tebow leading his fifth come-from-behind victory of the season on Sunday against the Bears, it's hard not to suspect some sort of divine intervention.
Whether you love him or you loathe him, there's no doubt that Tebow's story is interesting. He's an original in a carbon-copy league. However, that doesn't mean you have to go to one extreme or the other.
Everyone seems to have an opinion on the unbelievably polarizing matter, but only Father Time knows for sure, and it doesn't look like he's talking yet. .
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
From "RedBlueAmerica: Should Tim Tebow be so flamboyant about his faith" by Joel Mathis, Scripps Howard News Service 12/10/11
You know who would love to see Tim Tebow take it down a notch? Jesus. At least, that's what the Bible seems to suggest in the sixth chapter of Matthew [concerning public prayer].
Tim Tebow is, by all accounts, a man of great and genuine faith so perhaps he knows better than Jesus how to properly worship Jesus. That seems unlikely, however.
Taken to its logical end, though, we would ask Christians to shut up about their faith entirely and stick it in a deep, dark hole. That's both unlikely and undesirable. Faith cannot, ultimately, be silenced. But most of us have learned to live with boundaries -- to avoid thrusting our religion into arenas where it is unexpected or unwelcome.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
From "Tebow faulters are victims of political correctness" by Susan Stamper Brown, Special to The Columbus Telegram 12/10/11
Despite the fact that in America, 60 to 70 percent of people identify themselves as "Christian" to one degree or another, Christian-bashing seems to be just about as popular a pastime as watching football these days.
And when a national football player commits the unpardonable sins of being both pro-life and vociferously, pro-Jesus, you end up with Monday morning pundits who cast ridiculous judgments from on top of their lofty thrones, much like the old Muppet Show characters Statler and Waldorf.
The persecution of Christians has been going on since the days of the Roman Empire . . .
Under normal circumstances, Tebow would be praised for his accomplishments, talent and leadership from around the Monday morning water cooler, but in these days of pseudo political correctness (PC), the words "normal" and "Christian" cannot run together in the same sentence.
You'd think with all the PC legalese injected into our lives at every turn, there would be a bit more tolerance. Think again.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
From "Tim Tebow: Hero? Role model? Overbearing evangelist? All of the above." by G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Christian Science Monitor Correspondent 12/11/11
Even in football circles, Tebow is a curiosity – either a passer of extremely limited skill enjoying a run of extraordinary fortune or an outlier whose freakish ability to run the ball makes him a new species of quarterback.
People tired of pro sports' descent toward criminal behavior, vanity, and self-indulgence see in Tebow an honorable new model for manhood.
And people affronted by public displays of religious fervor see in Tebow a showy type of faith that offends and even perverts scripture.
“A large chunk of Christians find themselves [feeling] kind of persecuted by society,” says Ronald Simkins, director of the Kripke Center for the Study of Religion and Society at Creighton University. “And now here’s a guy who has given his testimony, has been persecuted for it and has been made a figure of shame… I think there would be a lot of pride in, ‘here’s one of ours who took it for the team’.”
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
From "Is Tebow’s faith causing media pundits to hope he fails?" by Jack Minor, Greeley Gazette 12/9/11
Denver Broncos' quarterback, Tim Tebow, is not ashamed of his faith. He reportedly once told a group of prisoners, “If you have Jesus Christ in your heart, you are going to spend eternity in heaven. If you don’t, you’re going to spend eternity in hell.”
In an interview with ESPN, Tebow defended his public expressions of his faith, comparing it to the love a man has for his wife.
“If you’re married and you’re a [husband] is it good enough to only say you love her on the day you get married or should you tell her every single day when you wake up and have an opportunity?”
Tebow continued, “And that’s how I feel about my relationship with Jesus Christ. It is the most important thing in my life so anytime I get an opportunity to tell Him that I love Him or give Him an opportunity to shout Him out on national TV, I’m gonna take that opportunity. So I look at that as a relationship that I have with Him that I want to give Him honor and glory anytime I have the opportunity and then right after I give Him honor and glory, then I want to try and give my teammates honor and glory and that’s how it works because Christ comes first in my life. Then my family, and then my teammates.”
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
From "Why Are Anti-Christian Bigots So Eager to Prey On Tim Tebow?" by Todd Starnes, FoxNews.com 12/12/11
It’s become something of a sport to attack Christians in this nation. . . .
There aren’t many superstars for evangelical kids to admire – but Tebow is one of those guys. He’s an athlete who “walks the walk.” He’s passionate about his relationship with Jesus Christ. He prays. He studies his Bible. And he also wins football games.
And for that – he’s been subjected to ridicule.
But the attacks on Tebow started long before he started playing professional football. NBC Sports reported on an incident that occurred at a Scouting Combine. Tebow suggested the group pray. Another player told him to “shut the f*** up.”
A particular disappointment has been the criticism levied against Tebow by his fellow Christians.
“It seems Tebow might help himself and the kingdom by getting off his knees, taking the verses off of his face, and being faithful to Christ without the public acts like all the other Christians in the NFL have done for decades,” wrote Anthony Bradley, an associate professor of theology and ethics at The Kings College in New York City, in World Magazine.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
