A Little Less Talk?

You've heard of Tim Tebow. We all have. We know he plays football, we know he's a self-proclaimed virgin, and we know he loves Jesus.


Tebow is so shamelessly blunt about his Christian faith that he has been criticized by former quarterbacks, mocked by opposing players, and ridiculed by sports analysts—not just for his aesthetically unpleasant left-handed throwing motion, but for his mid-game prayer habits and insistence on giving God the glory for all of his late-game theatrics.

Former Denver Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer publicly derided Tebow's openness about his faith, saying, "I wish he'd just shut up." 


I'm not surprised to hear Plummer's complaints; I was, however, caught off guard by what Kurt Warner had to say about Tebow. Warner, a former Super Bowl MVP, is a devout Christian who apparently thinks that #15 should tone down the Jesus talk.


"Put down the boldness in regards to the words," advised Warner, "and keep living the way you're living. Let your teammates do the talking for you. Let them cheer on your testimony."


I know what Warner is saying: actions speak louder than words. Professional baseball players are known for making the sign of the cross after home runs, basketball players often point to the heavens after hitting a shot, and nearly every big win begets some star player thanking his "Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 


Praising God has become a sports cliché.


Warner thinks that Tebow's message and faith are now well-known enough that he no longer needs to bring up Jesus after every game. He should just continue to live a virtuous life and let others talk about his faith for him. 
It makes sense.


Ultimately, though, Warner is telling Tebow to be less bold. He's telling him to, at least verbally, tone down his faith. He's telling him to be timid.


Seriously, Kurt? You don't think we have enough Christians who are too afraid to talk about Jesus? Enough people trying to be politically-correct, trying not to offend someone? I say we need more people like Tebow, who are so bold and brash about their relationship with Christ that there is no middle ground. He's polarizing because he doesn't back down. He's hated because of his overt love for his Savior.




Remember: a lot of people hated Jesus' boldness, too. 


I'm not trying to bash Warner—I actually think he's a great man and role model—but it's just that I feel like I've lived my entire life following his advice and I've wasted so many opportunities because of that.


Like Tebow, God has enabled me to use sports as a platform for sharing His love. My platform, albeit a pebble compared to Tebow's Mt. Everest, has allowed me to develop friendships with people whom I otherwise would have never met and given me chances to talk about Jesus that I otherwise would have never had.


Unfortunately, I think I've squandered too many of those opportunities.


If you asked my former teammates from travel or AAU, I'm sure they'd tell you that I am a Christian. They'd tell you that I don't swear, that I don't drink, that I almost never yell out of frustration. I'm definitely not perfect—I've glared at teammates for dropping passes, complained to refs for not giving me foul calls, and arrogantly held my follow through unnecessarily long, á la Monica from Love & Basketball—but for the most part, I've tried to intentionally live differently than the cultural norm. I've tried to follow Warner's advice.


Here's the thing, though: I was always too afraid to talk about Jesus. 


I remember being in 4th grade, sitting in the car on the way to practice. My friend Brittany was talking about death, wondering aloud about where we go when we die. I wanted to talk about heaven, to talk about God, but instead I just sat there staring at the window, murmuring that "hopefully we won't find out anytime soon."

I remember being in 7th grade, playing soccer in my room. My friend kicked the ball so hard at my bookshelf that she knocked everything off. When we were cleaning up, she found an "Evangicube," one of those little Rubik's Cube-like toys that tell the account of Jesus. She seemed genuinely interested in the story, but I couldn't stop laughing. I was so nervous that she'd think I was weird that I made the whole thing seem like a big joke.




I remember being in tenth grade, posting Scripture verses all around my room and purposely leaving my Bible opened up to the book of John, full of highlighted passages and annotations. I was having my softball team sleep over, and I wanted so badly to finally talk to them about Jesus. We spent the entire night talking about boys, parties, and gossip. I'm pretty sure I never brought up God.


I remember being in twelfth grade, running out to play shortstop while my friend begged me, "Please, just swear. I just want to hear you say it one time." When I refused, she asked me why I don't swear and I managed to mumble something about not liking the way it sounds. She asked me why I don't party either, and I said that I didn't see the point of it. Both answers were true, but neither covered the real reason for why I live like I do. 


Neither mentioned Jesus.


Of course, there have been times when I've shared my faith in Christ, when I've stepped out of my comfort zone and declared what He means to me, but those times have been too few and far between. It was always just so much easier to let my actions speak while my mouth remained silent.





So, I'm thankful for Tebow's willingness to talk about Jesus. I know that people may get sick of him Tebowing(it's a word—look it up) during field goals and bringing up God during every post-game press-conference, but I find him refreshing.






I wish people were more like him and less like Donté Stallworth, an NFL wide receiver who killed a man while driving drunk in 2009.


I wish people were more like him and less like Javaris Crittenton, a first-round NBA draft pick back in 2007 who was charged with murdering a 22 year-old woman last summer.


I wish people were more like him and less like Plummer, who in 1997 was charged with felony sexual abuse.


I even wish people were more like him and less like Larry Fitzgerald, a Pro Bowl wide receiver and Christian who last week proclaimed, "I don't wear [my Christianity] on my sleeve but I don't have a problem with anyone who does."


I wish people were more like Tim Tebow and less like me.


Tebow is not shy about his faith and I hope that he stays that way. I pray that he does not "put down the boldness" like Warner asked, or "just shut up" like Plummer has implored.


2 Timothy 1:7 tells us, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline."


The entire nation has been talking about God, Jesus, and Christianity because of the Denver quarterback's boldness. Plenty of athletes are fervent believers in Christ—such as Josh Hamilton and Sam Bradford—who have gained national attention for their faith, and Albert Pujols and A.C. Green have certainly been just as brazen about their faith, but they never garnered the same level of media coverage as Tebow has. Never before has one athlete's religious beliefs spurred such vehement opining from sportswriters, bloggers, and talk show hosts.

Maybe he's too brash, too outspoken. Maybe he's turning people away from Christianity. Or maybe the rest of us are just too timid ourselves.

Acts 4 recounts Peter and John's visit with the Sanhedrin after they were released from prison. In verse 18, Herod, Pilate, and the leaders of Israel "commanded them not to speak at all in the name of Jesus." The two men responded, in verse 29, with the following prayer: "Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable Your servants to speak Your words with great boldness."


Most of our neighbors and coworkers are probably aware that we are Christians, but how often do we take advantage of opportunities to talk about Christ with them? Why are we more likely to bring up the Celtics than to bring up God? 

We're not supposed to be too scared to talk about Jesus.

And so for all of us who have been too afraid to boldly pronounce the grace and power and love of Christ, I'm begging you, Tim: Keep praying on bended knee, keep thanking God after wins and losses, and keep making public statements like, "my relationship with Jesus Christ is ... the most important thing in my life."

Don't become timid. Stay bold.

Maybe the rest of us will follow.