Tebowmania, temptation, and faith

“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:14-15, NKJV).

Good, bad, or indifferent, Tim Tebow draws a crowd. One side thinks he’s overrated; the other side is convinced he’s underrated. The former University of Florida quarterback became even more well known when he and his mother appeared in a pro-life commercial during the Super Bowl in 2010.

The Heisman Trophy winner led the NFL’s Denver Broncos to the playoffs in 2011 and then spent a season with the New York Jets and a preseason with New England Patriots. After the Patriots released him, Tebow was a college football analyst for ESPN and its SEC Network but kept the door open for a return to professional football.

Tebow wants to play in the NFL, and he wants to play quarterback. After sitting out two seasons, he’s returned: The Philadelphia Eagles signed Tebow to a one-year contract in April. When Eagles coach Chip Kelly put him in Sunday’s preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts during the third quarter, the 28-year-old received a standing ovation. The third-string Tebow completed six out of 12 passes for 69 yards, ran for 15 yards, and scored a touchdown. The Eagles won 36-10, but that’s probably not what people who came to see Tebow cared about.

It’s beyond dispute at this point that Tebow draws fans and the media, a phenomenon known as “Tebowmania.” Too much hype? Too little? Regardless, I suspect most who show up are fellow Christians who just want to meet him and maybe get his autograph.

“I was thankful,” Tebow said about the standing ovation. “It’s very humbling. It definitely means a lot.” But he worried that his teammates wouldn’t be able to hear his signals over the crowd noise, so he encouraged the fans to stop the “Tebow!” chants when the Eagles had the ball.

Whether Tebow makes the Eagles regular season roster or not, his charity lives on. Last Friday, the Tim Tebow Foundation posted a video about the work of the 5-year-old charity (see below). “We created our mission statement to say that we want to create hope, faith, and love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need,” Tebow says in the video.

It’s tempting to put high-profile Christians on a pedestal, especially the ones who stay out of trouble. In the wake of a high-profile pastor cheating on his spouse and resigning from his church, it’s a relief to talk and write about someone who seems to be on the straight and narrow, staying faithful and doing good works.

But Satan is watching and waiting. Ready to tempt. We don’t talk much about him anymore, but he’s still around. “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one,” the Apostle John wrote. These words seem more relevant as we battle to protect our religious freedom. We have to pray for one another, from the well-known brother and sister to the most obscure.