Florida Quarterback Tim Tebow's Faith Statement

If you were one of the football enthusiasts watching the BCS championship game on ESPN between the Florida Gators and the Oklahoma Sooners, you saw Florida quarterback Tim Tebow in action. You may even know he was in the center of controversy over his choice to print the Scripture reference John 3:16 on his eye black.

After the game played on January 8, 2009, the Bible verse John 3:16 catapulted for a while to the top of Google searches. Anyone with the tiniest exposure to the Christian faith already knows what the words to John 3:16 state: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." They are among the first words Sunday school children are taught to memorize.

Reporters like the Orlando Sentinel's David Whitley and the Tennessean's Ray Waddle question if the use of Scripture eye black messages is entirely kosher. When they wrote their columns, however, they anticipated the familiar Philippians 4:13 message Tim Tebow printed on his adhesive eye black patches in college games all this season. Philippians 4:13 states: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." This is another Bible verse Christian adults and children alike know by heart.

Tim Tebow, like other athletes who happen to also be Christians, displayed his faith statement on national television. His faith is not an extension of who he is; it is who he is. As many Christians will tell you, you are not supposed to leave your faith in church and live as an entirely different person outside its four walls. That is what is called being a hypocrite.

Tim Tebow appears not to be a hypocrite from news reports on his extracurricular activities. He went to Croatia and Thailand to pay visits to those confined in jails and hospitals. He put his Christian faith in the doctrinal statement of John 3:16 into action by working with impoverished children in those same countries. According to a pre-game interview recorded by David Whitley, Tim Tebow especially seemed to glow when his visits to prison inmates were questioned. He went so far as to state that he got a new perspective on his purpose in life from his talks to and visits with the prison population.

Tebow grew up on the mission field. His parents, Christian missionaries to the Philippine Islands, started an orphanage in the southern islands called Uncle Dick's Home. His father's Bob Tebow Evangelical Association helped establish it. Tim Tebow has visited and worked there occasionally since his college football fame brought him to the American spotlight.

So when Tim Tebow displays John 3:16 on his eye black for a nationally viewed championship football game, does he understand what he has done? He is obviously not ashamed of the Gospel. He is not a closet Christian.

How different is Tim Tebow's John 3:16 adhesive eye black patches from other expressions of the Christian faith in athletic competition?

The Scottish runner Eric Liddell upon whom the movie "Chariots of Fire" was based would not compete on a Sabbath because of his Christian convictions. As a result, he did not run in his best event, the 100 meter race, in the 1924 Paris Olympics but went on to win the 400 meter race. This caused controversy at the time.

Reggie White, best known for his defensive work with the Green Bay Packers and a Pro Football Hall of Famer, became known as "The Minister of Defense" while he was yet a senior player at Tennessee.

Some of the athletes from the United States who competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics were Christians. Bryan Clay, winner of the gold medal in the men's decathlon event, became a Christian while in college. Some, like Sanya Richards, were determined not to be refrained from expressing their faith. Clay was going to squat before each event and say a short prayer.

The media themselves tend to scrutinize public figures who say they are Christians. Would Rollen Stewart, the "Rainbow Man" who flashed John 3:16 signs at major sporting events of the late 70's and 80's, have received near the attention had the cameras not sought him out at those events? This is a bad example of bold Christian witnessing but an example still.

Understand that a helmet covers Tim Tebow's eye black from view while he is on the playing field. Only when the media cameras focus on his face on the sidelines sans helmet are the John 3:16 patches visible. His John 3:16 proclamation is not as flamboyant as those of the "Rainbow Man".

Tim Tebow presented the Gospel to a national audience because the news media focused on his eye black. Those who wish to gnash their teeth will do so until the next sports event. Those who wish to understand the message Tim Tebow gave to the television audience without having to say much of anything else will find a Bible and ponder the verse.

Sources:

Tom Herrera, "John 3:16 Latest Bible Verse To Be Featured on Tim Tebow", http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/01/09/john-3-16-latest-bible-verse-to-be-featured-on-tim-tebow/

Race Bannon, "Tim Tebow's John 3:16 Eye Black Causes an Unholy Controversy", http://www.collegeotr.com/college_otr/tim_tebows_john_316_eye_black_causes_an_unholy_controversy_17875 Race Bannon 2009/01/09

Erin Everhart, 11 November 2008, http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20081111/NEWS/811110934/0/WEATHER#

http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20090106/NEWS/901060969 Associated Press

David Whitley, "Tebow's Show of Faith Bothers Some", The Orlando Sentinel, 8 January 2009, http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/650423.html

Ray Waddle, "Mixing the Gospel and modern sport is a bit strange", The Tennessean, 3 January 2009, http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090103/NEWS06/901030321/1023/NEWS01