Why They Hate - or Love - Tim Tebow
"...the world has hated them, because they are not of the world
just as I [Jesus] am not of the world." John 17:14
11-20-2011
[Video]"Tebow has become the poster boy for evangelical Christianity in the sports arena, which places Tebow at the epicenter of a cultural storm that divides our nation." Tom Krattenmaker, USA Today
The picture below was drawn by a very special 7-year-old boy
January 1, 2013: 'No let up in senseless attacks of Tim Tebow: "Never mind that reports of Tebow's insubordination all came via secondhand, unnamed sources or that Ryan wouldn't confirm the story. ...Tebow set the record straight Wednesday.....'That wasn't the talk at all,' he told the Daily News. "[Coach Ryan] knows that. And everybody on this team knows that I would never not to do something if I was asked. … 'For people to not know the situation and then start to bash your character and then say you're a phony or you're a fake or you're a hypocrite, I think that's what's disappointing and that's what's frustrating,' he added. 'Your character is who you are as a man and that's a lot more important. … I take that way more serious than I'll ever take a football game.'....
"Oh, but this won't stop the vultures. They'll keep swirling, keep their eyes peeled for the next slip up, because, you know, the world just can't stand to have any more Tim Tebows running around."
See Why They Love - or Hate - Tim TebowFebruary 1, 2013: 'Gay' CBS star now mimics Tim Tebow? "CBS, the television network airing the big game this year, is now using an outspoken homosexual actor to mimic Tim Tebow’s style of trumpeting messages [Bible verses]... on his face.... One football fan who watched the CBS promo Sunday made the connection between Harris and Tebow, saying, 'They’re pushing a gay agenda by using him, and they’re mocking Christians at the same time.'”
2011 - 2012
Forget Romney or Obama, the voters want Tim Tebow: "...if Tim Tebow swapped the pigskin for politics, he just might be a shoo-in for the White House. Asked which NFL playoff quarterback they would choose for president of the United States in the coming election, more than one in four voters go for Tebow, according to the results of a new Reuters...poll....Of course, at 24, Tebow is too young.... There might also be questions over whether he could be disqualified because he was born in the Philippines – his parents were American missionaries."
Tim Tebow Exposes How Shallow Christianity Has Become: "In this age of self-centered narcissism Tebow carries a different message. ... The problems in America are Spiritual. Turn to Jesus.... But that is not the message of the world....[The world tells us:] Homosexual marriage is as valid as heterosexual marriage; Humans are on the same level as the baby seals; Abortion is on the same level as appendicitis; ...Christianity is on par with Islam, Buddhism, and Taoism...Jesus and Mohammed share the same throne..."
Tim Tebow's Role Model: "Mr. Wuerffel was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 1997 and played three years for the team. One day during that tenure he took a wrong turn leaving the city's Superdome and drove near the Desire Street Housing Project in the Upper Ninth Ward. Built on a garbage dump, the area was considered one of the worst in the nation for crime, drugs and poverty.... Mr. Wuerffel began volunteering with Desire Street Ministries, which tries to improve the lives of families in the area by revitalizing neighborhoods—providing assistance to residents, tutoring children, supporting parents....As Mr. Wuerffel says, 'When you care about someone, you don't care what jersey they're wearing.'"
When Tim Tebow loses, does God, too? [Of course not!] The rises and falls of Tebow these past few months have provoked all manner of speculation about the theological significance of the Jesus-professing quarterback of the Denver Broncos....
"'The reason that they hate Tebow,' Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association asserts, 'is because they hate Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ lives in Tim Tebow… and people hate it.'...
"...God is with the losers as much as the winners in sports and other temporal walks of life. By conventional score-keeping, Jesus was hardly a 'winner' when he willingly submitted to his executioners. On the other hand, would the public give a whit about Tebow's beliefs and Google-search his favorite Bible verses if he were a third-string player on a last place team?... Sure, use Tim Tebow as your test case for Christianity. Use his irrepressible spirit, his impressive character, his exemplary treatment of his fellow human beings. As for his yardage totals and yards-per-completion percentages? Those are for the football gods."Curtain Closes on Tebow’s Season, but His Sideshow Goes On: "Our story begins with the end, with Tim Tebow walking from the interview room into the off-season via a chilly corridor of Gillette Stadium, where 20-year-old Zachary McLeod was waiting with his family. Tebow...was about to execute the postgame plan a whole lot better than he and the Denver Broncos had performed outside on the field against Tom Brady and New England. ...Back in the interview room, Tebow had mentioned McLeod, of Cambridge, Mass., who four years ago sustained a traumatic brain injury in a high school football game that left him mentally disabled, unable to return to school or ever live on his own."
Tebow isn’t praying to win: "Moments after the New England Patriots smashed his Denver Broncos in the playoffs, Tim Tebow stood before a wall of reporters and said exactly what anyone who has been paying attention already knew he was going to say. The Patriots, he stressed, 'came out and they played well and they executed well and you’ve got to give them a lot of credit.' Then Tebow interrupted himself to deal with a higher matter: 'But before I talk about that, I just want, you know, to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and thank my teammates for the effort that they put forth, not just tonight but this whole season.'...
"In a recent Poll Position survey, 43.3 percent of respondents said they believed divine intervention played some role in Tebow’s roller-coaster season....Meanwhile, 42.3 percent said God was not helping Tebow out. This schism is one reason Tebow’s critics enjoyed asking some obvious questions... Such as: ...Did God tune out all of Tebow’s prayers?...
"If people have been listening ... they know that he never prays to win. He has said that publicly many times,' said the Rev. Brad Strait... 'The key is that many people who keep commenting on this situation don’t know very much about why believers pray. It seems that they think the main reason...is to ask God to give them things. …
"Then there was the 2009 press conference in which he cheerfully answered a question about his sex life, pledging to remain chaste until marriage. This put Tebow on the radar of every comic with a microphone. ...liberal talk-radio star Mike Malloy hit all the crucial notes. 'Tim Tebow, of course, is a massive irritation,' he said. '...I hate…displays of public religiosity.... This to me is vile, just vile, for these fundamentalist Christians to find divine intervention — in a pass for a football game."
I believe in Tim Tebow: "Every week, Tebow picks out someone who is suffering, or who is dying, or who is injured. He flies these people and their families to the Broncos game, rents them a car, puts them up in a nice hotel, buys them dinner (usually at a Dave & Buster's), gets them and their families pregame passes, visits with them just before kickoff (!), gets them 30-yard-line tickets down low, visits with them after the game (sometimes for an hour)... and sends them off with a basket of gifts....
"Remember last week, when the world was pulling its hair out in the hour after Tebow had stunned the Pittsburgh Steelers...? And Twitter was exploding with 9,420 tweets about Tebow per second? When an ESPN poll was naming him the most popular athlete in America? Tebow was spending that hour talking to 16-year-old Bailey Knaub about her 73 surgeries so far and what TV shows she likes. ...'Here he'd just played the game of his life,' recalls Bailey's mother... 'and the first thing he does after his press conference is come find Bailey and ask, 'Did you get anything to eat?' He acted like what he'd just done wasn't anything....'
"Take 9-year-old Zac Taylor, a child who lives in constant pain. Immediately after Tebow shocked the Chicago Bears with a 13-10 comeback win, Tebow spent an hour with Zac and his family....And because Tebow still needed to be checked out by the Broncos' team doctor, he took Zac in with him, but only after they had whispered it together....
"Remember the QB who lost his leg, Jacob Rainey? He got his prosthetic leg a few weeks ago, and he wants to play high school football next season. Yes, tackle football. He'd be the first to do that on an above-the-knee amputation. Hmmm. Wonder where he got that crazy idea?" See Victory in Christ
How Losing To The Patriots Makes Tebow A Winner: "There are winners. There are losers. There are winners who are still losers. And, then there are people like Tim Tebow, who are winners, even when they lose, and lose badly.
"Tebow’s Denver Broncos were routed 45-10 by the New England Patriots on Saturday. Afterwards, when Tebow was asked about the drubbing in a post-game interview, Tebow showed he still had his priorities straight. He began, not by explaining how his team’s defense gave up 45 points, or why his offense scored only 10 points – he began by giving thanks to God, his teammates, and his team’s fans:
“Before I talk about that, I just want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and thank my teammates for the effort they put forth…and I also want to thank the Broncos’ fans.' ...
Asked if he wished he didn’t have such a high profile in the media, Tebow said, 'No,' – because the attention paid to his outspoken faith gives him the chance 'to do a lot more important things than football':
“I wouldn’t change it for the world. Just because, by having that, I have the platform to be able to walk into a hospital and share with kids..... I have the platform to do a lot more important things than football. So, I’m very thankful for that platform and I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
I believe in Tim Tebow. "Every week, Tebow picks out someone who is suffering, or who is dying, or who is injured. He flies these people and their families to the Broncos game, rents them a car, puts them up in a nice hotel, buys them dinner (usually at a Dave & Buster's), gets them and their families pregame passes, visits with them just before kickoff (!), gets them 30-yard-line tickets down low, visits with them after the game (sometimes for an hour)... and sends them off with a basket of gifts....
"Remember last week, when the world was pulling its hair out in the hour after Tebow had stunned the Pittsburgh Steelers...? And Twitter was exploding with 9,420 tweets about Tebow per second? When an ESPN poll was naming him the most popular athlete in America? Tebow was spending that hour talking to 16-year-old Bailey Knaub about her 73 surgeries so far and what TV shows she likes. ...'Here he'd just played the game of his life,' recalls Bailey's mother... 'and the first thing he does after his press conference is come find Bailey and ask, 'Did you get anything to eat?' He acted like what he'd just done wasn't anything....'
"Take 9-year-old Zac Taylor, a child who lives in constant pain. Immediately after Tebow shocked the Chicago Bears with a 13-10 comeback win, Tebow spent an hour with Zac and his family....And because Tebow still needed to be checked out by the Broncos' team doctor, he took Zac in with him, but only after they had whispered it together....
"Remember the QB who lost his leg, Jacob Rainey? He got his prosthetic leg a few weeks ago, and he wants to play high school football next season. Yes, tackle football. He'd be the first to do that on an above-the-knee amputation. Hmmm. Wonder where he got that crazy idea?"
Hating Tim Tebow: "Tebow’s very existence is somehow controversial. He’s a walking pro-life testimonial. He’s been pulling off comebacks since before he was born....Tim’s mother, courageously chose to carry baby Tim to term despite doctors’ recommendations that she abort him.....[An] innocuous TV ad that ran during the 2010 Saints-Colts Super Bowl game... told the story of the Tebows’ pre-natal struggle. The word 'abortion' was never even uttered, but a positive portrayal of childbearing was all it took. And so began the left’s hate affair with Tim Tebow.... Erin Mattson, vice president of The National Organization for Women (NOW), told ABC News that Tim’s story of survival was 'really quite offensive. … This ad is hate masquerading as love!' she barked....
"The attention that Tebow’s bold Christian faith has drawn to the Gospel message has secular 'progressives' and other God-deniers tied in knots. ... Of course, Tim Tebow is merely doing what Jesus asks of his followers: “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32) The problem is that secular “progressives” don’t want Christ acknowledged before anyone, period; and they endeavor to shut down or mock anybody who tries....
"Jesus addressed the Bill Mahers [who mock Jesus as well as Tebow]...:"
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”...And when people are talking about Tim Tebow, they can’t help but talk about the profound faith that drives him both on and off the field." John 15:18-20
Tebow's passing yards bring up biblical number: "Early Monday morning, the top item on Google Trends hot searches is John 3 16, the passage from the bible that reads: 'For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.'
"
The number two and three searched terms on Google? Tebow and Tim Tebow. It's surely all coincidence, but how many yards did Tebow throw for as he led the Denver Broncos to a 29-23 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL's divisional playoffs on Sunday night? Answer: 316."And what did Tebow have on his eye black as he led the Florida Gators to victory in the 2009 national championship game three years ago to the day of his performance in Denver Sunday night? Answer: John 3:16. And while were looking at numbers, let's look at dates, like December 25, the birth date of Jesus Christ and the man who caught Tebow's overtime pass and scored the winning touchdown Sunday night, 24-year-old Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas."
Mocking of Denver Broncos quarterback Tebow's faith is perplexing: "I have found it very perplexing that comedian Bill Maher has made Tebow his latest personal poster boy for anti-Christian humor. Maher is an admitted atheist and has every right to be, as he has every right to free speech. Sometime back when Maher made the comment that the No. 1 boy’s name in Europe was Mohammed, there was a firestorm. Why not now?
"What baffles me is Bill Maher’s mother is Jewish and he’s making fun of the same Christian people and nation who fought and died to save his countrymen from the onslaught of Hitler and the killing of almost 6 million Jews, and the nation who continues to defend Israel to this day. If I was to run out and do the same thing to Muslims or Hindus or any other religion, I would be arrested for a federal hate crime. !"
Tebow wins, and the war of words continues: [1-9-12] "...the war of words continues between the Tebow Lovers and the Tebow Haters. I happen to like Tebow. The fact he wears his religion on his sleeve doesn't bother me much - too many in today's world wear their hedonism on both sleeves and around their backs as well - and I'm much more concerned with the way he plays football. ...football at every position is about making plays when the chips are down. More often than not this season, Tebow has done that..."
Tebow is top religion author of 2011 : "Critics have hammered Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow for everything from his throwing style to his trademark professions of evangelical faith....Tebow’s Christian life story, 'Through My Eyes,' has become the top-selling new release of 2011.... With 220,000 copies sold since its June launch, 'Through My Eyes' has even outsold Rob Bell’s best-seller 'Love Wins,' which sparked intense debate with its unorthodox views about hell....
"With scriptural quotes introducing each chapter, 'Through My Eyes' tells the back story of an unlikely athlete whose coaches said he’d never make it as a quarterback. Home-schooled as a child, Tebow wasn’t allowed to watch TV until he’d memorized a set of verses from Psalms and Proverbs. And because humility was a virtue, boasting was forbidden. The Tebow kids could discuss their playing field feats only if someone asked about them. Such wholesome tidbits seem to be striking a chord with readers."
Tebowing Inspires People Around the World to Kneel Before God: "The characteristic kneel Tim Tebow makes to thank God after a big play has become a worldwide phenomenon, creating a new craze and stirring controversy over the role of religion in public life. The Global Language Monitor reports that the term 'Tebowing' has become an officially recognized English word. 'The rapid rise of the word has seldom been equaled,'it adds.
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...four students at Long Island’s Riverhead High School received a one-day suspension for imitating their gridiron hero in the middle of a crowded hallway. School officials say public safety, rather than religion, motivated the reprimand.... But criticism seems to have little impact on the Broncos quarterback. Last month, Tebow vowed, 'any time I get an opportunity to tell [Jesus] that I love Him or given an opportunity to shout him out on national TV, I’m gonna take that opportunity.” See Loving God FirstTebow's day not ruined by high-profile loss to Patriots: "'How is the strength of your faith impacted after a loss?' [a reporter asked after the loss to the Patriots] started....
"'It puts things in perspective,' Tebow said. 'God is still God. I still have a relationship with Christ, and a loss doesn't change anything. Win or lose, everything is still the same. What matters is the girl I'm about to see, Kelly Faughnan. If I can inspire hope in someone, then it's still a good day.'...Tebow crossed through the threshold of a doorway to the glowing face of a 22-year-old survivor of a brain tumor. ... Faughnan has recovered from her brain tumor, but she still deals with the hearing loss suffered at birth and a noticeable tremor....
"The loss wasn't enough to thwart a season....Tebow still thanked God to begin his news conference on Sunday....He still took a knee after the loss for a postgame prayer with players from both teams."
Tim Tebow lords over NFL : "...out in Denver, the biggest star in the NFL was in the process of throwing eleven straight incompletions; he completed three passes — total — in the first three quarters.... But we all know what happened after that. There are people in North Korean prisons who know what happened after that.....
"Tim Tebow, the biggest star in the NFL right now, went 18-for-24 in the fourth quarter and overtime. He led the Broncos to their sixth win in a row and seventh in eight games.... And when his latest miracle was complete, Tebow did what he always does after a victory: He glowed. ...and gave all glory to God and his savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, not quite all glory. He saved some for his teammates. 'I think my teammates make me look better than I am,' Tebow said....
"With [Kurt] Warner, it made sense. ...He could throw. ...We understood why Warner won games, and it wasn’t because he loved Jesus and Jesus loved him back. We had empirical evidence. ...With Tebow, it’s a little more of a mystery. He doesn’t look the part. He doesn’t fit the mold. ...But strange things happen when the game is close and the ball is in Tebow’s hands....
"One of the definitions of faith is “belief that is not based in proof.' In a strange way, the power of Tebow becomes stronger because it is so unconventional and so hard to grasp....And at least for now, we’re through saying Tebow can’t."
Tim Tebow: God's Quarterback: "On a brisk Thursday evening in mid-November, I sat high in the stands at a Denver Broncos home game, covering the ears of my 4-year-old son as the fans around us launched f-bombs at Tim Tebow. ...one of his more voluble and obnoxious critics was standing right in front of us. But the heckler's friend wasn't joining in. 'Just wait until the end of the fourth quarter,' he said. 'That's Tebow time.' And so it was....And when the shouting was over, Mr. Tebow did what he always does—he pointed skyward and took a knee in prayer.
"In postgame interviews, the young quarterback often starts by saying, 'First, I'd like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ'....He stresses that football is just a game and that God doesn't care who wins or loses....Mr. Tebow continues to defy his critics—and to embody the anxieties over religion that are dividing today's sports world and embroiling players and fans alike. ...In the case of Mr. Tebow, what seems to fuel many of his fans—and to drive many of his critics crazy—is not so much his evangelical faith itself but the equanimity and generosity that his faith inspires in him....
"In December 2009, he attended a college-football awards ceremony....The night before...he met a 20-year-old college-football fan named Kelly Faughnan, a brain-tumor victim who suffers from hearing loss and visible, continual tremors. She was wearing a button that said 'I love Timmy.' Someone noticed and made sure that the young woman had a chance to meet the player. ...Mr. Tebow spent a long while with Ms. Faughnan and her family, and asked her if she'd like to be his date for the award ceremony the following night. She agreed, and the scene of Mr. Tebow escorting the trembling young woman down the red carpet led much of the reporting about the event....
"With his site, Mr. Kleinstein says, 'people found hope through a gesture,' noting a much-discussed photo that he posted of a young boy with an IV attached to his arm who wrote that he was 'Tebowing while chemoing.' Mr. Kleinstein adds that a lot of support for the trend has come from rabbis. 'It has made prayer in public something to not be ashamed of,' he says.... At the national level, however, big-time sports is big business, with billions of dollars at stake, and Americans tend to be cynical about the whole show. In this world, Mr. Tebow's frequent professions of faith can come across as a discordant note...But win or lose, Tim Tebow will compete hard—and when he's done, he will thank God and remind all of us that it's just a game."
What Tim Tebow Can't Do: "He cannot fly. He cannot see through walls.... He's failed to publish poetry in Russian.... Tim Tebow can't get through an interview without mentioning his faith. Or giving credit to his teammates. Tim Tebow never sounds full of Tim Tebow. He doesn't even get mad when people say nasty things about him. When people say Tim Tebow needs to improve, Tim Tebow says he needs to improve. Who does that?... He smiles and doesn't sulk." [Wall Street Journal]
Most valuable? Gotta be Tebow right now: "We have moved on in Tebowmania from the disbelief stage to the explanation stage. Some people need hard and tangible proof to explain the inexplicable....Last week, Tebow was No. 31 in the NFL. He was behind Kyle Orton, who the Denver Broncos dumped to make room for Tebow.....Well, you get the idea. And here’s the thing: Tebow is the NFL’s Most Valuable Player. Not officially, of course. It’s just an opinion....
"A group of students at Harvard calling itself the Harvard Sports Analysis Collective, wrote an article entitled 'A Statistical Analysis of the Miracles of Tim Tebow.’ That’s fun, using stats to determine miracles."
Tim Tebow’s faith makes for controversial NFL stardom but wins keep mystique alive: "His outspoken faith and unorthodox offensive production has made him a national media phenomenon....Meantime, Tebow has given us a starkly powerful display of the real thing, and so has the underrated leader who had the guts to hand the team over to him, Broncos Coach John Fox. ...Fox was smart enough last Sunday to ask Tebow to give the pregame talk that led to a crucial overtime victory over the San Diego Chargers." [1-2-11]
Tebow: Evidence of things unseen: "Tebow’s young career is a fascinating case study of faith. From his college graduation until just a couple weeks ago, the only people who thought Tebow could be a great quarterback were people who were willing to take Tebow on faith. They believed without seeing, and they were ridiculed by skeptics with a rational edge.... But since Tebow started playing and winning, he’s exploded objective analysis. ...Skeptics are dwindling in number and in noise. If the Broncos keep winning, the only skeptics left will be die-hard anti-Tebow fundamentalists. ....
"...the sight of Tebow praying has been the fall’s biggest Internet meme. Tebow’s first start of the year ended in a ridiculous, awe-inspiring come-from-behind victory against the Miami Dolphins, and as the cameras captured the Broncos celebrating on the sidelines, they also captured Tebow kneeling in prayer.....
"At a bar in Manhattan, Jared Kleinstein, a 24-year-old marketer from Denver, embraced the moment Tebow-style. He had his friends take a picture of him 'Tebowing,' which he defined as 'to get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different.'" [1-2-11]
Broncos have a prayer with Tim Tebow: "The premise that a higher being doesn't really care about football games continued to be challenged Sunday. Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow prays with members of both teams after their overtime win against the San Diego Chargers in an NFL football game on Sunday.... We don't know when, or if, he will start multiplying loaves and fishes. Right now, we just know he wins.... Most divisive is the religious stuff." See Trusting God
Chargers latest to get 'Tebowed': "With Tim Tebow kneeling in prayer...Denver Broncos rookie safety Quinton Carter bolted for the San Diego Chargers’ helmet logo in the middle of the field. Facing the befuddled Chargers’ sideline, Carter dropped in the white painted portion of the field and 'Tebowed.' The craze that erupted across the country early in Tebow’s wild six-week journey was once mocked by Detroit Lions players after a sack of Tebow. This time, it was a tribute by one of Tebow’s teammates." (11-27-11)
Tim Tebow responds to Jake Plummer's comments on his faith: "A day after former Broncos QB Jake Plummer said in a radio interview that he wished the man currently taking the snaps in Denver, Tim Tebow, would curb his references to Jesus Christ and his faith, Tebow responded...
"If you're married, and you have a wife, and you really love your wife, is it good enough to only say to your wife 'I love her' the day you get married? Or should you tell her every single day when you wake up and every opportunity? And that's how I feel about my relationship with Jesus Christ... it is the most important thing in my life. So any time I get an opportunity to tell him that I love him or given an opportunity to shout him out on national TV, I'm gonna take that opportunity....
"I look at it as a relationship that I have with Him that I want to give Him the honor and glory anytime I have the opportunity. And then right after I give him the honor and glory, I always try to give my teammates the honor and glory. And that's how it works because Christ comes first in my life, and then my family, and then my teammates. I respect Jake's opinion, and I really appreciate his compliment of calling me a winner. But I feel like anytime I get the opportunity to give the Lord some praise, he is due for it."
"If you have Jesus Christ in your heart, you're going to spend eternity in heaven. If you don't, you're going to spend eternity in hell. You're going to live forever. The question is: where?" Tim Tebow [From previous video]
"Blessed are you when they... say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.. " Matthew 5:11-12
