"We don't know how to trust goodness." Or, what hath Tim Tebow wrought?

(Yeah, I know, you think the headline contains stilted language. Verily, verily, Shakespeare the Catholic and King James the Protestant doth love it.)

A number of recent articles have analyzed the interest in (or, in some cases, disdain for) Tim Tebow, the rookie second-year quarterback of the Denver Broncos, whose unapologetic displays of Christian belief (especially kneeling in prayer) have brought about much conversation and consternation. (His passing ability and throwing technique have also spurred controversy, but I won't spend time on that right now.)

Daniel Foster's piece, "Tebow's Religion, and Ours" (NRO, Dec. 3, 2011), makes many good points, beginning with this insight:

But there isn’t an ironic bone in Tim Tebow’s body. That’s what makes him conspicuous. That’s what makes the fact that he’s managed to stay squeaky clean, in a sport that notoriously is not, conspicuous. And it’s why the power of Tebow’s evangelical-Christian faith, and the earnestness with which he professes it, seems to annoy so many people.

Foster examines some of the reasons that Tebow's actions and witness have upset other players and many football fans, and concludes with this:

A leader on the field and off who spent his college years not indulging in any of the worldly pleasures afforded to Heisman Trophy winners, but doing missionary work in Thailand; helping overworked doctors perform circumcisions in the Philippines (you read that right); and preaching at schools, churches, and even prisons. This is a young man with such a strong work ethic that, according to teammates, he can’t even be coaxed into hitting the town on a night after a Broncos win, because he is too busy preparing for the next week’s game. This is a young man who even turned the other cheek at Stephen Tulloch’s Tebowing, saying, “He was probably just having fun and was excited he made a good play and had a sack. And good for him.”

That’s way too much earnestness for the ironic. It’s way too much idealism for the cynical. And it’s way too much selflessness for the self-absorbed. In short, people aren’t upset at Tebow’s God talk. They’re upset that he might actually believe it.

Daniel Flynn, in a piece for Human Events, "The Tebow Haters" (Nov. 21, 2011), makes similar points:

Good people make bad people uncomfortable. Their example nudges everyone to undertake the hard work to be better. Our faults are so much easier to tolerate when we stand next to Jerry Sandusky.

More impressive than the on-field dramatics is the off-field demeanor. Tebow exhibited an infectious aw-shucks enthusiasm in his postgame interview with the NFL network. His namedropping of Jesus came across as heartfelt rather than perfunctory. He mouthed empty sports clichés with a strange conviction. He put a target on his back by plainly stating he wants to be a role model. As the highlight of his week, he pointed to a hospital his foundation helped build in the Philippines rather than the victory over the Jets.

Patton Dodd, in a just-posted essay, "Tim Tebow: God's Quarterback" (WSJ.com, Dec. 10, 2011), provides some interesting historical background regarding the relationship in America between religion and sports, then writes:

In communities across America, whether religious or secular, fields of play are often seen as workshops of character. Parents and coaches get kids involved with sports because they care about encouraging them to be better people.

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, equal parts over-earnestness and naïveté. It's hard to resist the thought that, eventually, a darker reality will show through.

Mr. Tebow may indeed turn out to be a hypocrite, like other high-profile Christians in recent memory. Some of us might even want that to happen, because moral failure is something we understand. We know how to deal with disappointed expectations, to turn our songs of praise into condemnation.

What we are far less sure how to do is to take seriously a public figure's seemingly admirable character and professions of higher purpose. We don't know how to trust goodness.

I think Dodd a bit too optimistic about the good intentions of parents and coaches at the local community level (it is surely a very mixed bag), but he certainly right about professional sports being big business. (Many college sports are also big business, as this Oregon Duck football fan can attest.) Sports, it is often said in jest, are religious in nature. But the jest is hardly humorous when you consider the amount of money involved, the way that lives and bodies are often treated as mere commodities, and the manner in which fans immerse themselves in a particular team with a passion and singular furiosity that makes the actions and public expressions of most Christians look downright anemic and half-hearted in comparison. One of the most impressive and intense religious celebrations I ever witnessed in person took place in Autzen Stadium, arguably the largest place of worship in all of Oregon.

My headline, in fact, might better be: What hath Tim Tebow exposed? One doesn't need to put the young quarterback on a pedestal, or even defend his (ahem) unorthodox playing style, to recognize that his lack of cynicism, his practicing of what he preaches, and his unflinching public testimony have challenged the status quo of both pro football and pro fandom. And that is rather refreshing, especially since Tebow is unwavering in his insistence that real life and real meaning not only transcend sports, but are found far beyond the gridiron, even if what happens on the playing field can point, in some unexpected way, to permanent and ultimate truths.

By the way, on a related note, consider this point made by a priest: "This is something that frustrates the heck out of me. A child's coach demands mandatory attendance at every practice and game, a dress code (uniform, warm up suit, etc.), and a certain level of fundraising, and parents accept it without question. If a parish priest or religious education director asks that children attend every class, dress appropriately for Mass, and contribute to the support of the parish, what do you think happens?" Indeed.

• The Sacramentals of Sport (Insight Scoop)
• The Bowl, the Bet, and the Bard (Insight Scoop)

Comments

[FrH]

Tim Tebow is not a rookie. This is his second year. Good article despite the lapse. (Even Homer nods, if you want another classical reference.)

[Howard]

While I was still a Protestant, and just before I entered the "gravitational pull" of the Catholic Church, I could not help notice that (1) John Paul II was only attacked in the media for doing good and stating the truth, and (2) the people who attacked him had such a distorted view of right and wrong that their very attacks were a testimony to him. I had to conclude that, contrary to what my upbringing had predisposed me to believe, John Paul II had every appearance of being one of the "good guys". Much the same applies to Tim Tebow. Neither John Paul II nor Tebow were immaculate conceptions, and both have their flaws, but their enemies have convinced me that they are both friends.

[sports drone]

People worship sports. It is an idol. That so many care about such trivial nonsense is an indictment of our culture.

We know more about who caught which ball when then we know about the ten commandments or the corporal works of mercy or the parts of the mass.

Where our treasure is...

[David Elton]

When you go to work, you don't usually make a display of your religious beliefs. Roger Staubach was a evangelical Christian, and everybody knew it, but he did not behave like Tebow does. I don't like it when players kneel or point skyward after scoring a touchdown, or chat about Jesus at the post-game press conference. I think it trivializes our faith. Play ball, Tim!

[David K. Monroe]

If Tim Tebow feels that he should honor God in some way during the games he plays, and the action that he takes does not actually interfere with his playing the game, then it I believe is incumbent on us to suspend judgment on it. Some may think it is a sincere display of honor to God, others may think that it is a showy display of false piety, and still others may think it is a misguided attempt at evangelism, but none of us really know the thoughts and motivations of Tebow's heart. If he is not actually violating some reasonable expectation of sportsmanship, the no one has any genuine basis on which to condemn his actions. And mocking his actions as at least one other player has done is clearly a violation of the standards of tolerance that are supposedly reasonable to expect in our society.

[Joe]

Terrific piece! Thanks.

[Dan Buckley]

The priest's comment should be handed to everyone enrolling a child in CCD.

[David Elton]

The priest's comment about sports vs. CCD is confirmed by the head of CCD in our parish. If there is a conflict between CCD and sports, she says, CCD doesn't stand a chance.

[Carl E. Olson]

People worship sports. It is an idol. That so many care about such trivial nonsense is an indictment of our culture.

Partially correct, I would argue. The problem is not that sports are inherently bad, just as it's not that money, food, sex, music, country, movies, and so forth are bad. Idols are anything that replace God and/or take a place that is not warranted by their nature. So, I would say that some people make sports into an idol, but that sports are not inherently idolatrous. Nor are sports simply "trivial nonsense"; on the contrary, sports are good and wholesome in their proper place and what undertaken in a good and proper way.

[David Elton]

Agree that sports is not "trivial nonsense". Sports and recreation is one of the categories of "human goods" which all human societies have valued. See Germain Grisez.

[Howard]

@David Elton

Generally speaking, I agree.

However, now that the question has arisen, it is impossible to put the genie back into the bottle. If Tim Tebow were to react to criticism by refusing to talk about God at all, it would amount to denying Christ. Yes, of course Christ can be denied in a thousand other ways, but this is a very real and concrete circumstance. He must not back down now, nor do I have any suspicion that he will.

[Carl E. Olson]

Here is another important point that I think should be recognized by Christians: not every Christian athlete need handle himself in the same way that Tim Tebow does in order to be a faithful witness to Christ. Tebow's expressions of faith strike me as being completely natural to him and coming from a very real and lively faith. He isn't just saying it to earn brownie points. But another Christian athlete might just as well share his faith in a less conspicuous or immediately obvious manner--and that is just fine. In other words, all Christians are called to evangelize, but within the real limits of the personalities, talents, and contexts of who we are and what we do. We can see this very well in the lives and example of great Saints, who use very different abilities and approaches to proclaim Christ and share the Gospel.

[TeaPot562]

A Test: To what do you devote your Time, your Talent and your Treasure? The answers to those three questions show what you value. If more of your time is spent watching spectator sports than worshiping God, are you an idolator? Same question about what you spend your money on. Maybe some food for thought.
TeaPot562

[Dan]

Today I am no Tim Tebow fan. Why? I'm a Bears fan.

[David Elton]

Can't wait to see this guy against the Patriots next week.

[Emilio Perea]

I know it's off-topic, but Roger Staubach's brand of "evangelical Christianity" mentioned above is actually of the Catholic kind. :-) He's in my mom's parish.

[Mark W]

"I don't like it when players kneel or point skyward after scoring a touchdown ... I think it trivializes our faith."

I played soccer into college at a respectable level. I only met a couple of people that pointed skyward or crossed themselves after scoring (alas, as the goalkeeper that they'd just scored against, I had a birds eye view). Not once did I see anyone do something like that - on the field - that was anything less than heartfelt. It may trivialize the faith from the sofa in the comfort of your living room, but from standing on the field with them it was quite real. (Mine is a small sample, I'll admit, and rather far from the professional level.)

And Staubach is, was, and ever will be Catholic. He's where the "Hail Mary" pass got it's name.

[Alexis Mauldin]

My husband is a Naval Academy grad who was a plebe during Staubach's senior ("firstie") year (ahem, the year after the Midshipman led by Roger the Dodger lost the Cotton Bowl and national championship to The University of Texas).

Roger went to Mass every morning during his "career" at the USNA. My husband says he was a really nice guy who did not give the plebes the grief (and we're talking serious stuff) that most of the upper classmen threw at the newbies.

Speaking of good Christian influences in professional sports, the San Antonio Spurs had some great role models in David Robinson, Avery Johnson and Malik Rose. Avery was leaving the doctor's office and my mom was in the waiting room anxious over her own problem (orthopedic). This was in 1999 and the Spurs had won the NBA Championship in that 'short' season. Avery came over to my mom, knelt beside her, took her hand and prayed for her peace and healing. My mother is no basketball fan, but Avery just glows and his prayer really gave her a peace.

[Andrew]

As far as workplace evangelism goes, obey the limitations imposed on us by our employers while on the employer's time. Christ is not honored by making ourselves into thieves by cheating our employers out of the labor they are paying us for. However, if we can evangelize at work without undermining the job we are tasked to perform, do it. Thus, Tebow should not be condemned for public displays of piety while on the job, so long as those displays do not interfere with him performing his job, and they clearly don't.

For some, however, workplace evangelism conflicts with performing their duties. These should refrain from evangelism while on the clock, and evangelize while off work. "To everything there is a season."