For God and Heisman

Football players who believe that God takes a personal interest in their playing football, and brings about favorable results for them, have probably had too many concussions. Poor things.

And when Ingram wins the Heisman and Alabama wins the national championship, all will be well again in this secualar world!!!

And what the author should have said:

Football is measured in yards and downs and played by "steroided" dolts whose minds still reside in the eighth grade as evidenced by the fact that over 50% of said dolts will not graduate.

Norrie,

I highly doubt that any of the three men believe that God is altering the score to show favor on them.

I believe what they are saying is that God has blessed them with certain tools because He has a plan for them. And part of that plan may or may not be giving them center stage in a sport viewed by millions. A stage with which they can change the lives of people that they might never meet or know about.

Hopefully they'll donate the $$ proceeds from those big pro contracts to the favorite Christian charities of their choice....

Meanwhile, is it GOD or just plain old DNA that's responsible for all this talent? Either way, it pays to be humble....

For football fans, putting up with the pre-game evangelizing is probably equivilant to the mandatory pre-meal prayer at the Gospel Mission.

Appetite or no, nothing comes without a price, praise the Lord.

Heisman winner Paul Hornung was the very model of the young Saint Augustine. And then there's O.J. Whatshisname...

Some of you are just really sad. Why do you demean and mock these men for their faith? It is truly remarkable that posters feel the need to dismiss people's faith. Yet another sign of the callousness that permeates society.

Don’t be at all surprised when these Christian athletes show up as “motivational speakers,” hucksters for “financial success” and “leadership” schemes. They’re highly likely to become or to work for ambitious, well-connected politicians. After they make names for themselves and hone their “God-given” charismatic salesmen’s gifts, do NOT be surprised when they take over a town hall near you – maybe yours! (They’re in a pitched battle for mine.) Some (as our locals) will go on to employment with Billy Graham Evangelical Association or other powerful political—uh—religious institutions. By then maybe the lovely wife will be the politician in the family. Both spouses will utilize their faith-based social/financial/political networks while keeping this very quiet at election time. Ralph Reed or one of his ilk used to call them “stealth candidates” who will change America from within our government. See “Get Motivated” seminars; Jeff Sharlet, The Family; the House on C Street; Christian Embassy in our military; Sarah Palin/Franklin Graham; etc. America beware.

Tim Tebow is the real deal; his father's Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association works in the Philippines, noting that "Of the 86 million Filipinos, we estimate that over 65 million have never once heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ." (The quote is from the Bob Tebow website).

Acceptane of Tim Tebow's facial Bible verse references may have somethint to do with the football program's highly positive experience several years ago with Danny Wuerffel.

by: ccnl1 | December 11, 2009 11:39 AM

"And what the author should have said:
Football is measured in yards and downs and played by "steroided" dolts whose minds still reside in the eighth grade as evidenced by the fact that over 50% of said dolts will not graduate."
_________________________________________

First of all conll, did you just guess on a number because it enhances your "dolt" arguement? Let me break it down the facts for your evidently bitter and prejudiced mind (you must have been cut from your HS football team).

According to NCAA statistics the number of graduates is just above 2 in 3 (67%). Of those that don't graduate, 3% are drafted by the NFL. A 30% dropout rate isn't anything to brag about, but at least get your facts straight.

Second, blame also lies with the institution, in addition to the players. With the money colleges stand to make from Alumni contributions and Bowl invitations for high-profile winning schools, football teams monopolize the time of these time of these players; those players who need the extra help are constantly bombarded with calls to practice, film study, etc. How much do you think the institution does to help skew academics with less challenging programs (in some cases- NOT ALL cases; after all Myron Rolle and Cory Booker became Rhodes scholars- are they dolts?) in order to allow for more time for practice.

Finally, while you may be right in your HT pick, anyone who is not a dolt, can recognize that Ndamukong Suh is CLEARLY the best college football player in the nation. The problem is, that it is the VOTERS that are a bunch of dolts who would gladly get down on their knees to worship any of these offensive players, none of whom will go on to have even half the impact Suh has or will continue to make.

I've been pondering what would happen if a big-name college football player had his eyeblack inscribed with 'Praise Allah' or 'Insha'Allah' or sumthin.

Only the Washington Post would disparage two positive kids because they are Christians. Perhaps they should emulate Tiger Woods -- the agnostic.

The author ignored the fact that Mark Ingram professes to be a Christian. Strong Christian athletic associations have played an important role in Southern collegiate football for five decades. Hard work, and focus are Christian ethics that will be exemplified by three of the five (that I know of)that will be recognized for Heisman consideration. This should be applauded. Since we as Christians believe that God has providence, why wouldn't we believe that he's in control of our wins and losses?

Okay, I can understood "God" in the sense of being in awe of the universe and life itself. But Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy should more appropriately give praise to their parents whose genes are the starting point of their athletic success. And then thank them for raising them and providing them the opportunity to lead the life they have lived. Next, it should be praise for all those other human beings who have influenced them and helped them succeed. For it is actual actions and deeds by those living on the planet that are responsible for everything that happens here. Nonetheless, if Tim and Colt want to give their praise first and foremost to some invisible, imagined, fairy tale force, have at it!

Another dubious contribution to the "(N)on Faith" section. Instead of implying skepticism about the appropriateness of public expressions of faith by individuals, it would be novel to ask them to articulate how they see their faith affecting their lives, or even how they would respond to the question as to whether it's appropriate for them to express their faith in public.

Here’s one churchgoer and lector who prefers his football slogan-free, who believes celebrities abuse their prominence when they hijack a platform to flog irrelevant personal causes, and who hopes some nasty linebacker knocks the Bible verse clean off Tim Tebow’s face. And where’s the NCAA in this? There’s a book on uniform regulations...

Florida is a Nike team. Were Tebow to scribble Adidas under his eye, how long does one believe that would stand?

"Some of you are just really sad. Why do you demean and mock these men for their faith? It is truly remarkable that posters feel the need to dismiss people's faith. Yet another sign of the callousness that permeates society."

This writer misses (perhaps intentionally or blindly) the point that these folks are really mocking everyone else by their arrogance in believing that God favors them over their opponents who, by the way, also include many conservative Christians.
Do they think that God likes them better? That's not the Christianity I know.

This line of reasoning from gifted athletes is both arrogant and intellectually offensive. The implicit assumption that God/Jesus has anointed them to be great athletes and standard bearers. Also, that the Almighty takes interest in their athletic careers and feats, while at the same time allowing some poor kid in Africa to starve because he did not receive his next bowl of gruel in time. These Bible-thumping athletes make me almost literally nauseous.

A.R. Brock

Along with the NCAA book on uniform regulations and Bible verse on Tebow's face--could there be a case made for the ACLU to step in and sue due to Federal funding at the University of Florida and the seperation of church and state??? He is using his position as a University of Florida football player to promote HIS religion--on scholarship money from the school.

I'd love to see someone hold up football scores at the Sunday church services of these players.

Might I point out that perhaps one reason America does fairly well as a pluralistic society compared to other nations is that we don't yet raise one faith over another in spite of attempted denomination by self-identified Christian sects who testify or witness.

Pointing to the sky, kneeling and bowing heads has become part of football ritual as has the tendency to cross one's self. The examples given in the lead article are only the latest, ramped up variations of the same.

Several commenters seemed to find the observation offensive that people are made uncomfortable by these public professions of faith. This really seems to indicate that the commenters have no interest in respecting others' right to be left alone.

To bray that pious athletes are "demeaned" by criticizing their public displays of witnessing to captive onlookers who are only there to watch the contest, not pick a personal savior or to get right with their personal vision of a Higher Power, is downright laughable.

Finally, a big Amen and Praise the Lord to the poster who pointed out how well vocally professing to Allah, or noting a favorite Surah on the eye-black, or even a Catholic upping the spiritual ante by thanking the entire Holy Trinity would be received in the same situation by the righteously indignant.

Perhaps it is too much to ask that Tim Tebow wear Matthew 6:5 on his eye shadow. "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen."

Imagine a man who claims to believe all this christian stuff. He studies the bible, spouts verses and spews condemnation, attends churches and religious groups ... wears it on his sleeve. He is handsome, charismatic, his wife has a blinding white smile and his kids look like Osmonds.

Now imagine that this man doesn't believe a word of it. He's just acting. He finds it useful for his career goals ... he finds a ready supply of already credulous, gullible believers willing to be manipulated to his ends.

How would you christians be able to tell the difference?

How do you know these people aren't making suckers out of you?

You don't. Your lack of skepticism regarding your religious beliefs promotes a lack of skepticism regarding those who claim to share them. You are suckers.

Christianity can instill in people confidence and discipline as can other faiths. I believe, as Jesus said, that the kingdom of God resides in all of us. Religion, now a dirty word for many, can lead followers to accomplish great things. While the faith of these athletes may seem somewhat simplistic in print, I'm sure there is a greater depth than the mass media can show. And I'd much rather have a champion motivated by Jesus Christ, than the god many have made of money and fame.

monty keeling

You must have missed Heisman candidate Mark Ingram of Alabama in his TV interview after the Florida game. He started praising God right away. There's a good book out now by Tom Krattenmaker called "Onward Christian Athletes."

Uh..hate to disappoint folks but the answer lies in education. That would be science, the origin of species, natural selection and some dude named Darwin. The lack of education and chalking up everything to "God" and his will, well again, folks just like to suspend belief and in the process disregard all evidence (science, etc.). But hey, keep on living in your bubble as the fine young footballers are doing. No worries.

test

Would the NCAA or NFL smile on advertising messages under players' eyeballs? Go Daddy!

'Perhaps they should emulate Tiger Woods --the agnostic'

Oh they will, soon enough......although perhaps on a lesser scale, having somewhat less notoriety and way less $$.

Graduation rates for some BCS football teams- 2008 an update:

T50. Alabama 55 - (44% in 2006)
T50. Iowa State 55
T52. LSU 54
T52. Tennessee 54
T52. USC 54
T55. Cal 53
T55. Oregon 53
T55. Kansas 53
58. Ohio State 52
T58. Arkansas 52
T60. Minnesota 51
T60. Michigan State 51
62. Texas 50 (40% in 2006)
T63. Georgia 48
T63. Georgia Tech 48
65. Oklahoma 46
66. Arizona 41

Bottom line: it helps to have athletic dolts if you want to have a championship football team.

ccnl1, btw, was both an all-city and an honorable-mention All American football player in high school.

Like entertainers, I wish atheletes would leave their faith and politics personal, like most citizens. That's all fine and dandy that they believe in what they believe and that they feel their faith lifts them to a different level of play, but please dont advertise it. I'm not an advocate for secular sports and hey, let's be sensitive to other religions...I dont care about that. It's the point that what's in your heart should remain personal and you shouldnt have to praise the Lord when you score. Or beat the crap out of an opposing lineman. I dont think there's a lot of bookmaking in Heaven.

I really think that God has better things to do than watch these guys score touchdowns; their little end zone rituals are as embarrassing to me as the sort of excessive chest-thumping displayed by other players. (And I am a lifelong fan, thank you! Or should I thank God? *smirk*)

To the players who would defend themselves I say: wanna thank God or profess your faith? Then pray silently to yourself after you score, or at home, in your car, in the locker room after the game, or (ahem) in your church before kickoff. I'm sure that the God you worship doesn't give a rat's a$$ when you do it, and as samhurst and others here point out, Christian humility is actually contradicted by your little point-to-the-sky skits.

If you want to share your faith, then teach a Sunday school class or start a worship circle with some buddies. Do you think you're doing anyone any good by crossing yourself just because you made a great catch on the 10 and ran it in for 6 points? No. Get out of your cleats and pads, put on some jeans, and go serve a hot meal to the hungry and homeless souls who'll never know what you did in the stadium because they can't afford a frickin' ticket.

I suppose that technically, there's nothing actually bad about these on-field gestures, but I have to ask what good they're really doing; you can't make "true believers" by shoving your religion in someone's face, and many fans are either ignoring you, mocking you, or pitying you for your oddly-placed displays. There's a reason so many jokes have been made about ministers praying for their favorite team's victory, and some of you are putting yourselves and your fellow Christians right into those punch lines!

Tim Tebow works with children, both in this country and others and has said that his football wins, championships, etc. are of little consequence when compared to the work he does with disadvantaged children. "Football," as he said, "is just a game."

The Heisman should go to an evangelical. Sport heroes are teenagers who have never grown up. Evangelicals are teenagers who have never grown up.

I hope Tebow's dad did not make the statement attributed to him by Daveofthe coonties about 65 out of 86 million filipinos never being exposed to the word of christ.
The Phillipines are over 90% Christian.
"He's the real deal", yeah.

Fret about it, Elizabeth.

Nothing better than having your face rubbed in the "god thing" by an 18-year old football player!

Seems like most of the people who post on the "On Faith" are so polarizing (one way or the other).

Many who don't subscribe to religious beliefs like to bash other because of their religion. Then you have the others that subscribe to a particulae religious faith and just try to force it down others throats.

Seems like both group use their "stats, evidence and other objective facts" to promote the "Us vs. Them" menality that is eroding this nation an d world at it's very core.

College football players are not elected representative that OWE US ANYTHING, if you do not like when they EXERCISE THEIR FREEDOM OF SPEECH OR RELIGION, stop watching college football. And that whether they are agnostic, atheist, Christian, Wiccan, pagan, Jewish, Islamic or anything in between. As long as they are not promoting destructive ideas, then they should be able to do what they want.

In not the "dolt-like" college athletes that the "all-city and an honorable-mention All American" ccnl1 (who I challenge to reveal him) points outs that is "failing", it is the people on both extreme and the in the silent middle that continues to "failing" by tear people down and apart; instead of building people up!

Sorry for the soapbox, I just feel like we are becoming too tolerant with intolerance from both sides of the extremes.

Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you'd have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, it takes religion.

let's read a bit of George Carlin's act:
Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man-living in the sky-who watches everything you do, every minute of the day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any those special ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time....But He loves you!!

The degree of commitment that a player has to Christianity is totally separate from their ability on the field. Remember-these are idealistic young men, just out of their teens. It is great that they are going into the world with a strong moral foundation. Let's hope that they will be able to look back on these "innocent" years when difficult times arise, and find strength. If Tebow and McCoy can save themselves in their days ahead they will have accomplished much.

The central message of the Bible is salvation is personally available to every person. Yet in the Bible, there are dozens of instances in which some people are simply tools of those who occupy the central narrative. God often intervened in the affairs of certain men to obtain a satisfactory result - Job’s servants were killed to test the righteousness of Job; or he induced evil - he “harden Pharaoh’s heart” so that the ruler might be more readily disposed to smite the Israelites.

So when I see ostentatious displays of Christian religiosity from celebrities, I always wonder which is the ethos that they are subscribing to - universalism or heavenly intervention model. I have no problem with anyone thanking the Lord for their good fortune. But when they elaborate beyond that and imply (or more than imply) that their circumstance is the result of a particular Deified appointment, I wonder what are they trying to sell. It’s akin to saying “hey everybody, come watch how good I am at being humble.”

If any of these athletes came out and started blathering on about how much Heaven's Gate cult, The Children of God, Scientology, Flying Spaghetti Monster, Santa Claus, Unicorns, Zeus, Leprechauns, etc. is solely responsible for making them the person/athelete they are today and should be praised and thanked over and over, they would rightly be ridiculed.

Why does being a Evangelical Christian give them a free pass?