\u201cWhen Tim Tebow loses, does God, too?<\/a>\u201d If this seems like a silly question, remember that some Christians have been seeing Tebow\u2019s amazing victories as quarterback of the Denver Broncos as miracles. Particularly inspiring was the fact that in the Broncos\u2019 shocking victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tebow passed for 316 yards with a completion rate of 31.6 yards per pass. It doesn\u2019t take a Christian rocket scientist to note that Tebow\u2019s stats align neatly with his favorite Bible verse, John 3:16.<\/p>\nA cynic like me might point out that it would have been more obviously miraculous if Tebow\u2019s passing average had been 3.16 yards, rather than 31.6. Didn\u2019t anybody notice that Deuteronomy 31:6 reads, \u201cBe strong! Be fearless! Don\u2019t be afraid and don\u2019t be scared by your enemies, because the LORD your God is the one who marches with you. He won\u2019t let you down, and he won\u2019t abandon you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anyway, for those who have been seeing Tebow\u2019s leadership of Bronco victories as evidence for God\u2019s blessing of Tebow, or even as proof of God\u2019s existence, the Bronco\u2019s recent loss to the Patriots, by the very unmiraculous score of 45-10, does feel unsettling, to say the least. Has God lost something in the process? Credibility? Believability? Excellent seats for the Super Bowl?<\/p>\n
I\u2019d like to suggest a contrary thought. When Tebow loses, God stands to win. Yes, that\u2019s right. In fact, I\u2019d go so far as to say that God might gain more from Tebow\u2019s losses than from his victories. Please allow me to explain.<\/p>\n
When the Denver Broncos are winning because of Tebow\u2019s \u201cHail Mary\u201d passes . . . oops, sorry, wrong version of Christianity. Let me try again. When the Denver Broncoes are winning because of Tebow\u2019s miraculous passing, and when he is glorying in these victories, his thanking Jesus could seem shallow.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not suggesting that Tebow is shallow, only that he might appear to be so. It\u2019s easy to love Jesus when things are going well in your life. But the real test of faith, the real test of character, the real evidence of a miracle is when people thank God in the midst of suffering. Thus, if Tebow\u2019s team loses, and if he continues to be a person of faith and faithfulness, then his witness to Christ will be more compelling. Thus my conclusion: If Tebow loses, God just might win even more.<\/p>\n
Of course it all depends on the integrity of Tim Tebow\u2019s faith. From what I can see at a distance, he is a man of deep and genuine Christian faith. But he is also only 24 years old, after all. I\u2019d hate to have had to bear the burden of scrutiny that Tebow bears when I was 24. Yikes! Nevertheless, Tebow will demonstrate his true character and his true faith, not in thrilling victories, but in agonizing defeats.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This is the question posed by religion writer Tom Krattenmaker in his USA Today op-ed, \u201cWhen Tim Tebow loses, does God, too?\u201d If this seems like a silly question, remember that some Christians have been seeing Tebow\u2019s amazing victories as quarterback of the Denver Broncos as miracles. Particularly inspiring was the fact that in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[21624,16735,16734],"class_list":["post-3043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faith","tag-faith","tag-miracle","tag-tim-tebow"],"yoast_head":"\n
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