Thought Life
Tim Tebow is America’s most popular athlete. Pretty incredible for a guy who was (un)hailed as the second coming of Ryan Leaf.
A month ago, I wrote on Tebow and John Calvin for the Gospel Coalition. Just today, The Atlantic has published an essay I wrote on Tebow. It’s on how to assess what it means theologically if the Broncos lose to my beloved New England Patriots on Saturday in the NFL playoffs. Has God withdrawn his blessing? Is he no longer smiling on Tebow? Wait–was he ever smiling on Tebow in some sort of direct and miraculous way?
You can read my responses to these interesting questions at The Atlantic, one of the more stimulating repositories of thought out there. I will warn you, though–it involves wood elves. I won’t say more than that.
Here’s a brief snatch from the piece:
What does this mean in light of a possible Broncos loss on Saturday? It means that there is no reason to believe that God has failed Tebow, that the light of the divine in Tebow’s life is extinguished. God’s Spirit, directed by God’s will, blows like the wind where it wishes (John 3:8). It may be that Tebow will succeed in spectacular fashion; it may be that he will have the worst game of his life. Either way, the Bible assures us that God loves his chosen, God is orchestrating every detail of their lives, and God will lead them through success or failure to the end of all things. Sometimes God grants believers great victories, and sometimes he asks them to walk through the fire. This is true whether it is experienced on the football field, in the office, or in a country that rewards outspoken Christianity with a sword to the throat.
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