Sam Cook, a sports journalist with the Fort-Meyers, FL News-Press, writes:
I don’t know how many more “God bless” comments I can stand from the 2007 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback.
Religion – except for the “Hail Mary” pass – has no place in sports.
In Tebow’s case, he should play football and forget about us sinners for 31/2 hours every Saturday.
Somehow, we’ll survive without him displaying a “John 3:16” Bible verse under his eyes. We separate church and state. Why not church and sports?
Cook approvingly quotes USA Today religion writer Tom Krattenmaker who has been very critical of Tim Tebow’s involvement with his father’s evangelistic association. Krattenmaker has also authored a book entitled Onward Christian Athletes: Turning Ballparks into Pulpits and Players into Preachers
Dr. Albert Mohler responds, correctly identifying the exclusivity of the Christian gospel as the main offense for Cook and Krattenmaker:
Both Sam Cook and Tom Krattenmaker identify the exclusivity of the Gospel as the key issue of their concern when it comes to Tim Tebow and any number of other prominent sports figures. Krattenmaker repeatedly stresses that he believes athletes should be free to express their faith. Nevertheless, he argues that belief in the exclusivity of the Gospel of Christ is out of bounds for such expression.
What we face here is undoubtedly a sign of things to come. The belief that Jesus is the only Savior and that salvation comes only to those who come to Christ by faith is essential to Biblical Christianity. As Krattenmaker rightly observes in his book, when it comes to historic Christianity this belief is “hardly fringe or half-baked.” Yet, it is precisely this doctrine that is so odious and inconceivable to the postmodern mind.
Cook and Krattenmaker’s main concern is not so much with Tebow as it is with Jesus Christ Himself, whose jarring claims got Him and His first followers killed. As Mohler notes, “The belief that faith in Jesus Christ is necessary for salvation is now at the very center of secular outrage.”