1.21.10 Publisher’s Perspective

Tim Tebow made me proud to be a Gator. And this week he taught me an important lesson about heroes.

At the University of Florida in Gainesville, the handsome red brick law school is just a short distance from Florida Field. But when I was there the football team was unranked and unimpressive. Saturday afternoon games were an afterthought, and cheers from the massive stadium were barely loud enough to disrupt study.

These past four years, with the 6’2” 230-pound Tebow playing quarterback, the Gators have won two national championships. They finished third this season because of a single loss. In 2007—the off year—Tebow compensated for a 9-4 record by winning the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore.

Part field general, part bulldozer, part cheerleader-in-chief, Tebow has electrified Gator Nation and all of college football. More than one sportswriter has called him “the greatest player in college football history.” His missionary background is inspiring. His face and body seem chiseled out of marble. Everything about him appears heroic.

Even though Tebow’s college football career is over, his life is still chronicled daily in the sports section of local newspapers.

So a Jan. 17 story touting his appearance in a commercial that will air twice during the upcoming Super Bowl was not unusual. Filmed in Orlando, the 30-second spot will reportedly feature Tebow and his mother sharing a personal message.

Tebow has often said that he hopes to use his high profile to spread the Gospel. This, and the eye black Bible verses and “God bless” salutations, concerned me. But my concern was tempered by his innocent sincerity and the limits of his previous outreach, mostly within his father’s mission in the Philippines.

So I was alarmed to read that his commercial is sponsored by Focus on the Family, a virulently anti-gay conservative Christian ministry that has actively immersed itself in electoral politics as well as the debate over abortion and marriage rights.

The Colorado-based organization’s founder, James Dobson, has said that gay marriage will lead to “marriage between a man and his donkey.” He believes that, “[h]omosexuals are not monogamous. They want to destroy the institution of marriage. It will destroy marriage. It will destroy the earth.”
Until just a few months ago the organization was heavily invested in ministries designed to convert gays to heterosexuality. According to their Web site at FocusOnTheFamily.com, “Just as there are many paths that may lead a person to experience same-sex attractions, there are likewise multiple ways out.”

These conversion ministries were reportedly handed over to Orlando-based Exodus International as part of cost-cutting that involved the shedding of 275 jobs. Just FYI: the Tebow spots will cost Focus on the Family more than $5 million.

The commercial will likely share a pro-life message from the Tebows’ own experience. While pregnant and on a mission, Pam Tebow contracted amoebic dysentery and lapsed into a coma. When she came to, doctors urged her to abort the child to prevent further damage to her body. She refused, and her son, Tim, was born healthy.

It’s an inspiring story, and worthy of consideration. But it implies cause-effect where there is none. Should it then be contrasted with a commercial featuring a mother who self-aborted with tragic consequences, or who was raped and had inadequate support to deal with the result?

Tim Tebow is a remarkable athlete. He is also a devout Evangelical Christian with an apparently literal belief in the Bible, and a clear road map to salvation. A virgin, he opposes sex outside marriage, and likely even contraception within marriage. There can be no doubt that he presently opposes LGBT equality.

He is also very young. Despite worldly accomplishments, his belief system is still based on limited input and experience. For that reason, there is much that can be forgiven or otherwise overlooked. And still much to admire.

But there can be no justification for his affiliation with a fear-based organization that spreads untruths and damages lives. Just in the past two years, 10 researchers have claimed that Focus on the Family misrepresented their work to justify anti-gay policy pronouncements as “scientific.” An example: that homosexuality is caused by child molestation.

If Tebow’s goal was to share a pro-life message, there are many less toxic vessels with which to associate. I hope some day his ministry will expose him to a cross-section of his LGBT brothers and sisters. And that he will approach them as Jesus would, with an open mind and loving heart.
Perhaps it is wrong to make heroes of the young. No matter how dazzling their accomplishments, it is certainly a mistake to overlook their limitations.

Tebow will play in at least one all-star game later this month. I have a suggestion for his black eye Bible verse. In Matthew 5:10-11, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”