Tebow on the Pedestal

(Image found at International Business Times)

I don’t know a doggone thing about football. Sure, I’ll watch bits and pieces of a game here and there, but for the most part football is a foreign language to me. You would have a much better chance talking about Bon Iver’s latest album with me than about football.

There is, however, one person that has sparked a sudden interest in football: Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos. No what team you root for, we can all agree that this kid can play. This past Sunday’s match with the Pittsburg Steelers even caught the attention of rapper Tyler, the Creator, who tweeted, “I really did not know who or what the f*** a Tebow was until four minutes ago.”

For evangelicals, though, Tebow represents more than just a talented football player; he is the quintessential All-American Christian Boy. He doesn’t smoke, he doesn’t drink, and he doesn’t do drugs. He’s a virgin who is saving himself for marriage. And of course, let’s not forget his meme-worthy prayer pose. In the eyes of evangelicals, Tebow is the poster boy for devout Christians everywhere who defy “political correctness” (whatever that means) by confessing that Jesus is Lord at every opportunity.

And this is why I fear for Tebow. No, it’s not because I want Tebow to stop being so Jesusy in order to make everyone comfortable. It’s because the higher evangelicals put Christian celebrities on the pedestal, the harder they will eventually fall.

Back in 2004, Mel Gibson became the darling of American evangelicals with his film The Passion of the Christ. The movie’s dramatic—and graphic—portrayal of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion became the religious film event of the year before it was even released. For evangelicals, Gibson was a shining beacon in the midst of the dark, evil, liberal Hollywood elite.

Cut to two years later when Gibson was arrested for drunk driving. While the DUI was bad enough, the real shock was his anti-Semitic remarks to the police officers. Things only got worse for Gibson when he left his wife for Oksana Grigorieva. That relationship ended with a million-dollar divorce and a slew of recorded profanity-laced, threatening, and disturbing phone calls.

Then there was Carrie Prejean, the Miss America contestant whose anti-gay marriage comments during the pageant made her a moral leader for many conservative Christians. She even received a standing ovation during an appearance on the Dove Awards. A few months later, though, some topless pictures of her were released. A few lawsuits and an embarrassing Larry King interview later, Prejean’s current celebrity status is in the “Where are they now?” area.

Of course, things might be different for Tebow. Maybe he won’t succumb to all of the Hollywood temptations. Maybe his faith will keep him from a humiliating fall from grace. He will, however, probably make some mistakes, because at the end of the day, despite beating the Steelers during overtime, Tebow is still a human being with all the same hang-ups and imperfections like the rest of us. So when he does fudge up, hopefully the evangelicals won’t crucify him.