Rachel Held Evans

We used to receive a phone directory called the Christian Yellow Pages complete with those little fish. The implication was that by selecting a business or contractor from these pages ensured that you would receive good work at a reasonable price. Alas, we learned much to our chagrin that Christian businesses will screw you just like anyone else.

I have a great deal of respect for Tim Tebow, because I believe that he is sincere about his faith (or in slang terms, "the real deal").

Most people will disagree with me on this, but in my view, God did not put Tim Tebow here to play football. He gave Tim (and others) the ability to play the game and play it well. In my humble opinion, God put Tim here, to bring glory to him. Col. 3:23.

Likewise, in my profession as an attorney, God did not put me here to practice law. I believe that he gave me the legal talents and abilities to bring glory to his name.

Thus, I have no problem with football players (or other athletes) thanking God. I do have problems with those who believe that God will let their team win because they have a Christian coach or a Christian QB or we have more Christians than the other team. I also have problems with football players quoting Bible verses and then making it no secret that their favorite hobby is womanizing. See generally Matt. 5:28.

I think God cares about football, but in a way that you and I may not understand. I humbly believe that God wants to see whether the football player represents the Kingdom of God well in victory or defeat.

This post is longer than planned, but I suppose I am pretty passionate about this issue.

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One comment above referred to the word "stupidity" in referring to Focus on the Family's efforts.

What is really stupid is some corporate executive coming up with the idea that the word "Christmas" will actually offend Americans during the Christmas season. All 2 percent of them. Stupider yet is the idea that employees need to be trained on not to say that word and to substitute a different word. Stupider even than that is all the money likely spent on revising signs and mailings to reflect the new marketing campaign.

I know Focus on the Family is the usual whipping boy around here, but I have no problem with a stupid campaign in response to the original stupid campaign.

"Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father"

Why NOT give Him credit and praise?

It seems that they are assuming that God stands in a causal relationship to the victory, while denying the causal effects of own their effort.

I think it is wrongheaded and it overlooks the ability for a person to do something with excellence to honor God. Since God caused it, they should in the same way and same sense, thank God for the victory of the other team if they have at one point lost. But I don't think that is how they would think about it.

The implication is, God is behind absolutely all things (responsibly that is), including the things they don't really want to thank Him for.

It seems that they should rather thank Him for the ability to play the game the best they could.

-Gabriel

It reminds me of those Christian retail directories where you can make sure you shop only at stores owned by Christians. Why do we feel such a necessity to put everything in boxes? If a store sells good products at fair prices in a friendly way, then what does it matter if they say "Merry Christmas" or something else? After all, wasn't it the religious retailers selling in the temple that Jesus horsewhipped out?

Wow, first i read the blog entry, which was pretty funny, got a good chuckle out of me... then read the first reply... and was like, ok that guy didn't get it... then the second... third.... fourth... and started to think I was the only one who realized you were being sarcastic!!! haha, the funniest part is, in the end, a bunch of people have commented on here with the same kind of comments you were making light of in your blog. Thanks for finally clearing it up in a later comment before I thought I was the only crazy one here. hahahahaha

Rachel - This was brilliant! Thanks for pointing out how ridiculous these sorts of campaigns are. I became disinterested in what Focus On The Family had to say many years ago when it became evident that they are an organization that is mostly "against" stuff instead of "for" stuff.

I've witnessed many Kentucky Derbies on TV, but have yet to see the winning jockey drop and bend a knee. Maybe God doesn't play the horses - He'd have an unfair advantage.

Y'all check out Chad's Web site: http://www.chadgibbs.com/Site/Home.html

He's an expert on faith and football!

“I guess that pass was intended for the Holy Spirit.”

I'm going to steal that line. Just you try and stop me!

I am hoping that one day Tebow will thank God for the loss to BAMA Saturday night. I have no doubt that his character grew more through this disappointment than all those victories. I think the real issue is trusting God through all circumstances, and our trust isn't worth much if everything always goes our way.

It's the perhaps unintended "I won, so therefore that proves God is good" message that kind of bugs me. It's similar to the "I made lots of money/my book sold lots of copies/my business is booming/I tithed and now I'm rich so therefore that proves God is good" message we often hear in middle and upper middle class American Christian circles.

Yes, God is good. And we should thank him for the good things that happen to us. But hopefully not in a way that seems to suggest that those things happening to us (and not to others) are what prove his goodness to us. He causes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust.

“I guess that pass was intended for the Holy Spirit.” Now that's funny!

I suppose I don't really mind it when athletes express their thanks to God and Jesus, as long as that thanks is sincere. Just once I'd like to hear someone on the losing side say the same thing, though.

Haha, you are too funny. Good response. I do agree that FotF has gone overboard with their rate the store thing. The good news is that you can still shop at Target. They have a Merry Christmas window decals posted on their doors and their cashiers wish you "Merry Christmas".

I think Jesus is an equal opportunity football fan and since He allowed Florida to win last year, then this was Alabama's year.

But on the other hand, there's a lot of us who would maintain that since all these things were preordained before the world was formed, the players on both teams were simply conforming to the script.

Doubters,

This is not criticism for anyone necessarily, but I want to mention that anyone who has a limited intellect and finite mind, will find themself dealing with some other level of certainty than absolute. I think this thereby makes them potentially able to question their own human reason. Though I am having a hard time seeing how this should be labeled as doubt. And what does it have to do with faith?

I don't know what sense it makes for anyone to label themself a doubter, as the ability to doubt(the lack of absolute certainty) is already a property of their finite human nature. It, and I might be mistaken, seems to me that when someone label's themself "a doubter," they see their approach to life a little more skeptical than most folks. Though, most folks can have justified beliefs without arguments, therefor making them rational.¹ Respect and honesty is the only way a human should approach their limited knowledge. Are they saying any more than, "I am being responsible and asking questions?" I am not quite convinced of this. It reminds me more of the doubt that was praised in upper academia, back around the sixties. At that point, anyone who wasn't doubting their faith, had something wrong with them.

I think this guilty until proven innocent mentality is wrong headed and more of a product of the enlightenment skepticism than honest inquiry. I think it amounts to little more or less than Descartes' quest for absolute certainty. His conclusion; "Cogito ergo sum"(I think, therefor I am). The only thing Rene Descartes resolved an evil genius could not deceive him of, was his own existence! How absurd! It is possible that I am misdiagnosing this label folks are preferring to run under, but I don't understand the sentiment.

I honestly can't think of any other person I know that asks more questions than I do. But, I do not think this quest of inquiry is related to doubt. I am rather convinced that quality communication happens less often than many are willing to admit and this requires clarity. I also think the amount of honest learning and inquiry that is appropriate for limited human reason has not been encouraged in the society we live in as much as it aught.

This may have been addressed already, but why is the handle "doubter" a preferred title among folks who are questioning orthodoxy? I am not convinced that I am not asking the same questions of my faith, yet I still don't see it amounting to doubt. Anyone?

Respectfully,
Gabriel

_________________________

¹See Alvin Plantinga’s work on reformed epistemology. Not to be confused with reformed theology.

Help ... I'm addicted to reading your blog and can't quit!
I found you around Thanksgiving, but just this weekend read more of it. OMG ... I feel like I've come to a home I didn't know I have.
I am a doubter. I ask questions (many). I rarely like being called a evangelical christian. Reading some of your posts is comforting - it so nice to know that I'm not alone with these thoughts of mine.
Now back to more reading ...

Wanted to make sure everyone knows that my trip to Lowes was completely fictional! (In fact, I hear that they DO have inflatable nativity scenes there!) Just poking fun at Focus on the Family for wasting time and money on this project, which, in my opinion, only encourages folks to be entitled and rude. Just a bit of satire! I would never be so rude to a cashier!

PVK: My alter-ego is a good dispensationalist who thinks the reign of Christ has yet to come. :-)

Hi Rachel and commenters,

I think the spirit behind what they are doing is good, so I give them the benefit of the doubt. We have a big Macy's in a posh shopping center by our home, and every year they set up a huge Christmas tree outside the store and have a big lighting event, which is neat, but this year I actually saw the add for it, and it said "Come to the lighting of the Great Tree!" "Great" tree? Gimme a break. I think that is what Focus on the Family is trying to combat: the cowardly politically correctness which eventually makes people afraid of calling something what it is, like, a "Christmas" tree.

The recent Gap commercial I watched with young hipsters dancing around shouting Happy Kwanzaa/Solstice/Christmas/Hanukkah/Whatever was another example.

That being said, I agree that you don't need to shove a Merry Christmas down someone's throat whether they like it or not or black-list a company because someone feels like they were offended by someone who works there not telling them Merry Christmas.

Blessed Advent to you all!

Rachel, that was hilarious! Does anyone carry an inflatable baby Jesus? I try to ignore inflatables. I think I'm offended if an inflatable Jesus or a baby Jesus in an inflatable snow globe actually exists. Please tell me those two things don't REALLY exist!!!