Tim Tebow may be the most polarizing figure in sports history. Some of us love him and cheer for him. Others disdain him, even hate him. Everybody talks about him.
And Tim gives both camps plenty of ammunition.
I watched Denver games last year and cringed. Most elite quarterbacks throw spirals that knife through the air like a missile. Tebow’s passes wobble like drunk ducks. But in big moments, those drunk ducks seem to find a way home – into the end zone.
Those who criticize Tebow have all the ammo they need to do so. I remember one play from last year. A Denver receiver made a quick cut to the sideline and was pretty much wide open. It was not a difficult pass. Tebow bounced it to him. It may have been the worst pass I have ever seen in all my years of watching professional football. A high school coach might have yanked his quarterback for a pass like that. His “QBR” rating was down in the sludge at the bottom of the barrel. His best statistical games did not reach into the range of an average day for Marino or Manning or Montana. You could watch Tim Tebow series after series and wonder in amazement that this man was a starting NFL quarterback.
To argue that Tim Tebow is an elite passer is a difficult case to make. It is easy to identify his weaknesses.
On the other hand, Tim Tebow did things that amazed me. Time and again, after stinking up the field for 3 quarters, Tebow would step into a phone booth on the sidelines, don a cape and mask and return as Super-Tim. He won game after game at crunch time, rising like a phoenix from the smoldering flames – fires he set with less than adequate play prior to the fourth quarter. Tebow took a 1-4 team and led them to an 8-5 record the rest of the year. Yes, the defense helped. The running game contributed. But Tebow was the leader.
Tebow gave his supporters every reason to support him.
Talk about confusing. One quarterback gives his detractors ample evidence to argue he is one of the worst starting quarterbacks ever. The same quarterback gives his supporters ample evidence to argue that he is a winner!
The SBC is the Tim Tebow of denominations.
We issue plenty of sturdy rope to the critics of the SBC, from which they fashion the nooses of criticism. We are petty, compromised, carnal, unfocused, distracted, arrogant, doctrinaire, legalistic – you pick a critical descriptor and we will give you ample evidence to make the case against us.
On the other hand, we have a lot of good going on. There are passionate people doing God’s work, looking for new ways to do the ancient work of the gospel. We have some great leaders in place, some good programs and materials, and some fantastic people involved.
Like Tebow, we give ammunition to both sides!
The Solution?
I’m a Tim Tebow fan. I cheer for the guy. I do not pretend he is a technically proficient passer, but there is something about him that is fun to watch. In spite of all his faults, I’m pulling for him, and I think that he has a chance to have a good future in the NFL.
I’m taking the same attitude toward the SBC. I’m a fan. I think we’ve got a future and a hope. We have some problems we need to address and some challenges we need to face. Once, we saw ourselves as the Peyton Manning of conventions – we had it all together. That may no longer be true. We’ve got a hitch in our passing motion and we need to relearn some of our bad habits.
But that is no reason to give up on the SBC or to turn into a bitter critic of it. There is a lot of good going on. Let us support the good, rebuild what is broken and move toward a future for the glory of God.
May both Tim Tebow and the SBC have better days ahead!
