Tim Tebow's Pastor Is Wrong To Claim God Is Saving the Denver Broncos

Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos are currently on an improbable run that has seen them jump to the top of the AFC West, but some people have taken their analysis of the situation just a bit too far. Add Tebow's pastor to that list after today.

Pastor Wayne Hanson, who runs Summit Church in Castle Rock, Colorado told TMZ that God is actively intervening on behalf of the Broncos because Tebow's faith is so strong. 

I'll give you a second to recover from the massive face-palm you just gave yourself. 

Frankly for a man of God, this is a little bizarre. To believe God is directly intervening in football games because one player has faith in him would really be an insult to the big man upstairs. Whether you believe in God or not, or have the same level of faith as Tim Tebow, the thought is insulting to the beliefs of millions of people.

Never mind that it also cheapens the actions of all of Tebow's teammates; it also cheapens the faith of his opponents. Just because players on the rosters of Denver's opponents aren't as vocal and public about their religious beliefs doesn't mean they don't have strong connections to their chosen higher power(s). I mean, really? God has selected Tebow to be his instrument of football-based change? Why not just openly call him football Jesus?

I understand that Hanson is happy for Tebow—who is a personal friend of his and whose father often speaks at Summit Church—and it seems that everyone in Colorado is ecstatic about the success the Broncos are having, but statements like this are the reason there is such a backlash against Tebow and his religious ties. Some people just find it unappealing that people hold him up and revere him to an obsessive degree, when in truth, he is just a football player.

Tebow is a fantastic young man; no one denies that. And his run of improbable victories with the Broncos over the past few weeks has been compelling to watch. But saying that God has directly intervened in games assumes that guys like Von Miller (who has been incredible) or Tebow's receivers really have no control over the outcome of these games. 

It takes all the hard work that Denver's coaching staff and players have put themselves through to improve the team and completely diminishes it. It takes away credit from them, the guys who have actually done all the work, and gives it to someone else whose impact we can't see or quantify. 

The Broncos have worked incredibly hard and they have had faith over the past few months. But while they may believe in a higher power, the belief that has most impacted the outcomes on the field has been their faith in each other.

That is what Hanson should realize and really be praising.