Tim Tebow prays following a game with Jacksonville in December/Rob Foldy, USA TODAY Sports. So much for turning the other cheek.
After Tim Tebow canceled his scheduled appearance at First Baptist Church in Dallas due to controversy over prior remarks by the church's leader, Dr. Robert Jeffress, the pastor appeared to fire back at the New York Jets quarterback in his sermon this past Sunday.
UNCLEAR FUTURE: Jets reveal little about plans for Tebow
In the ten minute speech, which the church made available on YouTube, Jeffress addresses the attention he had received in the past week without mentioning Tebow by name. But after thanking all of the people who had stood by him recently, he strongly rebukes those who didn't (about 7:23 into the speech).
"I am grateful for men of God like these who are willing to stand up and act like men rather than wimping out when it gets a little controversial and an inconvenient thing to stand for the truth," Jeffress said. "God bless men like that."
"There are some people who would say 'God's given me a different ministry. God has called me to go preach about the love of God. I'm not called to preach about sin and controversial things. I've been called to preach about the love of God. And they're sincere when they say that. But they are sincerely wrong. The fact is you cannot talk about the love of God. The love of God has no meaning whatsoever unless you understand the judgment of God that all of us deserve."
Last Thursday, Tebow tweeted his reasoning for skipping the two sermons, which would have taken place on April 28 at the church's new $130 million building.
While I was looking forward to sharing a message of hope and Christ's unconditional love with the faithful members of the historic First Baptist Church of Dallas in April, due to new information that has been brought to my attention, I have decided to cancel my upcoming appearance. I will continue to use the platform God has blessed me with to bring Faith, Hope and Love to all those needing a brighter day. Thank you for all of your love and support. God Bless! The church was much more benign in their response to Tebow's cancellation last week.
"Mr. Tebow called Dr. Jeffress Wednesday evening saying that for personal and professional reasons he needed to avoid controversy at this time, but would like to come to First Baptist Dallas to speak at a future date," a statement read.
It was highly unlikely that Tebow was ever going to reschedule the engagement, but he's almost certainly not going to ever appear in front of the congregation now. Jeffress has made controversial claims about Mormons, Muslims, Jews, Catholics and homosexuals in the past.
Tebow hasn't responded publicly to Jeffress' sermon, which is probably the best move for him at this point. He's likely to be released or traded this offseason and with teams already wary of his ability to be a productive NFL quarterback, there's no reason to court any sort of controversy that will grow the already sizable traveling circus that is likely to follow Tebow wherever he ends up.
Given Tim Tebow's lack of playing time and the fact he was passed over by third-string quarterback Greg McElroy to start against the Chargers, will Tebow and the Jets be parting ways after the 2012?
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Rich Barnes/USA TODAY Sports Images Related story Fullscreen There was plenty of media buzz for Tim Tebow's arrival at Jets training camp.
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Greg Trott, AP Related story Fullscreen Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow celebrates after beating the Steelers 29-23 in overtime of an NFL wild card playoff game on Jan. 8, 2012, in Denver. Tebow's 80-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas on the first play of the extra period clinched the victory.
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Laurie Hice Michaelson, AP Related story Fullscreen Tim Tebow is as comfortable at the crosses of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis as he is around football goal posts.
Lisa W. Buser for USA TODAY Related story Fullscreen Florida quarterback Tim Tebow runs around Dolphin Stadium shaking hands with Florida fans following the Gators' 24-14 win over Oklahoma at Dolphins Stadium to win the BCS Championship Game in 2009.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY Related story Fullscreen Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow poses with the Heisman Trophy as he addresses the media on Dec 8, 2007 after winning the 2007 award.
James Lang, US Presswore Related story Fullscreen At the University of Florida ,Tim Tebow wore eye black without Bible verses on them.
Phil Sandlin, AP
