A happy product of Tim Tebow’s persistent success has been the production of another proof for the existence of God. St. Paul in Romans 1:20, Aquinas’ five ways, Anselm’s ‘that than which,’ and Kant’s moral argument: Tim Tebow’s proof finds itself amidst sanctificetur disputatio . Allowing as an initial premise that all states of affairs in which obvious divine intervention occurs are states of affairs in which God exists, the Tebowlogical argument, in austere formulation, might run something like this:
1. If the Broncos score in the next 11 seconds, then the Broncos will win against the Steelers.
2. If the Broncos score and win, then it will be because of divine intervention.
3. But Tim Tebow plays for the Broncos.
C: Divine intervention necessarily obtains; the Broncos will score and win.
Because the conclusion coheres with reality (Demaryius Thomas caught an 80 yard pass from Tim Tebow, scoring a game-winning touchdown), we can therefore assume that ours is a state of affairs in which God exists.
Unfortunately, arguments from design like the Tebowlogical argument cannot withstand arguments from evil. So, if the Broncos do end up losing to New England on Saturday, advocates of the Tebowlogical argument are in trouble. Dr. William Irwin , a philosophy professor at King’s College in Pennsylvania, objects on different grounds :
“But the idea that God intervenes in NFL games is absurd. If God exists, he is not responding to Tebow’s prayers by helping him win games. God is, by definition, perfect-all knowing, all powerful, and all good. This means that God always will do all and only the right and best things. If he failed to do so, he would not be God. But either helping the Broncos win is the best thing to do, or it isn’t. If it is the best thing to do, then God will do it. That is what God does: the best thing.”
Even if Dr. Irwin is right that petitionary prayer is not efficacious and the concept violates divine immutability, he must then admit that, as far as anyone can tell, God is doing what is best by allowing Tim Tebow to win. Next will be to discern the biblical references in his total passing yards for each game: Against the Steelers, he had 316.
Thanks to Siris
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
