‘Tell Me More, You Big Hero’

Sometimes editorial cartoons express ideas difficult to put into words. In poignant and sometimes dramatic ways, cartoons combine the emotion of art and the impact of well-chosen words to drive home a truth with more power than words alone could ever have.  

Former Birmingham News cartoonist Scott Stantis, now with the Chicago Tribune, did exactly that with his April 30 editorial cartoon. In a two-panel cartoon, Stantis highlighted the difference between the adulation poured out on professional basketball player Jason Collins who recently announced that he was gay and the dismissive attitude heaped on Tim Tebow for his public identity as a Christian. 

In panel 1 of the cartoon, Tebow is shown with his New York Jets number 15 across his back saying “I’m Christian.” A bored sports writer walks by ignoring Tebow and mumbles “Keep it to yourself.” Panel 2 shows Collins wearing his Boston Celtics number 98 jersey saying “I’m gay.” The same sports writer excitedly thrusts a microphone into Collins’ face saying “Tell me more, you big hero.” 

Not only did the media world go into a frenzy over Collins’ story, those Christians who dared raise a caution flag about all Collins said were treated to the equivalent of a media lynching. 

Collins made history April 29 when he became the first player from a major American team sport to declare he is gay. Sports Illustrated broke the story complete with a front cover photo of Collins with the words “The gay athlete.” 

The announcement made Collins an instant hero. Congratulations and supportive statements rolled in from celebrities and sports stars. His announcement became the topic of every sports talk show and even made national news. The day after the story became public, Collins gave a lengthy television interview to George Stephanopoulos on ABC News’ “Good Morning America.” 

On one of those shows Chris Broussard, an NBA analyst for ESPN and president of a Christian men’s ministry called K.I.N.G., questioned whether anyone can live in open rebellion to God and still call oneself a Christian. 

Broussard, a regular on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines,” said on that show, “Personally I don’t believe that you can live an openly homosexual lifestyle or in openly premarital sex between heterosexuals, if you’re openly living that type of lifestyle, then the Bible says you know them by their fruits, it says that’s a sin. If you’re openly living in unrepentant sin, whatever it may be — not just homosexuality, adultery, fornication, premarital sex between heterosexuals, whatever it may be — I believe that’s walking in open rebellion to God and to Jesus Christ. So I would not characterize that person as a Christian because I don’t think the Bible would characterize them as a Christian.” 

Broussard did not dump his convictions on an uninterested ESPN audience. His comments came in response to a question by the host of the TV show about Collins’ claim to be a Christian. In other words, Broussard, a recognized Christian who had spoken out against homosexuality previously, was asked by the host of “Outside the Lines” to give his personal opinion about Collins’ claim to be homosexual and Christian. 

For honestly answering that question, Broussard was verbally tarred and feathered by many in the media. 

Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo! Sports, for example, wrote, “It’s infuriating that Chris would go to this place immediately after talking up the massive outpouring of support (for Collins).” Dwyer called Broussard’s comments a “twisted take” and questioned how anyone could hold such views in 2013. He challenged ESPN for allowing Broussard’s comments on its sports show and said Broussard “used the pulpit of a sports talk show” to state what the Bible says about sexual behaviors.

ESPN quickly rushed to apologize. “We regret that a respectful discussion of personal viewpoints became a distraction from today’s news. ESPN is fully committed to diversity and welcomes Jason Collins’ announcement,” the network said. 

One has to ask what kind of world is it where Sports Illustrated can do a major story on a homosexual athlete and the athlete and the story be praised and applauded while one who espouses biblically based standards of sexual morality is attacked and condemned. 

As Stantis illustrated in his cartoon, many seem to want Christians to keep their faith to themselves but want to celebrate the homosexual. 

Why is it permissible for a sports talk show to talk about being a gay athlete and wrong for someone to point out the Bible calls that practice sin? If one is free to advocate for gays in the media, why is one not free to speak against the practice? 

Some argue that religious convictions, especially Christian religious convictions, should be addressed in private, not in the public square. But these same voices claim the privilege of advancing their philosophy of life at every opportunity. 

It is important to remember that as far back as 1961 the United States Supreme Court described secular humanism as a religion (Torcaso v. Watkins). More recently in 2007 the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Wisconsin ruled “atheism is religion” because it expresses a philosophy of life. 

Voices like Dwyer who reject the God of the Bible in favor of their own “philosophy of life” are advancing religious convictions just as surely as Broussard spoke about practices the Bible calls sin. If Broussard was out of bounds, so was Sports Illustrated; so were the other commentators who praised Collins; so were news shows like “Good Morning America” that favorably present Collins and his gay lifestyle. 

The truth is that those who reject biblical teachings are not going to stop doing everything they can to advance behaviors the Bible condemns. Christians cannot stop either. Christians have just as much right to speak in the public square as anyone else. Disagreements should be expected but Christians cannot back up from contending for biblical values. 

To Tim Tebow and Chris Broussard the world may say “keep your faith to yourself.” But Christians say to them, “Tell me more, you big hero.”