St. Tebow and the Sign of the Crossbars

I’m not sure what qualifies as praying to an idol but it sure seems hard to distinguish the photos of the Easter service in Georgetown, Texas from hero worship.

The other thing the pictures reflect is something that doesn’t come as news to anyone — that sports in America, cherished as it is on Sundays throughout the year, is more religion in this country than religion itself. Twenty miles north of Austin, the locale didn’t seem to be an obstacle for many of the 15,000 Christians who drove for hours primarily to witness the 20 minute Tebow interview with the pastor of Celebration Church as part of an afternoon of worship.

Besides the girl-crushes suggesting a rapture of a different kind, the pictures are also wonderful for the way they render a religious service indistinguishable from a tailgate party.

Slideshow at Statesman.com

(photos 1 & 3: Ralph Barrera / American-Statesman caption 1: Tebow delivered his religious message to a receptive audience who raise their hands in prayer with Pastor Joe Champion..photo 2: William Philpott/AP caption 2: Max Sandoval, Jaime Sandoval, Debbie Sandoval and Boomer Sandoval, from left, wait for New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow to speak at Celebration Church’s Easter service in Georgetown, Texas, Sunday, April 8, 2012. caption 3: For the Sandovals of Round Rock, brothers Boomer, far left, Max, and parents Jaime and Debbie, it is truly a family love affair for Tebow as they sport New York Jets Tebow jerseys to the service.)