Tebow's Pro-Life Super Bowl Ad Takes Courage

Well, fellas, you've just been given another reason to watch the Super Bowl this year. If you haven't heard, Focus on the Family plans to air a pro-life ad featuring Tim Tebow during the big game. In it, the Heisman-winning quarterback and his mother, Pam, will share a personal story centered on the theme of "Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life."

Though the ad hasn't aired, the assumption is that it will center on the story surrounding Tebow's birth. When Pam was pregnant with Tim in 1987, she contracted a dangerous infection. She was working as a missionary in the Philippines, and her doctors there recommended an abortion. Pam refused. Now this story is to get 30 seconds of prime-time exposure.

When I first heard about the ad, my initial reaction was, "Uh-oh, that might turn some people off." See, as a Christian (and a Gators fan), I like that everybody likes Tebow. He's the rare public figure who everyone—from the talking heads on TV to the average Joe on the street—can agree is good. The only thing opposing college fans could criticize him for was being too good.

That might change after the ad. By taking a public stance on arguably the most controversial issue in America, Tebow is going to open himself up to a lot of criticism. Pro-choice groups are condemning the spot, calling on CBS to remove it from the Super Bowl XLIV programming.

Of course, nobody has seen the ad yet. But I'm guessing there's no way pro-choice viewers are going to enjoy it. And if they don't, they're certainly not going to feel the same way about Tebow after the ad as they did before it.

However, as much as I'd prefer for everybody to keep liking Tebow, I'm blown away by his courage to stand up for what he believes in. Though he's never been secretive about his view on abortion, he's now blatantly announcing his view to the world by appearing on an advocacy commercial.

In doing so, he's not just risking his current popularity, he's also risking his potential income. How many corporate sponsors will endorse an athlete who goes out of his way to support a controversial opinion?

But here's the thing: The goal of a Christian man's life isn't to be liked by everyone. Jesus certainly wasn't. As Christian men, we are called to stand up for what we believe, speak truth and defend those who can't defend themselves. Certainly we have to balance this truth with love, but trying to avoid controversy altogether is not in the bag. It's the coward's way out.

During an interview with reporters in Mobile, Ala., on Sunday Tebow said, "I know some people won't agree with it, but I think they can at least respect that I stand up for what I believe."

It worked for me. I have even more respect for Tebow than I had before. He knows he has a platform right now, and he doesn't know how long that platform is going to last, so he's using it to stand up for what he believes in.

I admire that.

What do you think?