Christ! Where was God when Tim Tebow and the Broncos lost so badly? Did Jesus take the night off or has he forsaken poor devoted Tebow!
USA Today asks, “When Tebow loses, does God too?” I’m so confused!
For some, the answer to this question lies in the now-famous Saturday Night Live Skit featuring Tim Tebow and Jesus Christ. If you haven’t seen it, it is highly recommended.
Perhaps my favorite is this recent national poll of over 1,000 registered U.S. voters that reveals that 43 percent of people polled think Tim Tebow’s success is due to divine intervention… including 54 percent of Republicans.
We have written extensively here at Integral Thinkers, and in other publications, about the power of worldviews. There are four primary worldviews in the developed world: Modern, Postmodern, Traditional and Imperial. Tim Tebow’s biblical worldview seems at odds with modern sports in a postmodern media environment.
Why is it so fascinating? The answer to that question is reflected in the different ways that people with different worldviews see it. These and hundreds of other headlines about Tim Tebow’s “relationship with Christ” and Christ’s apparent relationship with the Denver Broncos (American football team) is hysterical to people with modern and postmodern worldviews. Yet for the estimate 30% of Americans that share Tebow’s Traditional worldview, they don’t think its very funny. What’s funny about “Truth” they ask with a puzzled look on their faces. Jesus Christ is the only Son of God and if the rest of the National Football League players and coaches, heck, the rest of the world would only recognize that, the world would be a much better place.
In my Introduction to Worldviews article here on Integral Thinkers, I summarize the four primary worldviews. To people who think like Tim Tebow, the world is an ordered existence governed by a higher authority. People who view the world through this lens perceive a concrete, literal, dualistic world of right and wrong, insiders and outsiders, believers and non-believers, and good and evil. The key to life is obey authority, pray to God for salvation, and hope like hell that he (always a “he” of course) answers your prayers.
Wherever in the world you encounter the Traditional worldview, it will define acceptable and unacceptable gender roles, sexual orientations and practices, food and drink consumption, and of course spiritual practices based on the long-standing traditions endemic to that culture. There is one and only one right way to think and behave. Conforming to authority’s prescribed “right” way to think and behave is the key to ensure future rewards. It is very important to understand that while the details of the local customs and culture (including religious practices) will differ, the broad-based core values and universal beliefs that comprise a Traditional worldview will be identical anywhere on the planet, whether it be Tehran, Turkey, Thailand or West Texas.
If you ever watch American cable television’s Fox News, then you already know that advocates of this worldview use claimed moral authority to galvanize loyalty and motivate followers for political and economic gain. In the U.S., books such as Sean Hannity’s Deliver Us from Evil and Bill O’Reilly’s Culture Warrior make a convincing case that Modern and Postmodern values are a dangerous threat to our traditional way of life.
Compare this with the modern and postmodern worldviews and the whole, integral picture starts to come into focus.
If you want to learn more about worldviews and how they explain
so much about our puzzling world, below are several great articles:
- Reaction to Gay Marriage as Litmus Test for Traditional Worldview
- Judgment Day: the End of the World Prediction in the News
- Why Democracy and Freedom in Egypt Leaves Out Women
- Worldviews and Integral Leadership
- Very Brief Introduction to Worldviews
- Or click here to see all Integral Thinkers articles related to worldviews
About Brett Thomas