OK sports fans, here is a topic of conversations for you.  In an interview with TMZ this week, Pastor Wayne Hanson of Summit Church in suburban Denver said that the Denver Broncos winning streak under quarterback Tim Tebow is not luck, but rather God's favor.  God is rewarding Tebow for his strong religious beliefs, and if he wasn't such a strong believer they would not be winning games.

Now we all know that a lot of pastors say a lot of stupid things.  They are human like everyone else, and often not very "street smart" in how to handle media attention.  But this pastor talking with a site like TMZ about God intervening in professional football has to be near the top of the list as one of the stupidest things I've heard a Christian leader say.  Now I don't doubt that God is working in Tebow's life, keeping him healthy and safe, blessing him with good fortune and using his faith as a way to advance the Gospel (as He does with all of us who chose to follow him), but to think that the only reason the Bronco's are winning is because God is making it happen just shows me how ignorant some people can be.  I mean of all things in this world for God to intervene in, making sure that a guy who makes millions to play a sport for a living wins a few games is probably pretty low on the important list.  At least I hope that is the case.  I would much rather have my God taking care of the sick and starving kids across the globe than helping a quarterback throw a few more touchdowns, but hey maybe that's just me. 

And if you really think about it, men and women of faith are on every sports team, in every kind of sport, in every part of the world.  These people have won games, championships and awards for generations.  There have been hundreds who came along way before Tim Tebow and hundreds that will come along after him.  Yet for some reason this guy has become the poster child for the Christian athlete and I just can't seem to figure out why.  My biggest fear is that the more people refer to him as the second coming of Christ, the harder the fall will be when his human side comes out. I guess only time will tell.    

The Christian world has been somewhat abuzz about the recent news of Bishop Eddie Long, who has announced a leave of absence from his pastoral position at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church just outside Atlanta Georgia, after his wife of 21 years filed for divorce last week.  Long's mega church has 25,000 members and he is considered one of the most influential Christian leaders in America, but in September of 2010 four men filed separate lawsuits against Long claiming an abuse of power and coerced sexual relations with him.  Long, who has been very vocal about his stance against homosexuality, eventually settled the claims out of court.  Then in October of this year, ten members of his congregation filed another suit, claiming they lost more than $1 million in fraudulent investment schemes orchestrated by the pastor.  All of this has taken its toll on the church and Long is doing his best duck and cover routine, taking a break from a position he has controlled for almost 25 years.

After reading about Long and learning more about the way he pastored his church, it is pretty clear that something bad was going to happen here.  He had unilateral control, surrounded himself with yes men and ran a virtual one man show.  There were no checks or balances and he was generally worshiped as one of God's chosen prophets of our day.  He was also a very prominent prosperity teacher, lavishing himself with luxury cars, a million dollar home, custom jewelry and even a private jet.

So I bring this up as another reminder to our readers and anyone who may stumble across this blog, please don't go to churches where the pastor is king.  The story of Eddie Long shows us once again that money, power, control and greed are things that have no place in the church.  Don't give of your time and money to places like this.  Churches are corrupt because we the people let them be.  Don't sit and listen week after week to anyone who tells you that you have to give to get, even if it means you have to walk away from your friends and family.  It may take some time but eventually you will find a place with a humble, God fearing pastor that wants to serve people over themselves.