Tim Tebow makes headlines no matter what decision he makes and when he decided to cancel a scheduled appearance at the First Baptist Church last week after an outcry from the media, chances were that pastor Robert Jeffress would respond.
According to USA Today, the pastor, who has been accused of making controversial claims about various religions, including Jews, Muslims and Mormons, responded to Tebow's decision on Sunday during his sermon.
Jeffress spoke to his church in a 10-minute speech and while he does not mention Tebow by name directly, he spoke about the media attention he received over the week as well as about the situation with Tebow canceling his appearance.
"I am grateful for men of God like these who are willing to stand up and act like men rather than wimping out when it gets a little controversial and an inconvenient thing to stand for the truth," Jeffress said. "God bless men like that."
Jeffress thanked the people that stood by him despite the controversy and also appeared to shoot back at Tebow, saying that he "wimped" out when things got controversial.
"There are some people who would say, 'God's given me a different ministry. God has called me to go preach about the love of God. I'm not called to preach about sin and controversial things. I've been called to preach about the love of God.' And they're sincere when they say that. But they are sincerely wrong. The fact is you cannot talk about the love of God. The love of God has no meaning whatsoever unless you understand the judgment of God that all of us deserve," he continued.
Tebow originally was scheduled to appear at the church in Dallas in April, but he decided to change his mind after some controversy came out in the media about thing Jeffress has said in the past. Tebow wrote on Twitter his reason for skipping the two sermons, which would have happened at the opening of the church's new $130 million building.
"While I was looking forward to sharing a message of hope and Christ's unconditional love with the faithful members of the historic First Baptist Church of Dallas in April, due to new information that has been brought to my attention, I have decided to cancel my upcoming appearance. I will continue to use the platform God has blessed me with to bring Faith, Hope and Love to all those needing a brighter day. Thank you for all of your love and support. God Bless!," he Tweeted.
The church released a statement following Tebow's cancellation, saying that it was likely that the quarterback would appear ay the church at a later date.
"Mr. Tebow called Dr. Jeffress Wednesday evening saying that for personal and professional reasons he needed to avoid controversy at this time, but would like to come to First Baptist Dallas to speak at a future date," a statement read.
Tebow has yet to respond directly to the sermon and he has made headlines throughout the offseason for the possibility of being traded from the New York Jets. Tebow is one of the most controversial figures in the NFL due to his high profile and his religious beliefs and that came to a head once people heard some of the things Jeffress has said in the past.
This is not the first time Tebow has been involved with a large church, as he did it last Easter when he addressed 15,000 people at Celebration Church in Georgetown, Texas.
