Kurt Warner: PDF

The above clip is nothing unique. It's Arizona cardinals QB Kurt Warner being interviewed by Terry Bradshaw after the NFC Championship game. It's interesting how Kurt answers Bradshaw's question. He starts off by saying that we are tired of hearing about Christian faith. But, he also said that he never gets tried of talking about it. So are Warner and society at an impasse?

This, as I aid, is nothing new. When Warner was the QB of my beloved St. Louis Rams, he was just as open about his faith there. And this, I think, kind of grated on people after a while. I always wondered about that. Even I had issues with his theology at times.

But here's the rub. We, as Americans, and as Westerners, have been conditioned to believe, teach, and confess that religion and faith are private matters, best kept out of the spotlight of our lives. Or worse, relegated only to the house of worship we choose to attend. As a result, society has taught us to be uncomfortable with PDFs. That is, Public Displays of Faith.

Many people engage in PDFs. It's just that most are understated and easy to do. Examples of this would be wearing a religious symbol on your neck or lapel, certain types of clothing or attire, a bumper sticker. Stuff like that. It's easy, and predictable. In my job as a Pastor, my PDFs fit into this description. No one bats an eye when they see me in my clergy collar or my vestments on Sunday morning. Even when I tell someone that Jesus loves them, or we'd love to have them join us at church, they expect it. Some might even say, "Well, you're paid to say that." And yet, when we see Kurt Warner (or other high-profile people) so blatantly on fire with their faith, it produces all sorts of reactions in us.

It's easy to be cynical in this case too. It's easy to say, "Yeah, I'd probably be that happy about faith too if I was playing in the Super Bowl." But God is with us whether we are pro athletes or not. Whether our experiences and daily lives are going well or it seems like we are at the end of our ropes.

What do you think?