Is Tim Tebow a Chauvinist?
— Saturday, September 22nd, 2012 —
Tim Tebow says he wants a wife with “a servant’s heart.” Does that make him a misogynist?
Jezebel, a feminist website, picked up on comments Tebow made in an interview with Vogue magazine, in which he said he wanted a wife who lived up to the high standards set for him by his mother and sisters. He wanted to find a woman he found beautiful, he said, but, beyond that, he wanted a wife with a “servant’s heart.”
Jezebel (their name for themselves; I’m not name-calling) summed this up as that Tebow’s perfect woman is “hot, kind and servile.”
I’ve been saying for years that I don’t think Christians ought to be “outraged” by what the outside world says about us. And I’m not outraged by this. But I think it’s a good opportunity to tell our non-Christian neighbors what Christians mean when they say “a servant’s heart.”
What we don’t mean is that this is something unique to women. I know, I know. You hear this language and you assume Tebow wants a Stepford wife in a French maid’s uniform, massaging his feet and refilling his glass of sweet tea. But this isn’t what evangelical Christians mean when they say “a servant’s heart.”
First of all, in Christianity, a “servant” isn’t a slur.
Now, I get why that’s hard to understand. Our apostolic fathers didn’t get it either. They debated who would be the “greatest” and the “leader” among them. Jesus pointed out that he was the one serving them broken bread and poured-out wine, and he is the king of the entire cosmos. “Who is greater,” Jesus asked, “The one who reclines at table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves” (Lk. 22:27).
Jesus serves his Bride, the church, by washing her feet in the upper room. This is what greatness is, Jesus tells Christians, to serve one another and to outdo one another in building one another up. That servant-heartedness isn’t unique to women; all Christians are called to it. And it isn’t antithetical to strong leadership. Serving is precisely how Jesus rules as king, and how he prepares his people, men and women, to rule with him in the reign to come.
Husbands serve wives. Wives serve husbands. Children serve parents. Parents serve children. Pastors serve churches. Churches serve pastors. That concept might be demeaning in the world of Vogue, but it’s not in a new creation where “the leader is the one who serves” (Lk. 22:26).
I’m not upset at our feminist friends for reading Tebow wrong on this. It’s easy to do, if you don’t know the back-story. But it’s a good reminder to all of us, because we Christians have a hard time differentiating between servanthood and servility too. I know I do, and Jesus has to keep breaking in here and reminding me.
When Tim Tebow says he wants a wife with “a servant’s heart,” he is, like any Christian man, hoping also for a woman who is seeking a husband with “a servant’s heart.” It doesn’t mean he wants a doormat. It just means he wants a Christian.
26 Responses to “Is Tim Tebow a Chauvinist?”
Trackbacks
- Worth a Look 9.24.12 – Trevin Wax
- SBTS Southern Blogs » Is Tim Tebow a Chauvinist?
- Bits & Pieces (9/24/12) | Better Things Ahead
- Is Tim Tebow a Chauvinist? « A Modern Puritan
- Friday’s 5 to Live By | Biblical Counseling Coalition Blogs
- Linkage -Saturday, September 29, 2012 | Ruminations on Life
- Short Saturday Post | Living With Power
Tom Howard put it best. The key to life, for husbands and wives and everyone, is “my life for yours”.
Just a misunderstanding? Feminism hates God and rejects the nature of femininity. Jezebel doesn’t want an explanation: she wants Elijah’s head.
YES!! Amen and thank you. I am glad God gave you the ability to articulate things so well.
My husband has a servant’s heart but unfortunately, I think most feminists would be okay with a husband that had one just as long as it didn’t require them to have one in return.
Growing up in a feministic household where the women dominated the men, I found that they were quite satisfied with wimpy doormats. Believe or not, I hated it and was determined that I wanted a man who could stand his ground. My husband is most burly, forthright and rugged-and also has a servant’s heart!
In fact, if it weren’t for his consistent example, I would know little about what it means to serve others in love.
And if you can believe this, he actually graduated from Southern Seminary 5 years ago and STILL has a servant’s heart:p
( I am sure you must know what feminists think of our chauvinistic theology!)
@Michelle, Excellent point…It is interesting that feminism would not mind Tebow serving his wife, however, they loathe the idea that his wife would ever serve him.
Sometimes those who have been afflicted (and subjugated) never are able to rise above it. It is telling that some immediately hear the word “servile” and have no concept of how serving can be a virtue, reflective of God himself. One suggestion, however: most of us in the modern world need a more direct explanation of what foot washing signified. ( “Jesus serves his Bride, the church, by washing her feet in the upper room”. ) For many, that reference puts them right back to the image of “a Stepford wife in a French maid’s uniform, massaging his feet…”
Good post. I’m surprised that people would take such offense at this kind of comment, but some people look to get hung up on any and all things Christian. So… I really shouldn’t be surprised, should I.
Your comments about not taking offense are apt and fitting–a good reminder. Thank you much.
I missed a question mark. Sorry. Here’s on or the punctuation police: ?.
Thank you for this thoughtful explanation. Too bad the editors of Jezebel et al chose to take issue with the phrase without so much as doing a quick Google search to educate themselves. It’s easier to criticize, I suppose, albeit not very attractive in this particular instance.
Right on.
“Who is greater,” Jesus asked, “The one who reclines at table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves” (Lk. 22:27).
Our Lord says it like no other. Awesome words to us sinners.
have a great Lord’s day! rejoice and be glad in Jesus our Savior and Friend!
What “they” (the culture) don’t get is that biblical servanthood is not externally imposed. It is selfless submission — willful, intentional service from the heart of the servant.
It’s truly a nice and useful piece of information. I am happy that you just shared this useful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.
The guy is a class act!!
Check out the comments to the Jezebel article. Even if the author/editors don’t get it, it looks like the majority of the commenters do–including many who say up front that they are godless and/or don’t like Tim Tebow. I was encouraged to see so many defending Tebow’s comment. Of course it is expected that outsiders will misunderstand Christianity–but it’s good to see it doesn’t *always* turn out that way.
Feels like its just a commentary on how the world views marriage compared to a biblical view and how do you impose a view on the world that has no desire to pursue a relationship with Christ or follow his commands or the institutions that he has established as a rubric for life?
Thank you for this post. He is modeling for us all what we should be looking for in a spouse, which I already have. I am reminded of Proverbs 1:7 and 31:30.
I do consider all the concepts you have introduced for your post. They’re really convincing and can certainly work. Nonetheless, the posts are too brief for starters. Could you please lengthen them a little from subsequent time? Thanks for the post.
Maybe this a good reminder to all of us to think twice when using Christianese with those who aren’t familiar with it. Until just a couple of years ago, when I joined an evangelical church, I was not familar with phrases such as “hedge of protection” and “traveling mercies.” I had a vague idea what “anointed” meant, but I still wasn’t sure. Friends who attended a full-gospel church were shocked when I asked them to explain these things to me; they assumed I knew what they were talking about. I grew up in a church, but these phrases weren’t part of the conversation there. Tim Tebow’s interview was with Vogue, and that interview was picked up by Jezebel, neither of which caters to an evangelical audience. A few years ago I too probably would have done a double take when I saw “a servant’s heart,” but not out of any sort of malice.
This was giggle-worthy and profound at the same time!
I love how you are respectful, kind and truthful.
What I don’t like, and what disturbs me, are Christians in a public forum needing to “name call” unbelievers. Way to go in showing your respect for those who are made in His image.
And the need to tear down Feminism. Which, I’d like to remind everyone, is why your daughters and wives can now be who God wants them to be - secretaries, teachers or nurses, and also athletes, doctors, architects, chefs.