Christianity is relevant, even if people don’t believe it is. Even when a person does not believe in the Word of God, they still might exhibit some of the characteristics that are found within its pages; the same holds true for world famous athletes, such as Peyton Manning. He might not be an outspoken Christian, but he has definitely shown some Christian characteristics in his speech and in the way he plays the game of football.
Quotes
4. “I’m here tonight to receive an honor that I do not think I deserve, but I gratefully and humbly accept”
In receiving the Sportsman of the Year Award from Sports Illustrated, Peyton gave a brief speech in which he stated that he did not think he deserved the award. This is coming from the guy who has broken numerous records, won countless awards, and then some. Oh, and don’t forget the amazing season he just had in which he threw 55 touchdown passes! Clearly, from anyone else’s perspective, he deserves the award. But, Peyton is just a humble guy who always gives credit to those around him, his team. Very seldom will people find him boosting his own ego or talking about himself. No, that’s left for the Terrell Owens of the football world. Overall, people praise Manning for being an awesome role model, both on and off the field; he is articulate, smart, polite, and an all-around respectful guy.
3. “It’s important to have the kids there on Saturday”
According to Tony Dungy, former coach of the Indianapolis Colts, the team used to open up some Saturday morning practices to the players kids so that the family can watch their father at practice. Initially, Peyton was turned off by that idea. After all, football is serious business to him, so why open up distractions during practices? Despite his objections, Coach Dungy was adamant about doing it. Turns out, on a visit to the Denver Broncos facility, Dungy learned that Peyton told John Fox that “it’s important to have the kids there on Saturday.” Apparently, his views have changed dramatically over time. This certainly falls in line with Scripture, since it emphasizes the importance of the family, and specifically the role of a father in training up and spending time with their kids.
2. “Make kindness a priority”
In a speech at the University of Virginia for a recent graduating class, Peyton’s strong encouragement was that everybody should “make kindness a priority.” In fact, Peyton’s entire speech was a rally for strong morals and ethics. Of course, the Bible also stresses the importance of morality, and in particular showing kindness to others, even when it is undeserved. To take it further, the Bible even proclaims that kindness is one of the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22). So, even if it was unintentional, Peyton Manning gave great, godly advice to a bunch of graduates of the University of Virginia.
1. “You’re the generation that can put ethics and values back in vogue again”
In the same graduation speech, Peyton told all the young students that they have the power to change the world, and he was not joking. Although it’s hard to fathom changing the entire world, it’s entirely plausible to think that a group of people can, in fact, accomplish that. In fact, the Bible seconds that opinion on numerous occasions. Namely, the story of Jesus shows how even just one man can change an entire civilization for years and years. Today, there are so many issues popping up that showcase relativism masquerading as tolerance. Morality has been under attack, and thus Christians in particular are said to be outdated and irrelevant. Yet, even a world famous athlete like Peyton Manning agrees with the Bible, in that morality is necessary for society, and all the blurred lines need to vanish. As he said, ethics and values need to be in vogue again.
It’d be difficult to find people who do not, at the very least, respect Peyton Manning. And, sometimes his most respectable qualities are the ones that coincidentally line up with the qualities and characteristics that the Bible talks about—kindness, generosity, respectful, moral, fatherly, etc. This does not mean that Peyton is a Christian, though he very well could be. Rather, it shows that, when it comes down to it, people do respect many of the teachings in the Bible, but they often don’t hear it from the Word of God directly—they hear it from the Peyton Manning’s of the world. As such, Christians can use that to their advantage, using the words and actions of such athletes for evangelistic purposes.
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