Beco
I'm Not Your Guru
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2002
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By Daniel Burke
Religion News Service
(RNS) New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin's underdog story and outspoken evangelical faith have some sportswriters dubbing him the "Taiwanese Tebow."
But while Lin and Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow share similar Christian convictions, Lin's rise to stardom is even more miraculous.
Just a few weeks ago, the Harvard University graduate was buried on the bench and crashing on friends' couches. Stadium security guards mistook Lin for a team trainer.
After injuries to teammates, though, Lin was inserted into the starting lineup. The Knicks have promptly won five straight games, with their new point guard leading the way, sending the New Yorkers and Asian-Americans across the country into a frenzy of "Linsanity."
Fans splurge for replicas of Lin's jersey, the TV ratings of Knicks games have skyrocketed and shares of the Madison Square Garden Co., which owns the basketball team, reached an all-time high on Monday (Feb. 13).
Like any good point guard, Lin knows the art of the pass -- distributing the praise to his teammates and to God.
"I'm just thankful to God for everything," Lin said in a recent post-game interview. "Like the Bible says, 'God works in all things for the good of those who love him.'"
Lin's passing reference to Romans 8:28 was caught by his longtime pastor, Stephen Chen of Redeemer Bible Fellowship, a ministry within the Chinese Church in Christ in Mountain View, Calif.
Chen describes the church as full of first- and second-generation immigrants, like Lin and his parents, who are "conservative in nature" and evangelical in faith.
"Very early in his life he decided to pay heed to the call of Christ to take up the cross daily and follow after him," Chen said.
Even during basketball season, when games went deep into Saturday night, Lin's family made sure he was in the pews on Sunday morning, Chen said.
Lin also credits his parents with teaching him to play "godly basketball," which measures success by sportsmanship, not stats. That means putting teammates first and showing respect to opponents and referees.
Religion News Service
(RNS) New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin's underdog story and outspoken evangelical faith have some sportswriters dubbing him the "Taiwanese Tebow."
But while Lin and Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow share similar Christian convictions, Lin's rise to stardom is even more miraculous.
Just a few weeks ago, the Harvard University graduate was buried on the bench and crashing on friends' couches. Stadium security guards mistook Lin for a team trainer.
After injuries to teammates, though, Lin was inserted into the starting lineup. The Knicks have promptly won five straight games, with their new point guard leading the way, sending the New Yorkers and Asian-Americans across the country into a frenzy of "Linsanity."
Fans splurge for replicas of Lin's jersey, the TV ratings of Knicks games have skyrocketed and shares of the Madison Square Garden Co., which owns the basketball team, reached an all-time high on Monday (Feb. 13).
Like any good point guard, Lin knows the art of the pass -- distributing the praise to his teammates and to God.
"I'm just thankful to God for everything," Lin said in a recent post-game interview. "Like the Bible says, 'God works in all things for the good of those who love him.'"
Lin's passing reference to Romans 8:28 was caught by his longtime pastor, Stephen Chen of Redeemer Bible Fellowship, a ministry within the Chinese Church in Christ in Mountain View, Calif.
Chen describes the church as full of first- and second-generation immigrants, like Lin and his parents, who are "conservative in nature" and evangelical in faith.
"Very early in his life he decided to pay heed to the call of Christ to take up the cross daily and follow after him," Chen said.
Even during basketball season, when games went deep into Saturday night, Lin's family made sure he was in the pews on Sunday morning, Chen said.
Lin also credits his parents with teaching him to play "godly basketball," which measures success by sportsmanship, not stats. That means putting teammates first and showing respect to opponents and referees.
