Kurt Warner to Tim Tebow: Don't Be So Bold With Your Faith

Former quarterback Kurt Warner has some advice for Tim Tebow: Tone it down on the faith front.

Warner, who has played for the Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants and St. Louis Rams, is a Christian who claims he learned the hard way that it's better for believers to let their actions speak louder than words.

In an interview with the Arizona Republic, the former football player seeks to offer advice to his younger brother in faith. "You can't help but cheer for a guy like that," Warner said. "But I'd tell him, 'Put down the boldness in regards to the words, and keep living the way you're living. Let your teammates do the talking for you. Let them cheer on your testimony.'"

Warner went on to explain that he knows what Tebow is going through and that he knows "what he wants to accomplish." That being said, he doesn't want people to sour on Tebow simple because they don't understand him or his faith. "You're starting to see that a little bit," he told the Republic.

It's not that Warner wants Tebow to hide his faith -- or even to avoid it. But he says that as soon as someone talks about his or her love for Jesus Christ, "the guard goes up." He continued, "I came to realize you have to be more strategic."

The Republic continues:

Tebow is getting more attention than usual since he became the Broncos' starting quarterback last month. Denver was 1-4 when Tebow became the starter, and they've won five of six games since with him at the helm. With that, though, has come more scrutiny -- and not just about his football skills.

Former Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer said recently that he wished Tebow would "just shut up after a game. . . . I think that when he accepts the fact that we know that he loves Jesus Christ, then I think I’ll like him a little better. I don’t hate him because of that, I just would rather not have to hear that every time he takes a good snap or makes a good handoff.”

Tebow, though, has so far defended his actions. Responding directly to Plummer's words, he said:

“Well, first I’d say, thank you for the compliment of calling me a winner and then I‘d also say if you’re married and you’re a [husband] is it good enough to only say you love her on the day you get married or should you tell her every single day when you wake up and have an opportunity?

And that’s how I feel about my relationship with Jesus Christ. It is the most important thing in my life so anytime I get an opportunity to tell Him that I love Him or give Him an opportunity to shout Him out on national TV, I’m gonna take that opportunity. So I look at that as a relationship that I have with Him that I want to give Him honor and glory anytime I have the opportunity and then right after I give Him honor and glory, then I want to try and give my teammates honor and glory and that’s how it works because Christ comes first in my life. Then my family, and then my teammates.

So I respect Jake’s opinion and I really appreciate his compliment of calling me a winner but I feel like anytime I get the opportunity to give the Lord some praise, He is due for itbecause of what He did for me and what he did for us on the cross for all of us."

How will Tebow respond to Warner's advice? That remains to be seen.

(H/T: Christianity Today)