TMZ: Colorado Pastor Says Broncos' Wins Are a Result of 'God's Favor

Tim Tebow's pastor, Wayne Hanson, is joining the chorus of religious leaders who are speaking out in support of the Denver Broncos quarterback. Hanson's statements, while certainly favorable to the 24-year-old football player, have been criticized by some.

In an interview with TMZ, Hanson claimed that the team's wins since putting Tebow in as quarterback are "not luck." "Luck isn't winning six games in a row. It's favor. God's favor," Hanson said. "God has blessed his hard work."

These comments, of course, will likely cause some who don't embrace the Christian faith to scowl. Others -- even believers -- may be a bit careful regarding how much credence they place in such an assertion.

Regardless, Hanson, who is in charge of the Summit Church near Denver, Colorado, says that the Bronco's wouldn't be experiencing the wins if God wasn't rewarding Tebow for his faith.

Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports claims that these comments aren't helpful to Tebow and that the football player has actually avoided making similar statements himself. Wetzel writes:

Comments like these aren’t helping Tim Tebow. And they aren’t helping gain acceptance for the faith Tebow is willing to serve as public representative.

If anything, this is a moment when the pastor ought to take a lesson from his follower, who has consistently rejected such proclamations.

Tebow's commitment to Evangelical Christianity is well known and his displays of that faith are often public. However, he's never said God is deciding who wins football games, other than when joking about an opponent's miscue.

While some, like Wetzel, may stand opposed to Hanson's assertions, Tebow's leadership on the field is uncommon. The more he is poked and teased for his public displays of faith, the better he seems to perform. Daily Mail highlights the unprecedented nature of Tebow's recent streak:

Six of Tebow's seven victories have involved second-half comebacks, five of them necessitating fourth-quarter rallies, three of which went to overtime.

No other quarterback in NFL history has produced six fourth-quarter comebacks in his first 11 NFL starts.

Broncos coach John Fox said Tebow has 'competitive greatness. He wants the ball in clutch time.'

Many believers contend that God intervenes to assist in any and all matters of life. In fact, this principle is Biblical. Thus, from a faith perspective, it's certainly possible that Tebow and his team would be receiving some help from above. This very topic was discussed on Glenn Beck's radio show on Monday.

"I find it remarkable. I find him a very brave man," Beck said, speaking openly about Tebow. Hear Beck, Stu Burguiere and Pat Gray discuss (in a clip we first posted yesterday) God and his potential role in the Bronco's recent winning streak, below (as well as the counterargument that there are plenty of Christian fans on the teams Tebow plays):

(H/T: Urban Christian News)