The light is shining bright on the Texans, but that light is really reflective of our guys’ belief in … our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. That’s what has driven our team, and I’m so proud of our guys and thankful to the Lord for allowing us to allow our lights to shine through Him. All praise and honor goes to Him.
— DeMeco Ryans, Head Coach of the Houston Texans
In a 2020 interview, Ryans said:
Why are we in the position that we’re in? Why are we able to do what we do. That’s by God blessing us with this awesome opportunity to reach back and teach these young men, help these young men, but we have to stay grounded in the Word. We can get caught up in our work, a lot of long hours, a lot of long days, but you can’t forget what sustains us, and that’s Jesus Christ.
Last year, Texan quarterback CJ Stroud stated:
It’s been a blessing. It’s been a heck of a year. I thank God I can just go another week with my teammates. This is like a dream come true as a reminder of how close we are as a team. I think definitely God is at the forefront of our minds, and we play for an audience of One. Even when everything is going crazy, you can lock hands and have patience. I’m blessed enough to have a leader like DeMeco who is open with his faith.
The Texans play for an audience of one? Really? Think about all the pressing needs in the world today, yet the sovereign God of the Bible takes time out of his busy day as the manager of the universe to watch and control NFL games. Misplaced priorities, anyone? And what about the Christian players on losing teams? Doesn’t God care about them too? Can’t God root for the Packers and the Bears or the Steelers and the Ravens at the same time? How does God decide which teams get a W on any given Sunday?
Ryans would have us believe that Texan players are sustained by Jesus alone. No one seriously believes this. If they did, there would be no need for training or physical therapy. Jesus will sustain us! See ya next Sunday! That’s not how it works. Players spend virtually every waking hour preparing for the next game. Coaches do the same. It seems to me that the football enterprise is long on human instrumentality and short on Jesus. Lots of non-Christian players thrive in the NFL. No need of Jesus. They know where their strength and ability come from.
When the Texans lose their next game, what will Ryans and Stroud say then? Will Jesus be praised for the L? Of course not. He’s a winner, not like those losers, the Houston Texans. Meanwhile, children starve, a lunatic sits in the White House and Jesus is where? In a suite at an NFL game, busy rooting for his “chosen” team.
Bruce Gerencser, 69, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 48 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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