As a proud liberal who is also a charismatic/pentecostal Christian, I’ve had my fair share of moments when a prominent charismatic says or does something that makes me cringe. Well, one of those moments came from NFL Network’s Kurt Warner.
Anyone who’s followed the NFL since the turn of the century knows that Warner wears his Christian faith on his sleeve. I still remember when ESPN’s Mike Tirico asked Warner, then with the St. Louis Rams, about his game-winning touchdown pass to Isaac Bruce in Super Bowl XXXIV, the first thing Warner did was thank Jesus. For the most part, though, Warner hasn’t been all that obnoxious about his faith. A notable exception was in 2006, when he appeared in an ad opposing embryonic stem cell research in Missouri. In a case of exceptionally bad timing, this ad appeared soon after Michael J. Fox cut an ad supporting embryonic stem cell research–with the tremors from Parkinson’s disease fully visible.
Well, Warner fell down hard on Sunday’s edition of “NFL Gameday” on NFL Network. He was discussing how Ben Rothlisberger has adapted to NFL defenses over the last decade. However, he prefaced it by saying, “I’m not fully buying the evolutionary theory where one species transforms into another.” Well, some Twitter users didn’t take very kindly to that comment. One of them pointed out–rightly–that Warner doesn’t really understand the concept of evolution. Warner further betrayed his ignorance by asking, “Still waiting to see a monkey become human in my lifetime? You?” Another suggested that Warner ought to look around and see the evidence of evolution around him. Warner asked, “What evidence do you see of one species becoming another?” He then tried to pawn it off as “a fun FBALL piece.”
To be fair, Warner did say that he believes that species can adapt over time. Still, he betrays a basic misunderstanding of what evolution actually is–a misunderstanding shared by a significant percentage of the American people. I don’t have a problem with that. I do think, though, that Warner could have introduced that segment in a way that didn’t make him sound so ignorant. And Warner shouldn’t have been so surprised at the ridicule that came his way. After all, he’s spent enough time in the reality-based world that he can’t use being in a Christian cocoon as a defense. Still, Warner comes out looking a lot better than the high-profile creationists who reject evolution out of hand not on its merits, but because it undermines the Bible. After all, at least you can reason with people like Warner.
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Darrell Lucus, also known as Christian Dem in NC on Daily Kos, is a radical-lefty Jesus-lover who has been blogging for change for a decade. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook.
