At what point in American history did Christianity become demonized? How recent did this occur or has it always been the case?
It could be Hollywood that perpetuated blasphemy and condemnation but the unfortunate reality is atheism is growing in the United States. But there are many who pay no mind to that anti-religious growth and continue to lead their lives in the most emphatically undeterred Christian ways.
And that’s exactly what a top high school quarterback prospect took into account when he chose to play for Clemson University for this Christian reason.
But there are many famous athletes who wear their Christian faith on their sleeve like Golden State Warriors’ NBA star Steph Curry who recently executive produced the Christian movie “Breakthrough” starring Topher Grace, Josh Lucas and Chrissy Metz.
The plotline is about a 14-year-old boy who drowned in a lake and was dead for nearly an hour even with an unsuccessful 27-minute CPR procedure, but things took a turn when his mother prayed to God. Then suddenly, there was a pulse and he finally came around.
No matter how you feel about how concerned you are with Steph Curry’s political affiliation – his public feud with President Trump – the two-time MVP writes passages from the Bible on his shoes, which the league is not too happy about. Yet, he does it anyway.
We need more people like that.
And that also goes for one of the top high school quarterback prospects in the nation when he chose to play for the Clemson Tigers because “They’re all big Christians.”
D.J. Uiagalelei, from Chino, CA, considered a top-50 2020 recruit, and #1 pocket passer in his class, chose Clemson over Oregon and Mt. San Antonio Junior College.
The tip of the spear – Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney – is also a devout Christian and you can certainly speculate that it has a trickle-down effect on his players. Swinney is a mentor.
Uiagalelei recently told ESPN, “My faith is important to me, and the first time I went out there was in June, and that’s what sold me, knowing they’re all big Christians. I didn’t commit when I was out there, but that’s when I told myself that’s where I wanted to be.”
After his decision, Uiagalelei wrote on Twitter, “This is all God’s work and God’s timing, I am blessed to say I AM 100% COMMITTED! Happy birthday Mom.”
His mother is probably so proud.
An interesting tidbit about Uiagalelei is that his father, David AKA “Big Dave,” is a 6-foot-4, nearly 400-pound Samoan who has been a bodyguard for Rihanna and rapper DJ Khaled.
D.J. is no small guy himself. He’s also 6-foot-4 and is a hundredand fiftypounds leaner at 243 pounds, but with a rocket arm that can throw the ball 85 yards. And like the current Heisman Trophy recipient, Kyler Murray, D.J. is a top baseball prospect as well – although Murray declined his draft spot with the Oakland Athletics and was selected first overall by the Arizona Cardinals in April’s NFL draft.
If he keeps that attitude then he’ll not only go far in his profession, but also in life as a good person.