After New York Jets backup quarterback Tim Tebow called off an appearance at Texas mega church First Baptist Dallas, its controversial pastor, Robert Jeffress, took a veiled jab at the Evangelical football player while speaking to his congregation.
During the sermon,
CBS New York reported, Jeffress thanked his parishioners for being in attendance, saying: "I am grateful for men of God like these who are willing to stand up and act like men rather than wimping out when it gets a little controversial and an inconvenient thing to stand for the truth. God bless men like that."
Though Jeffress did not mention Tebow by name in the address, which was uploaded onto YouTube this week, the pastor appeared to be calling out the devout Evangelical Christian quarterback, who has taken a great deal of criticisms for his public display of his faith.
Jeffress continued, "I had a little revival and recommitment in my life this week. I recommitted to God and to this congregation that as long as I’m the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, we are not going to kneel before the altar of political correctness and convenience."
Last Thursday Tebow announced his plans to cancel his previously scheduled April 28 visit to First Baptist Dallas posting on his Twitter account, writing: "While I was looking forward to sharing a message of hope and Christ’s unconditional love with the faithful members of the historic First Baptist Church of Dallas in April, due to new information that has been brought to my attention, I have decided to cancel my upcoming appearance. I will continue to use the platform God has blessed me with to bring Faith, Hope and Love to all those needing a brighter day. Thank you for all of your love and support. God Bless!"
When the news broke, Jeffress, who had been previously informed by Tebow of his decision, was appearing on 105.3 The Fan radio station in Dallas.
In the interview, Jeffress, referring to Tebow said, "What he said to me was, 'Because of personal reasons and professional reasons, I need to steer clear of controversy right now, but I would love to come back to your church at some time in the future.'"
In the interview, Jeffress added that Tebow was “under incredible pressure” and his church “would never condemn” the Jets quarterback, reported CBS News.
Jeffress is known for having made several controversial comments over the years regarding homosexuals and other religions in particular.
An example of such remarks is Jeffress having reportedly said that gays should be barred from the military because "70 percent" have AIDS, while suggesting that gay activists have attempted to conceal "the link between homosexuality and pedophilia" reported CBS News.
Jeffress has also described Mormonism as a cult during the 2012 presidential election when he was endorsing
Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry, an evangelical Christian, over the eventual Republican nominee Mitt Romney, who is a Mormon.
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