NFL player Tim Tebow and reality television star Willie Robertson were just two of the well-known names to headline the Wildfire Conference for Men, held at Liberty University's Vines Center in Lynchburg, Va., this past weekend.

The conference, which took place March 8 and 9, sold out to a 10,000-male audience and featured the headliners Tim Tebow, who is a quarterback for the New York Jets, Willie Robertson, star of A&E's reality show "Duck Dynasty," as well as former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz.

"Men from all walks of life – grandfathers, fathers, sons, brothers, hunting buddies, and more –came together to worship God and learn more about the life of true adventure that God intends for every man," Michael Queen, director of marketing at the American Association of Christian Counselors, which sponsored the Wildfire conference, told The Christian Post via email. more >>

NY Jets quarterback Tim Tebow is facing criticism yet again for his choice of speaking engagements, just weeks after canceling his scheduled appearance at First Baptist Church of Dallas with Pastor Robert Jeffress.

Tebow's speaking engagements have made for a lot of news stories in recent months – he was criticized last month by a number of liberal sources that described Pastor Jeffress as an anti-gay preacher who was also anti-Mormon and anti-Semitic. Jeffress explained that he was not teaching people to hate anyone, but Tebow still decided to cancel his appearance after "new information" was made available to him.

Some conservative commentators said that the quarterback, one of the most popular Christian sports figures in recent times, did the wrong thing by listening to the media and backing down from the appearance in Texas. more >>

Pastor Robert Jeffress says he was surprised when New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow canceled an upcoming speaking engagement at his Dallas megachurch, and believes the media firestorm surrounding the event likely had more to do with the decision than did the church's much-scrutinized beliefs.

Jeffress, the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, told The Christian Post that Tebow informed him in a telephone call Wednesday evening that he was backing out of speaking at the church in April. The NFL star told Jeffress he "needed to lay low and steer clear of controversy" because of both personal and professional issues.

Prior to the decision, critics of Jeffress' views on other religions and homosexuality argued that Tebow shouldn't make an appearance at the church, which some labeled as hateful. After their phone conversation, however, the evangelical quarterback sent Jeffress a text message saying that he was still prayerfully considering speaking to the 11,000-member church, though he later announced via his social media accounts that he had decided against it. more >>

Evangelistic athlete Tim Tebow announced on Thursday that he has canceled his scheduled appearance to talk at First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, led by Pastor Robert Jeffress, whom some media are decrying as "anti-gay."

Although not being specific about his reasoning, the N.Y. Jets quarterback posted on Facebook:

"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!" more >>

The Commonwealth of Virginia is once again considering a bill that would allow school districts to let homeschoolers try out for public school sports teams.

Known as the "Tim Tebow" bill, House Bill 1442 was introduced by Republican Delegate Rob Bell of the 58th District and was passed by the House of Delegates. It will be sent to the State Senate.

"No public school shall become a member of any organization or entity whose purpose is to regulate or govern interscholastic programs that does not deem eligible for participation a student who … is receiving home instruction," reads HB 1442 in part. more >>

Although some people poke fun at professional athletes like Ray Lewis, who glorified God throughout his journey to the Super Bowl, a new study has found that Americans look to these types of high-profile individuals more than they do to faith leaders for inspiration.

The Barna Group, a market research firm that specializes in studying religious beliefs among Americans and how they impact faith and culture, recently released a study claiming that athletes have more influence than pastors. An estimated two-thirds of Americans- about 64 percent- believe that professional athletes influence people in American society more than professional faith leaders, according to the report released on the Barna Group website.

This belief seems to be most prevalent among whites, parents, people who have graduated college and those who make more than $60,000 a year. However, some still believe that faith leaders impact their lives the most, including those who attend church weekly and take in earnings of less than $40,000 each year. more >>