Forget Tim Tebow for a moment: Why not chase a religion ghost or two linked to his fiancée?

Yes, we saw the snarky Deadspin headline about You Know Who getting engaged.

You know, the headline that proclaimed: “Tim Tebow To Have Sex Soon.”

The only shock there was that The New York Post didn’t have something wild to compete with it. However, the tabloid’s short story about the engagement of Tebow and Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, a South Africa native who was Miss Universe in 2017, did feature the following essential information at the very end.

Tebow confirmed his relationship with Nel-Peters in July.

“She is a really special girl and I am very lucky and blessed for her coming into my life,” he told ESPN over the summer. “I am usually very private with these things but I am very thankful.”

Tebow, a devout Christian, has long planned to remain a virgin until marriage.

I do remember reading a thing or two about that in the past.

However, let’s pause for a moment. I want you to try to forget Tebow. Just push that musclebound ESPN commentator, baseball player and evangelical philanthropist off to the side, for a minute.

I’m trying to find out some additional information about Nel-Peters. I think it’s safe to assume that Christian faith may have had something to do with their relationship, but I am having trouble finding out any information about that angle of this story.

For example: See this hollow USA Today mini-feature. Or this faith-free offering from ESPN, Tebow’s own home in the world of sports broadcasting.

Now, our own Bobby Ross, Jr., noted that the People magazine exclusive on the engagement did contain a bite of information about religious faith. Describing his future wife, Tebow said:

“They have to really love God,” he continued. “My faith is important to me — it’s the most important thing — and I need to be with someone who also shares that faith.”

Tebow tells PEOPLE, now, that Nel-Peters is exactly what he has been looking for. “She’s just perfect for me,” he says. “I’m really blessed to have her by my side for the rest of my life.”

OK, if she is “perfect,” there must be a faith factor in there.

What about her family? That same story also noted:

The couple’s inner circle … had dinner at a Jacksonville club, while family and friends made speeches and toasts. Nel-Peters’ father encouraged everyone to “make a circle” around Tebow and Nel-Peters and pray for their new life together.

However, reporters who know a thing or two about Tebow — digging deeper than his flawed quarterback ratings and virginity — will be aware that he devotes a lot of his time to promoting ministries that work with the disabled and children with special needs.

One of the most visible of those projects is Tebow’s “Night To Shine” events — full-scale prom dances, complete with red-carpet photographers — for disabled young people. Churches and civic groups that stage these events never know when Tebow is going to walk in the door.

Sure enough, several of the Tebow engagement features noted the following, when describing Nel-Peters and her family. This is from The Daily Mail:

Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters is a South African model and pageant queen. She was born in Sedgefield, Western Cape to parents Bennie Peters and Anne-Marie Steenkamp. Demi-Leigh has a half-sister called Franje who has a disability. She speaks often about her sister, whom she’s said is a source of inspiration for her.

‘My half-sister was born without a cerebellum and is completely disabled. She is my biggest motivator and inspiration, because her situation makes me realize how special life is and I always want to work twice as hard, enjoy life twice as much so that I can enjoy it for her as well. Therefore each experience I encounter is that much more special,’ she said, according to Miss Universe’s website.

Sure enough, 2.0, The Christian Post staff caught this passing reference in remarks that Tebow made last fall, when he stopped by the “Today” show and talked about the young woman he was dating:

"We actually met through one of our nonprofits called Night to Shine," Tebow told Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb in September.

Night to Shine is a worldwide event sponsored by the Tebow Foundation for people with special needs.

"Her sister has special needs, so we invited them to Night to Shine in South Africa,'' he continued. "We kind of met and started talking through that and haven't stopped."

That’s an interesting and very poignant angle to this story and, I would think, there’s a good chance that there’s a faith element in there, as well.

Maybe a few more questions? And not just about the V-word.


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