{"id":12815,"date":"2017-11-29T18:39:42","date_gmt":"2017-11-29T23:39:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=12815"},"modified":"2017-11-29T18:39:42","modified_gmt":"2017-11-29T23:39:42","slug":"quarterback-carson-wentz-leads-philadelphia-eagles-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2017\/11\/quarterback-carson-wentz-leads-philadelphia-eagles-faith.html","title":{"rendered":"Quarterback Carson Wentz Leads Philadelphia Eagles to Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"593496271_1280x720\"<\/a>The Philadelphia Eagles remain one of the NFL’s top teams, and many of the team members are attributing that to their faith in God.<\/p>\n

Some members of the Birds, as they are known around the City of Philadelphia, have been opening the eyes of fans through their genuine expression of Christian faith.\u00a0 None of the\u00a0Philadelphia Eagles\u00a0who are immersed in the team\u2019s burgeoning Christian culture have any doubt their belief in Jesus has as much to do with their success as their belief in coach Doug Pederson and his staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really strong here,\u201d tight end\u00a0Trey Burton\u00a0said.<\/p>\n

Second-year quarterback\u00a0Carson Wentz\u00a0is leading the team on this faith-filled journey.<\/p>\n

Wentz shared in a\u00a0video posted by the Eagles that he \u201cgrew up going to church\u201d and \u201cgot confirmed in the Lutheran church\u201d but \u201cnever really knew exactly what I believed or why.\u201d But that all changed when he hit college.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember just having some college mentors, some former teammates kind of just help walking me through the Word,\u201d he added. \u201cAnd I ended up reading the whole New Testament of the Bible in the first three months of my freshman semester, and it just became real to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wide receiver Torrey Smith grew up similarly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went to Bible study, I went to church often growing up, but it wasn\u2019t until I was in my last year of college where I realized I was kind of living off of everyone else\u2019s salvation,\u201d he shared on the video. \u201cI wasn\u2019t really finding out things for my own. I wasn\u2019t diving into the Word or exploring that the way I explored everything else around me. So that\u2019s when I kind of realized that I was kind of living the wrong way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Safety and special teams member Chris Maragos shared that his spiritual awakening came during high school when he was on a \u201cdownward spiral\u201d and found himself at a \u201ccrossroads.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe things I was trying to place in my life to give me satisfaction would last for a little bit, and then they\u2019d fade away,\u201d he explained on the video. \u201cThat was my sophomore year in high school. I was really at a crossroads at that point and had to make a decision on where I was going. And that\u2019s when I gave my life to Christ, and really he supplied that satisfaction and that joy for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Eagles players have each others\u2019 spiritual backs day by day with chapel services and frequent Bible studies.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn every Monday night, we have a couple\u2019s Bible study,\u201d Wentz explained. \u201cWe have a Thursday night team Bible study. And Saturday nights, we actually get together the night before the game and just kind of pray, talk through the Word, what guys have been reading, what they\u2019re struggling with and just kind of keep it real with each other. To have that here in an NFL facility like this, it\u2019s really special.\u201d<\/p>\n

They don\u2019t need to be in Philadelphia, either. Earlier this season, a group of Eagles players made headlines when a photo hit social media showing them gathered around a North Carolina hotel pool as\u00a0teammate Marcus Johnson got baptized.<\/p>\n

Recognizing that evangelization can be divisive, Wentz made it clear that his goal is never to convert people to his faith but rather to create a loving and supportive environment built on respect for all cultures and ways of life.<\/p>\n

Of course, not every Eagles player believes in Christ \u2014 just as it is outside the locker room. But Wentz and his fellow Christian Eagles are well aware of this and are all about mutual respect when it comes to matters of faith.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m gong to be genuine, I\u2019m going to be authentic with believers, non-believers \u2014 it doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d Wentz added. \u201cI\u2019m going to love on them. I\u2019m going to treat them all the same. I\u2019m going to respect them. And at the same time, as the leader of the football team, I\u2019m gonna lead everybody the same, too. It kind of makes it open. You know, I think guys are willing to talk when you don\u2019t have this self-righteous attitude about you. You\u2019re just open to talk about spiritual things, talk about religion, talk about real-life issues with believers, non-believers, everybody in between. When you have that mutual respect, it just makes it a healthier environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Echoing his quarterback\u2019s sentiments, Maragos said that team unity\u2014both on and off the football field\u2014is the most important thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to be united,\u201d he concluded. \u201cWe want to support each other\u2026 through the difficulties off the field as well as on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n