Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper is a devout Mormon, but he’s not going to advocate his faith like football player Tim Tebow.
“If somebody asks me about it, I’ll tell them about it, but I’m not going to be Mr. Tim Tebow,” Harper said, quickly clarifying that he does not mean that in a derogatory way.
Tebow, the former Florida Heisman Trophy winner and current NFL free agent, is an outspoken proponent of his evangelical faith. His dad, Bob, runs the Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association serving the Philippines.
Harper, who attended seminary classes at 5 a.m. on weekdays in high school, takes a more subtle approach.
He writes “Luke 1:37” on every autograph he signs.
“For with God, nothing shall be impossible.”
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It’s his way own of spreading the Gospel.
Harper decided not to go on a Mormon mission because of his career, though he considered it. That fits for him because proselytizing isn’t his style.
“My mom always told me, ’You can touch a lot more lives playing baseball and doing good things than you would on a mission,’” Harper said. “It’s very true. Shoot, I’ll tweet about God and get 1,500 retweets and it’s like, that just went to 1,500 people or more.
“I’m going to try to be the best person I can off the field [and promote my faith that way]. What I say is, ’I try to be the best walking Book of Mormon as I can.’”
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