Answering The Call
NFL player Benjamin Watson using Facebook, media opportunities to share God’s truth.
BY CHARLES CHANDLER
The preacher’s son with the Super Bowl ring never expected to become a national spokesman for Christian values via social media, especially since he wasn’t even sure how to use Facebook. But two posts in recent months on key issues of our time—the nation’s racial divide and the brutal killings of Christians around the world by ISIS—have catapulted New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson onto the national media stage and made him a respected voice of reason in a culture desperately in need of truth-tellers.
THERE IS SOMETHING about this guy that God is using to bless souls,” one of his Facebook followers wrote in a recent comment.
Watson’s status as an 11-year NFL veteran who has caught touchdown passes from future Hall of Fame quarterbacks Tom Brady and Drew Brees gave him the platform upon which he’s now capitalizing. He has shared the Gospel and stood for biblical values on cable network news programs, on nationally syndicated radio shows and in various print and Internet outlets. He also has been the featured speaker at Liberty University’s student convocation and at the annual Super Bowl breakfast sponsored by Athletes In Action.
“It’s been confirmation to me that [God] … can use whatever avenue He wants to glorify His name,” Watson told Decision. “It’s very humbling … I just want to be faithful to the opportunities that He’s given me.”
It all began in late November in New Orleans the day after the Saints had lost to the Baltimore Ravens. Filled with mixed emotions after a grand jury in Ferguson, Mo., announced it would not indict police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, Watson wrote his thoughts on his smartphone and asked a friend to post them on Facebook.
The post went viral, accumulating more than 800,000 likes and more than 400,000 shares. Watson expressed a reasoned view of the situation and gave a biblical solution to reconciliation.
“I’m encouraged because ultimately the problem is not a skin problem; it is a sin problem,” he wrote. “Sin is the reason we rebel against authority. Sin is the reason we abuse our authority. Sin is the reason we are racist, prejudiced and lie to cover up our own. Sin is the reason we riot, loot and burn.
“But I’m encouraged because God has provided a solution for sin through His Son, Jesus, and, with it, a transformed heart and mind. … I’m encouraged because the Gospel gives mankind hope.”
Public reaction was overwhelmingly positive. CNN invited him for an on-air interview. When the satellite signal cut out after several minutes, just as he was sharing the Gospel, some wondered if the network was censoring his message. Watson was assured that wasn’t the case and that the interview had merely timed out. He handled the matter graciously, taking CNN officials at their word. The network later named him one of the 11 most extraordinary people of 2014.
Watson spoke out again in a Feb. 28 Facebook post about the persecution of Christians around the world, lamenting the ongoing beheadings of believers while noting that Jesus said we should not deny Him even if it costs us our lives. He said we must pray for those being persecuted and warned that similar attacks are headed to the West.
“Rest assured, fellow Americans, if it hasn’t already, our day will come,” Watson wrote. “We must wake up from our slumber, be on guard and stand firm. … We must remember that as terrible as things are and will become, they are simply signs pointing to one thing: His imminent return.”
Watson and his wife, Kirsten, are teaching their children—they have four between the ages of 2 and 6 and a fifth on the way—about the importance of holding nothing back from Christ. They’ve made the children aware of the family’s financial support for persecuted believers through Open Doors and Voice of the Martyrs.
“It’s about instilling in them a global awareness of what’s going on,” he said.
Watson grew up in a devoted Christian home and was led to the Lord at about age 6 by his father, Ken, who now pastors Rock Hill Bible Fellowship Church in Rock Hill, S.C.
Benjamin excelled athletically and academically at Northwestern High School, helping the football team to a state championship and getting named the school’s student of the year. At the University of Georgia, he was a standout tight end and set a team strength record by bench-pressing 565 pounds.
His intellect shone at the NFL’s pre-draft scouting combine, where he recorded the third-highest score any prospect had ever had there on the Wonderlic cognitive ability test (48 out of a possible 50).
The New England Patriots selected him in the first round (32nd) of the 2004 NFL draft, but he missed most of his rookie season due to a knee injury, including the Patriots’ 24-21 win over Philadelphia in Super Bowl XXXIX.
Watson’s disappointment over not playing in the championship game eventually was tempered by the fact that having a Super Bowl ring from that season gave him a powerful means for sharing the Gospel.
“I didn’t want to wear it at first because I felt like I didn’t do anything to deserve it,” he said. “But, as time went by, I started to experience grace in my professional life as well as my personal life.
“It kind of clicked that even though I didn’t do anything [to earn it], I was still a Super Bowl champion because of what my teammates did. The parallel was just obvious between that and the way that Christ died for us, giving [those who repent of their sins and believe in Him] a right standing before God.”
Of all the plays Watson has made during his NFL career with the Patriots, Cleveland Browns and Saints,it’s a tackle—not a pass reception—for which he is most famous.
In New England’s January 2006 playoff game against Denver, he sprinted the length of the field to prevent a touchdown after Broncos’ cornerback Champ Bailey intercepted a Tom Brady pass in the opposite end zone. Bailey raced 103 yards with the interception down the left sideline before Watson somehow managed to knock him out of bounds 1 yard shy of the goal line.
Watson’s determination on the play exemplified one of his favorite Bible verses: “Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23, NKJV).
Ken Watson sometimes uses his son’s extra-effort tackle in sermon illustrations.
“It was an athletic play because God gifted him with speed, but it took more than speed,” Ken says. “It took something on the inside, saying, ‘I’m going to do something about this.’
“He ran when no one expected him to run. When you watch the clip, other players tried and failed to make the tackle. He saw that, but he didn’t give up. As Christians, we can’t let the failure of other people keep us from pursuing the goal. We have to say, ‘I’m going to give it my all.’ I must’ve seen that play 100 times or more, and it al- ways impacts me in my own spiritual walk. It causes me to ask myself, ‘Am I really selling out? Am I really giving 100 percent?’”
Benjamin knows his playing days are nearing an end. At 34, he’s the third-oldest player on the Saints team. After football, he hopes to have a career in broadcasting and writing, something he’s gained valuable experience doing in recent months.
It’s as though God has been preparing him for something much bigger.
“I feel that I will always share my faith,” he said. “I will speak out on different issues when given the opportunity, whether that’s in a church setting or at a university or in writing. As a believer, it’s my calling all the time to share the Good News.”
Originally published in Decision Magazine.
