We have a new social issue. It's called Tim Tebow.

Colorado has been center stage for some of the country's ugliest social issues battles. The state has the dubious distinction of having been the first to legalize abortion. Voters passed Amendment 2, a law that prevented local governments from recognizing gays and lesbians as a protected class before the Supreme Court struck it down. Colorado Springs hosts Focus on the Family, and Boulder hosted Promise Keepers — national organizations at the center of social issues debates.

With the economy in shambles, much of the political establishment has taken a long break from social issues to focus on fiscal policy. But that hasn't kept Tebow, the latest Denver Broncos starting quarterback, from becoming the subject of an obsessive cultural rift.

Tebow became the top seller of NFL jerseys before he started in a game. His popularity has little to do with football and much to do with his devotion to God, his war on abortion and his decision to spend a $2.5 million signing bonus on famine, education and housing for the poor.

When Tebow salvaged a game against Miami on Oct. 22, he took a knee and held a clinched fist to his forehead. By Monday afternoon, the prayerful moment had become an international phenomenon known as "doing the Tebow." It felt like a scene they could have used in "Forrest Gump."

When Tebow is benched, some on the religious right insist he is the subject of persecution. When he shows signs of promise, they confront secularists on the left and say: "We told you so." When Tebow performs horribly, as he did on Sunday, secularists insist he's not cut out for the NFL. They tell the religious right: "We told you so."

For a casual observer willing to resist taking a side, all of this silliness provides a fascinating study in our country's weird cultural chasm. An enormous segment of society wants a pop icon who will unapologetically give thanks to God and stand for what he believes. Another sizable chunk of society wants this athlete to conform, play ball and avoid the edginess of politics and religion. Missing from each sides is any semblance of respect for the other.

Tebow will always be the man who dared to express conviction in public. A healthier culture would view this as the normal behavior of an adult. In our society of us-vs.-them, red-vs.-blue and left-vs.-right, Tebow lives as an object for those who love his faith and those who cannot stand his faith. They all need to grow up.

REPRINTED FROM THE COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE