A Christian’s Perspective On Russell Wilson Dating Ciara

If you are looking for the latest TMZ rumors being perpetuated around the internet, this is not the article for you. I am an avid Seahawks fan who is going to articulate my thoughts on what is going on with a fellow Christian, who happens to be Russell Wilson. If that isn’t something you’re interested in reading, the back button is in the top-left corner of your screen.

Still with me? Awesome, I’ll get started.

Russell Wilson has been nothing less than an outstanding role model for young Christians and non-Christians alike in his three years as a Seattle Seahawk. He has said all the right things, he has done all the right things, and he has been a fantastic leader and calming presence for our beloved football team. Between his weekly visits to Seattle Children’s Hospital Hospital and his low-key demeanor under pressure, he has won the adoration of the entire northwest region, and rightly so. That being said, he has made some headlines that have caused some negative reactions from fans this off-season.

The issue here is not at all the fact that Russell Wilson saw 50 Shades of Grey. As a man, if watching a particular movie with strong sexually violent overtones isn’t something that will stumble him in his faith, and he will be able to take it as the moral perversity that it is, then there is no reason for him not to see it. He pointed this out in his next tweet.

The issue here is that he endorsed it (Romans 14:13-15). He said it’s a great movie. Russell Wilson has over 1.2 million followers on Twitter, and with all the retweets and publicity it got, this post was probably seen by half the country. So with this tweet, millions of people were advertised to for the most morally explicit movie in recent memory, and from our virtuous role model no less. Therein lies the issue.

Then came the first round of dating rumors, placing Russ in the company of a certain Instagram model who built a following on the social by posting some seriously provocative pictures. Now these were just rumors, but as a man of faith, that isn’t someone with whom you want to be romantically involved. That doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t hang out with her or talk to her. By all means, spread the Gospel with anyone and everyone! But stay true to your convictions and beliefs when it comes to relationships. As the saying goes, “Be in the world, but not of the world,” (Derived from John 15:19 and John 17:14-16). 

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And then comes these latest headlines that Wilson is dating Ciara, the superstar pop-vocalist. The lyrics of many of her songs could not possibly be interpreted as anything other than the moans and depictions of sex. This is isn’t a good look for a Christian man.

With all that being said, I am in no position to hypothesize on the strength or legitimacy of Russell Wilson’s faith. Matthew clearly states that as Christians, we should not “Look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye.” The point of this article is not to point out all of Russell’s mistakes. The point of this article is that we should be careful about who we idolize.

Or to put it more specifically, don’t idolize people in general.

The reason for the intensity of some of the backlash, is that Russell Wilson is someone we hold to a higher standard. Someone we look up to, someone we try to imitate, someone who we expect more from than the average professional athlete.

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This is a dangerous thing to do to anyone. It isn’t fair to them, and it isn’t beneficial to you. As Mark Driscoll was fond of saying, “What you idolize, you will eventually demonize.” The reason for that is, every person alive will make mistakes. No one on this earth is worthy of trying to model your entire life after.

And when they do fall short of your impossibly high standards, your opinion of them will go from adoration to resentment for letting you down.

That’s not to say that I think it’s OK for him to advertise for 50 Shades of Grey. But as a complete and total stranger to Russell Wilson, that isn’t my job to point out. I’m sure he has plenty of Godly people in his life who are willing to have those discussions with him. Judah Smith is a fantastic Seattle-area preacher with whom Russell frequently hangs out.

So unless you know him personally, don’t worry about Russell’s relationship with God, and stop holding him to such an impossible standard. Maybe that’s why he’s doing this stuff? One can only take the pressure of being a role model on such a massive scale for so long. Maybe he wants us to see that he isn’t perfect, so we all know that he isn’t.

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