Jeremy Lin was born in Los Angeles, California and raised in Palo Alto, California.
Lin has surprised the basketball community not only by becoming a superstar player but by the fact that he's an Asian-American basketball superstar. And not only that, he's an incredibly devout evangelical Christian Asian-American basketball superstar.
Lin's faith is obviously a huge part of his life. He tries to reconcile his work and his faith–while admitting difficulties–by saying:
When you're called to be a Christian, you're automatically called to be different from everyone else. In today's world of basketball, it makes you really different, because the things that society values aren't necessarily in line with what God values… We should be humble, and understand that everything that is good comes from God.[1]
So devout is Lin that he seems to be excited to end his basketball career so he can focus on what's really important to him–Christianity. He said:
I would be a pastor. It is something I think about doing when my playing days are over.[2]
But why wait for retirement? This Tim Tebow of basketball has had his evangelical eye on his teammates since his college days, saying:
Some of my teammates, non-believers, want to have a Bible study. We're just getting started.[3]
I can just imagine those riveting locker room conversations. Amidst the sounds of towel snapping and trash talk comes the Bible in spoken word. Inspiring.
Linsane politics
Lin is clearly not political–not political at all. In fact, I'm not the first one to wonder where his allegiances lie. New York Magazine spent considerable time and resources trying to figure out Lin's political leanings, but to no avail.[4]
That doesn't mean he has no political ripple effect. Apparently, Obama has caught a touch of "Linsanity," as they're calling it. The president said:
I've been on the Jeremy Lin bandwagon for a while. I knew about Jeremy before you did, before everybody else did.[5]
Perhaps the only semi-political thing Lin ever said was in response to hearing that Obama had been specifically watching him on TV:
I'm very, very honored and very humbled. I mean, wow, the President. Nothing better than that.[6]
Well, I guess he doesn't hate Obama–at least explicitly. That's more than a lot of Christian conservatives can say. Nonetheless, it's reasonable to assume (and this is certainly an assumption) that someone as devoutly, evangelically Christian as Lin probably leans conservative on social issues.
But let's hear your thoughts.
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