Answer: Yes
Disclaimer: It is not our role to determine whether or not somebody is a Christian. We just use our discernment based on the evidence we have found on the internet to come to a likely or best-guess answer. Our answers do not actually determine who is or is not a Christian and it is ultimately between the person and God. Not us.
New Orleans Saint quarterback Derek Dallas Carr, is a 4x Pro Bowler and a 2x winner of NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year Award. The American football quarterback was born in 1991 in Bakersfield, California, and started his professional career with Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders in 2014.
Before joining the National Football League as a professional American football player, Carr had already recorded impressive statistics in his high school team. He played for Clements High School Football team and led them to victories, including an undefeated 13-0 season playoffs.
As a quality player, Carr was recruited by various Colleges immediately after High School but he committed to California State University, Fresno. Carr got picked by Oakland Raiders in the second round of the NFL Draft in 2014 and this kickstarted his professional career. He joined the New Orleans Saints in 2023.
Aside from being an excellent player, Derek Carr is also religiously inclined. The quarterback has always talked about his faith and has been seen speaking at many religious gatherings. This has left fans wondering if the quarterback is a Christian and it’s the question this article seeks to answer.
Is Derek Carr Religious?
Derek Carr has been very expressive of his faith and religious beliefs. He disclosed that he had a religious upbringing and faith has been a significant part of both his personal and professional life. He was taught to prioritize his faith which he has obeyed over the years.
In a 2022 podcast interview, he disclosed:
“My grandpa was a pastor. My uncle was a pastor. My other grandpa was a deacon. My dad was a deacon. My mom was a worship leader. I had missionaries as cousins, My mom and my dad taught me that my faith was No. 1. If there was a game on Sunday … we always told my traveling coach that I wasn’t going to be there. I was going to be at church.”
Carr told Deseret News in 2022 that the religious foundation his parents placed him on was so strong that he almost traded his NFL career to serve in the church.
The day before our first real practice … I’ll never forget it. I felt the tug of my Lord on my heart saying, ‘It’s time to retire. I fought it for like 20 minutes, but I just kept getting heavier and heavier. I couldn’t do anything else but go retire,”
While still discussing with the Deseret News reporter, he said that after this scenario he had to go pray with his wife and God revealed that he could continue with his career. Today his NFL career has opened the door to ministry opportunities and has provided him with the perfect platform to share the gospel. In his words:
“I’ve been able to minister to thousands of people. I’ve been in stadiums with 15,000 (or) 18,000 people preaching the gospel and watching thousands of people get saved. I’ve seen healings take place. I’ve seen people set free. I’ve seen marriages reunite. I’ve seen kids come back home all while playing football”
Carr mentioned that his career has connected him to people he considers non-religious and he loves conversing with them and derives pleasure doing that, but does not throw his religion at anyone. He said, “Some of the best conversations I’ve had are with nonbelievers, I’m not in there throwing Bibles at people. … I have just tried to live in a way that, if people have questions, they can come to me. I don’t judge anybody. The main challenge that comes with being religious in the NFL doesn’t come from the people, it comes from the messaging.”
Derek Carr has shown that he is a religious person and even went ahead to establish a religious organization he named “Altar Conference.” Carr mentioned in the interview with Deseret News that he listens to worship songs more frequently and does not fill his head with “other stuff.”
Carr has also advised religious people who have the same experience as him (being in a sports league and a religious group) to find ways to balance these conflicting affairs like he was able to do. He said, “If there was a game on Sunday, as a kid, we always told my traveling coach, I’m not gonna be there, I’m gonna be at church. They made the priorities, the priorities. And it worked out for me – I made it to the NFL. So all these moms and dads that say, ‘No, we have to go to your games at eight years old,’ – you know, it’s okay to miss one.'”
Does Derek Carr believe in God?
As a “man of faith,” Carr has outrightly expressed his beliefs in God and has publicly acknowledged him severally. Derek believes in God no matter the circumstance he faces.
In a 2021 report by Raider Maven, Carr said,
“I’ve praised God through the hardest times of my life, not knowing if my son is going to wake up out of this surgery and I’m thanking God, ‘You’re still good, you’re still faithful, you’re still awesome. After every loss, you’re still good, I don’t understand it, but you’re awesome and I thank you “
Derek Carr disclosed in a podcast with Harvester Sport that he listens to God and believes in the power of his word. He said that he is with the NFL only because that is what God called him to do. According to the quarterback, “I’m playing football because that’s what he called me to, if he calls me for something else, I’m doing that”
While speaking to an audience in ChurchLV in Las Vegas early this year, the athlete shared a message of belief in God. He said, “There’s nothing that can come against my household. For the Spirit of God breaks it free and says ‘We don’t need to worry about that.’ Do you all know how many text messages I’ve gotten saying, ‘Are you OK?’ Stop asking if I’m OK. You don’t know me if you’re asking if I’m OK. You don’t know the God that I know.”
He spoke about his bad form, which even led him to be benched by the coach to the congregation at ChurchLV, “I removed myself from the situation, and I just got in God’s presence every day. I got in His presence, and I found peace. I found joy. I found answers to my questions…..That doesn’t mean I haven’t woken up and felt a little upset at times, sad. Dang, I wish I could have done more. I wish that I could have helped more or I could have done better.”
He continued: “came up short, but does that mean that I come up short of who God sees me as? Does that mean that because you didn’t accomplish your goal, you’re not a Son or Daughter of the highest, because I know there’s a God in heaven that sees me in a new light?”
“There’s a God in heaven that doesn’t put these cultural lenses on me. He sees me for everything He created me to be. He sees you for everything that He created you to be. Just because we come up short does not determine our worth.”
Is Derek Carr a Christian?
Carr’s status as a Christian has never been hidden because the athlete speaks frequently about his faith in Christianity and considers it the most important thing in his life.
He has affirmed his belief in Jesus Christ and other pillars of the religion and has shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with multitudes. Carr grew up in the church and had many family members occupying various positions in the church, meaning that the family is committed to the service of God.
Derek Carr has disclosed that he prioritizes his faith so much that he does not mind shunning football to pursue a career in the church of God because it is faith that has helped him navigate the ups and downs of his career.
The athlete founded a religious organization “Altar Conference ” where he shares the gospel with believers. He also preaches at a non-denominational church “ChurchLV ” in Las Vegas and shares the gospel with his fans with the hope that it can help them overcome life challenges. He disclosed that praying, reading the Bible, and listening to worship songs have helped him in his faith and career journey.
Derek Carr also opened up about his Christian faith in an interview with Movieguide in January 2023. According to the sportsman, “So, yeah, I see people saying certain things about me….. I see all those things. But my job as a believer is to reflect the light of Christ to them. And so when they see me and think why doesn’t he react a certain way?’ It’s because I’m reacting the way Jesus is telling me to react. I’m reacting the way that my Father is telling me to react.”
He said further, “There are some things that I read in the Bible, and it messes with me. … But if the Word says it, that’s what I stand on. If the Word says it, that’s what I believe. If the Word says it, that’s what’s true. That’s what’s right – not Derek’s opinion,”
Carr didn’t make his faith his own even when he grew up in a deeply religious home. He revealed that his life changed when he met Mattie Montgomery in College, who was his spiritual mentor and pastor. Montgomery told him to put his faith in practice and in an interview with Christian Headlines, he recounted an instance where he had an urge to and used his faith to pray for someone he felt needed prayer at a celebrity golf tournament and she was healed. The athlete has also revealed that he will go into full-time preaching when his football career ends.
Is Derek Carr Baptized?
As a strong believer, Derek Carr is baptized into the Christian fold. The Fresno Bee reported in 2018 that Carr even baptized an ex-teammate in a hotel after the teammate told him that he wishes to change his life and become a better person.
What did Derek Carr say about Jesus?
As a believer, Derek has always acknowledged Jesus and referred to him in his statements.
He told Movieguide in January that, “Everybody is asking me, ‘How are you doing?’… I’m doing great, and I’m gonna tell you why. … I’m doing great walking with Jesus.
While saying goodbye to Raiders fans when he was quitting the team, one of his comments was “Being a quarterback is what I do but it does not define who I am. I am first and foremost a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Conclusion
Derek Carr is a Christian who has proudly professed his faith. Carr does not compromise his faith and even values it above his career. Derek Carr believes that everything he achieves is a result of his faith in God and does not take decisions without hearing from God. So to him, God supports his NFL career and it’s what is keeping him there. As someone who shows enormous faith in God, we consider him a Christian.
Think we were wrong? Write your reasoning in the comments and prove us wrong!