Answer: Maybe
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.
Buffalo Bills player, Joshua Patrick Allen is an American football quarterback whose career started back in college while playing for Wyoming. Josh Allen was born in 1996 in Firebaugh, California.
Josh Allen is multi-talented and in college, he participated in various sports including; baseball and golf. Josh and his family grew up on a 3,000-acre cotton farm established by his paternal grandfather in Fresno, California, and was a fan of Fresno State Bulldogs Football. As a fan of the club, he attended their football and game camps to attract the club’s coach but did not get the desired attention.
Josh got selected by Buffalo Bills as the seventh overall best player in the 2018 NFL draft and this was where his professional career began. Josh Allen’s breakout season was in 2020 when he led his team to their first division title and playoff victory since 1995. Throughout his career, Josh Allen has received multiple accolades and has broken records for the Bills including; bringing Buffalo Bills consecutive division titles in 2021 and 2022, a feat the club achieved last in 1991.
Josh Allen has impressive NFL statistics. He is a 2x pro bowl winner and had the highest passing rating in a single postseason in 2021. The quarterback is in a relationship with Britanny Williams, a former Fresno State cheerleader and current Pilate instructor whom he met when he was eight years old.
There has been a fierce debate concerning the religious status of Josh Allen. Many assume he is a Christian while some said he is of Jewish descent. Could he be a Christian? Let’s find that out in this article.
Is Josh Allen Religious?
Though the Buffalo Bills quarterback has not been so expressive of his faith and beliefs and has only spoken about it a few times, he has been linked to both Jewish and Christian religions and had affirmed that he respects different religious beliefs. He was once chastised by fans for commending Jewish beliefs. Josh Allen has tried to keep his religious beliefs private, but certain circumstances have led him to make statements that possess a religious undertone.
A very recent occurrence drew the public’s attention to Josh Allen’s spirituality and religious beliefs. After his team defeated the New England Patriots in January early this year and his teammate, Damar Hamlin recovered from a cardiac arrest, Josh Allen decided to celebrate the victory in religious terms. The quarterback got emotional while speaking in a post-press conference after the match in January. He said:
“Do you want the truth? It was spiritual. It was. Bone-chilling. It was special. I can’t remember a play that touched me like that, I don’t think in my life. So it’s probably No. 1. It was just spiritual and I just, I was going around, just something I was going around my teammates saying ‘God’s real. Like, you can’t draw that one up, write that one up any better”
Religion Unplugged reported that when Damar Hamlin had a cardiac arrest on the field in December, many of his teammates including Josh Allen and other NFL players from the opposing team started a spiritual meeting and broke into tears while saying words of prayer for the victim. Allen expressed emotions and spirituality in this scenario and what this means is that the quarterback holds some sort of religious beliefs, including the power of praying with faith. He even went ahead to ask for public prayers for Hamlin on his official Twitter handle.
Does Josh Allen believe in God?
Josh Allen didn’t talk about faith and spirituality in the past, however, a recent event made the quarterback express his belief in God and this struck the attention of the public since the quarterback had been rumored earlier to be a Jew. Josh Allen has affirmed his faith in God in recent times and we think he believes in God.
He publicly affirmed his faith when he told his teammate that “God is real” after the Buffalo Bills defeated the New England Patriots. He said in the January 8 press conference amidst tears that;
“I was going around with my teammates saying, ‘God is real, You can’t draw that one up, write that one up any better. And I was just told … it’s been three years and three months since the last kickoff return, so it’s pretty cool.”
While still speaking to ESPN’s Kyle Brandt, Josh Allen discussed his experience during Hamlin’s cardiac arrest and recovery. He explained that he felt a bit different and the situation awakened his spirit and had an impact on his faith. Josh also disclosed that the experience was a novel one because he felt something extremely powerful get hold of him and made him feel in a way he has never felt before. In his words:
“It was kind of a spiritual awakening, really, for me, I know a lot of other people that maybe didn’t have the strongest beliefs or weren’t the biggest or strongest Christian followers. It’s something I’ve never felt before, It’s something that I know a lot of my teammates have never felt before, and you can’t do anything about it but accept it and lean on your brothers and share that moment with them. I’ve never been struck like that before – from a play, from an experience, from an emotion – it’s never hit me that way before, I’ll be the first to admit, like, I haven’t been the most devoted Christ-follower in my life. I’ve had my different beliefs and thoughts and ideas and stuff like that, but something got a hold of me there and it was extremely powerful that, you know, I couldn’t deny it.”
Is Josh Allen a Christian?
Many misconstrue frequent church-going to be what Christianity is, however, we feel this is a false claim and Christianity is far beyond that. A Christian is someone who has put faith and trust in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ through His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection. A Christian’s lifestyle mirrors, reflects, and resembles that of Jesus Christ.
The Bible in Acts of the Apostles 11:26 describes those who follow Jesus and their lifestyle reflects that of Jesus Christ as “Christians.” According to the passage, “And when he had found him, he brought him back to Antioch. For a whole year, they assembled with and were guests of the church and instructed a large number of people, and in Antioch, the disciples were first called ‘Christians.’
The Bible highlights some attributes of a Christian to include;
- Care for the sick and needy
- Being forgiving, gracious, and merciful to others
- Loving others as we live ourselves
However, fulfilling these outward attributes does not make one a true Christian. The Bible directs that to be a true follower of Jesus Christ, one must have a good heart. Our thoughts, mindset, and behavior should prove that the holy spirit dwells in us and not doing things to feed the public’s eye while doing the reverse in private.
Irrespective of the claims that Josh Allen is a Jew, the Bills quarterback has not made any comment to support these claims. Whereas, he has made some statements that suggest he is a Christian.
While addressing the Press in January this year, Josh made some revelations about his Christian life. The quarterback mentioned that he and his family went to a Methodist church in Firebaugh but he wasn’t interested in the church services. He disclosed that each time they went to church, he wanted to leave ASAP so he could watch football instead. He added that even now he’s grown, he still does not go to church that often. In his words:
“It’s been so long since I’ve been to church. I went this last offseason one or two times, but not as much as maybe I should. But again, I think this conversation that we’re having right now, we’ve had all these conversations in our locker room. It’s been cool to see how guys have been moved and touched by this whole instance and situation and to see the country come together in support of Damar and maybe have those talks.
Again, it doesn’t matter what you think and who you think in; I’m not going to judge based on any of that. But to hear some of these stories and just feelings from our guys, to be going through this situation, it’s been cool to see that unfold in front of us. Again, I can’t chalk it down to anything else but a Higher Power. Yeah, I’m extremely moved. I don’t have the words to explain it.”
Josh Allen has not been so vocal when it comes to matters of religion. However, the quarterback has subtly shown some affiliations with Christianity and even mentioned he grew up in a Christian home, which means he might be a Christian.
Is Josh Allen Baptized?
Josh Allen has not made any comment about baptism. The quarterback disclosed that he joined his parents a few times to attend service at a Methodist church in Firebaugh, California but didn’t enjoy going to church and preferred watching football. He stated also that he hasn’t been going to church often as an adult. We do not have details of Josh Allen being baptized.
What did Josh Allen say about Jesus?
In the January 8 press conference, Josh Allen expressed his newfound love for Jesus. He has not been a devout believer but recent events have increased his faith and trust in Jesus Christ. In words:
“I’ll be the first to admit, like, I haven’t been the most devoted Christ-follower in my life. I’ve had my different beliefs and thoughts and ideas and stuff like that, but something got a hold of me there and it was extremely powerful that, you know, I couldn’t deny it.”
Conclusion
Josh Allen was not so vocal about faith and spirituality until the recent incident that involved his teammate, Damar Hamlin. Josh Allen describes the incident as “a spiritual awakening” and something he never felt before. The incident also led the Buffalo Bills quarterback to proclaim his love for God when he told his teammates “God is real.” The evidence reveals that Josh upholds some Christian beliefs and might be a Christian.
Think we were wrong? Write your reasoning in the comments and prove us wrong!