Doug Pederson credits the Holy Spirit with bringing his team to victory.“Nothing is done without prayer,” remarked Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Doug Pederson during a Q-and-A with sports radio commentator Rob Maaddi. Pederson, who led the Eagles to their first ever Super Bowl Championship last season, was the featured guest at the June 11 dinner, sponsored by the American Bible Society.
Crux reports, over the course of their conversation Pederson explained the role faith played in the team’s 2018 Super Bowl victory to a crowd of nearly 1000 gathered for the event:
“It’s the Holy Spirit that binds you together,” and “I truly believe God had a plan for the Eagles.”
For himself, he said, “I have to trust God and say, ‘It’s in your hands, it is not my call.’ I have a group of men who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.”
Pederson was joined by some faces of Eagles past for the event. Former linebacker Ike Reese gave welcoming remarks, and former Eagles running back turned Baptist minister, Rev. Herbert Lusk, who is remembered for kneeling in prayer after each touchdown, said the opening prayer.
Read more:
The Super Bowl champs in prayer
Although the Eagles stole the show, having won their first title in their 85 year history, the real purpose of the event was to highlight the American Bible Society’s upcoming Liberty Discovery Center, scheduled to open near Independence Hall, in 2020.
The Center, which is estimated to cost $60 million, will focus on the role religion played in forming the United States, as well as its continuing influence. This new establishment is expected to receive 400,000 visitors in their inaugural year.
The American Bible Society was founded in 1816 to promote reading of the Bible in the fledgling democracy. Crux notes that their first president, Elias Boudinot, was also president of the Continental Congress from 1782 to 1783. Other members of note have included: John Jay, the first chief justice of the United States, Presidents John Quincy Adams, Rutherford B. Hayes and Benjamin Harrison.
Since it’s inception the American Bible Society has distributed 6 billion Bibles worldwide.
