Book writer and blogger Patton Dodd, commenting on quarterback Tim Tebow in an essay on Saturday, wrote about being able to understand moral failure but being unable to trust a public figure’s goodness.

Below is an excerpt of the essay published in the Wall Street Journal.

“Mr. Tebow may indeed turn out to be a hypocrite, like other high-profile Christians in recent memory. Some of us might even want that to happen, because moral failure is something we understand. We know how to deal with disappointed expectations, to turn our songs of praise into condemnation.

What we are far less sure how to do is to take seriously a public figure's seemingly admirable character and professions of higher purpose. We don't know how to trust goodness.

And who can blame us? We don't want to be fooled again."