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Every week NASCAR, in the midst of unbearable heat and deafening noise and rebel culture, implicitly embodies these twin human tensions, which really are two sides of the brittle coin of human existence. While we are rebels who defy the culture of God, we are ultimately called to die to self and conform ourselves to the kingdom culture that comes.

And that dying to self is only possible when we have the faith and courage to maneuver right up to the abyss, racing along the edge of extinction, engine screaming and the earth a blur, our hearts racing in fear and trembling, our minds finally seizing the wonder and grace that life is—thanks not to our heroism, but to the Hero who has raced before us and lost it all.

And won three days later: a victory we share as well.

Mark Galli is senior managing editor of CT.

Copyright © 2008 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

August's cover story, "Racing for Jesus," and the accompanying audio slideshow, are about ministry in NASCAR.

This month's Inside CT looks at trackside chaplaincy.

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August 2008, Vol. 52, No. 8