The Joy of Sports
Are sports the problem? Mark Householder, president of Athletes in Action, Benjamin J. Chase, a former lacrosse player at Wheaton College, and Ted Kluck, author of The Reason for Sports: A Christian Fanifesto, respond to CT's cover story on "Sports Fanatics."
I'm an athlete. I like to run, lift, compete, and win, and I have my very own "fascination with football," as Hoffman puts it. And perhaps I've been blissfully unaware of the fact that sports have historically been considered a little too dirty and a little too lowbrow to be worthy of Christians' intellectual engagement. I guess this explains why the message boards following my online sports columns for CT always evolved into important debates on things like circumcision.
There's a sort of breathless, "finally somebody said it!" quality to Hoffman's essay, except that I think there are a lot of Christians who for years have been doing sports in the way he recommends. I'm referring to those of us who don't get to play on CBS and don't have 9-year-olds emulating our eyeblack, but who have been trying to honor, glorify, and enjoy God through sports—even the high-contact ones.
And without sports like football, there would be precious little of the diversity we all seem to crave at the evangelical schools Hoffman mentions, where the demographic formula seems to be, "take a thousand well-heeled suburban, white, probably home-schooled evangelicals, and add a hundred football players."
Hoffman does a great job of pointing out that sports are full of sinners.Sure, there are a lot of self-glorifying sleazebags in sports.There are also a lot of self-glorifying Christians in sports. For many, God has become nothing more than another lucky pair of socks—another performance-enhancing drug.
But there are also a lot of Christian athletes who care about the Cross, the gospel, humility, joy, and true growth and sanctification. Sports provide a very public and community-oriented way to care about these things. I've met hockey players, boxers, and football players (as well as golfers, runners, and swimmers) who fit this bill.
The thing is, "the concrete trumps the symbolic" for me, in matters of faith as well as in matters of sport. There is something concrete, and comforting, in the authority of Scripture. And there was something of "hard work and pain" in what Christ did on the cross for me, the worst of sinners. And it's the acknowledgement of that work that makes play—sports—joyful.
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Ted Kluck is the author of The Reason for Sports: A Christian Fanifesto (Moody), has played pro indoor football. Benjamin J. Chase and Ted Kluck also responded to CT's cover story on "Sports Fanatics."
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Comments
Matt
Not only does this 'response' not engage the core issues of the article but I am not sure the author of the original article would disagree with any of this. Kluck's response seems to be one of "nothing to see here...move along." The point of the article goes far beyond the fact there are "a lot of sleazebags in sports." Far more. To reduce it to such a level shows a patent unwillingness to think and discuss these issues. Most everyone would agree there are things to be learned from Sports and there are good people, strong Christians even involved in them. But is that all there is to it? Is this the only thing to be said on the subject? Should we not have a long hard look at our fanaticism and our possible, albeit unknowing complicity in the now widely discussed issue of head injuries in football? Should we not do all we can to apply the gospel to every part of this large segment of the life? The above response says, 'no.'
dlawrence
Kluck's response is solid. He speaks the underlying fact that there are those of us who coach, teach, and play not only for the "joy" of sport, but to ultimately further the Kingdom. To many of us who are in the profession, that realization comes later in ones life as ones philosophy of coaching or playing is honed and refined. Unfortunately, without proper guidance from devoted Christ following leaders (i.e. coaches and athletic directors, etc.), many players or coaches never formulate a Christian reason for playing or coaching. Hoffman's platform continually bombards the reader in all of his writings with facts and stories concerning sport deviance (which is a result of our sin nature), and with those facts I agree. Our society is obsessed. But Hoffman seems to be struggling with the possibility that sport can be a medium for helping some find Christ or that sport can be a medium in helping 1000's of athletes 'to grow deeper into the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior'.
ZSB
Terrific response, Mr. Kluck!