The Religious Allure of Stadiums
My favorite musical artist, Bruce Springsteen, brings a legendary energy and passion to his stadium shows, which (in his heyday) could run four hours or more. In between songs, he will sometimes channel the persona of a rock-and-roll revivalist, growling out promises to deliver “the mighty and rrrrighteous power of the E-Street Band” or pleading to know, “Is there anybody aliiiive out there?”
Viewed objectively, the whole thing is patently ridiculous—a carefully crafted and rigorously rehearsed schtick, rather than a spontaneous eruption of crowd-pleasing joy. Yet no matter how many live performances I’ve seen, either in person (three) or on YouTube (don’t ask), it rarely fails to give me goosebumps.
There’s something inherent, it seems, about large numbers of people gathering for large public spectacles that conjures of feelings of transcendence and higher purpose. Columbia University professor Frank Guridy gets at some of these dynamics in his new book, The Stadium: An American History of Politics, Protest, and Play. Guridy, a historian studying the relationship between sports and public life, argues that our stadiums serve as stages not only for major sporting contests, but also for the hopes and aspirations of various social groups.
Reviewing the book for CT is Paul Putz, director of a faith-and-sports program at Baylor University, whose forthcoming book is The Spirit of the Game: American Christianity and Big-Time Sports.
“As a work of history,” writes Putz, “Guridy’s book is truly impressive. The breadth and depth of his research and analysis shines through, and his writing is compelling—and also full of surprises shaped by his curiosity. Guridy writes not as a detached academic, but as a sports fan too, someone who truly understands the religious-like allure of the stadium. He gives his attention not just to splashy moments and events but also to small, behind-the-scenes details, like the history of the ballpark organist. In this book, the stadium comes alive, sparkling with fascinating details and soaring ideas about its meaning and significance in American life and culture.
“At the same time, readers of Christianity Today will rightly wonder where they fit in the story Guridy tells. For as much care as he takes looking at the meaning of the stadium from a variety of angles, his narrative can at times fit too easily into a simple binary: Those on the side of progressive politics are the good guys, and those with conservative politics are the bad guys.
“The biggest gap, however, is the lack of attention to religion. Other than scattered references here and there to religious figures (like Jesse Jackson) or movements (like the Christian Right), there is no sustained analysis about how religious groups have made use of the stadium.
“This strikes me as a surprising omission, given how central religion has been as a source of identity for Americans and how important the stadium has been to religious movements and groups throughout American history—including Catholics, Jews, Latter-day Saints, and, yes, evangelical Protestants.
“For evangelicals, the stadium is an especially important place. For Charles Sheldon, it may have been a competitor for time and attention. But from Billy Sunday to Billy Graham, it has also served as a site for revival, where Americans have been urged to receive new life in Christ—not just for their sake, evangelists have claimed, but for the sake of the nation itself.
“It has also provided a backdrop to prove the cultural relevance of the evangelical faith. The spread of stadium revivals across the United States in the 1940s and 1950s—often featuring sports stars offering their testimonials—helped to ‘mainstream’ a movement that saw itself on the margins of cultural respectability. In the decades since, stadiums have helped to nurture and cultivate an evangelical movement within sports that has turned the playing field into one of the most evangelical-friendly spaces in American popular culture today.”
Gospel Words and Works
Just over a decade ago, Duane Litfin, the former president of Wheaton College, published a helpful book called Word Versus Deed: Resetting the Scales to a Biblical Balance. In it, he sought to correct two mistaken tendencies prevailing in some evangelical churches.
One approach downplays the mandate to verbally proclaim the Good News, arguing that we witness most compellingly through Christlike lives of service and compassion. Another approach holds the line on preaching and sharing the gospel, but neglects to live out the ministry of the Word with practical outreach to people in need.
Church-planting pastor Doug Logan Jr. and Send Network theology director J. A. Meddars are firm in their conviction that these endeavors—gospel proclamation and compassionate care—belong indissolubly together. In their new book, The Soul-Winning Church: Six Keys to Fostering a Genuine Evangelistic Culture, they spell out some practical guidance on keeping our words and works in fruitful harmony.
CT recently published an excerpt from the book.
“There are two dangers to avoid when it comes to mercy ministry and evangelism,” write the authors. “First, we must not treat mercy ministry as the same as, or as a valid alternative to, evangelism. People need to hear about Jesus crucified and risen to be saved. We pray people will say, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner”—it is not enough for them to say, ‘Lord, your people are good people and make an impact on this community’ (though that is a good start).
“But second, we must not treat mercy ministry as optional or as a distraction from the real work of the church. It was vital to Jesus’ ministry, and must be to us. If it weren’t, he would have just preached about repentance and salvation and would never have taken time to tell us a parable about a good Samaritan helping his dying enemy as instructive for loving our neighbors.
“Yes, the accomplishment of redemption and the proclamation of the gospel are the major notes of Christ’s ministry. He came to destroy the devil’s works, give himself as a ransom for many, and proclaim good news to the captives. But the minor keys—essential to his music—are his works of mercy. These acts of mercy flow from the heart of Jesus for people. We must maintain that doing good works is itself good.”
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