{"id":7698,"date":"2013-04-15T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-04-15T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/2013\/04\/15\/athletes-trump-faith-leaders\/"},"modified":"2013-04-15T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2013-04-15T00:00:00","slug":"athletes-trump-faith-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/athletes-trump-faith-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"Athletes Trump Faith Leaders"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to a recent survey, two-thirds of Americans believe professional athletes have more influence on society than faith leaders. But don’t sack the pulpit for the gridiron just yet. Even though perceived influence is high, not everyone is convinced that public declarations of faith on the field actually do that much to change fans’ minds or hearts. According to Barna, “most Americans believe when an athlete talks about his or her faith publicly it does not make much of a difference for those who hear those comments.” Only about one third of those polled thought that displays of faith on the field really impacted viewers.—Barna.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Marriage to Mars?<\/h2>\n\n

For some married couples, just the prospect of a cross country driving trip … trapped … in a vehicle … with the spouse … is enough to induce dangerously high blood pressure. So when millionaire space tourist Dennis Tito recently announced that his team was seeking a couple to man (and woman) a planned privately funded 18 month mission to the planet Mars in 2018, people recognized that the selected pair would need to have a special relationship.<\/p>\n\n

Like that of Deborah Shapiro and her husband Rolf. They spent 15 months together on the Antarctic Peninsula, nine of which were in total solitude. Their secrets?<\/p>\n\n