Jon Kitna: thankful to avoid hell
November 27, 2007 – 11:00 am | by bryanIf you're new here, and you're into sports and/or the Christian faith, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
According to the Detroit Free Press, Jon Kitna was overheard after Thursday’s game saying that the thing he is most thankful for is that “He doesn’t have to go to hell.”
Will Leitch at Deadspin.com picked up on the story on Friday and had this to say:
We don’t know if Kitna’s next comment was, “Unlike SOME people” while eyeing the reporter warily … but man, we hope so. Because nothing says love and devotion than doing something because you’re afraid you’ll be tortured for eternity if you don’t.
I’m not gonna flame Kitna for saying he’s thankful he’s not going to hell. I’m thankful for that too. I guess it’s not something that I go around saying all the time, because I realize that the comment alone, without proper context, can easily come across as condescending or arrogant. (see above Leitch quote).
What is the proper context? Well, I guess if you’re going to say that you’re thankful you’re not going to hell you should say why you believe you’re not going. Is it because you’ve led numerous teammates to Christ and you avoid nudy bars? Or is it because you believe that faith in Jesus’ life and death covers the sins that would otherwise separate you from God? I’m quite sure for Kitna it’s the latter, but without saying that he left himself open to the criticism.
Again, I’m not gonna jump on Kitna for the comment. Who knows, he might have even provided context for it that never got reported. As a Deadspin reader I was honestly more interested in Leitch’s commentary on the comment than I was in the comment itself.
In other Jon Kitna news, his Lions are 6-5 after losing 3 in a row and seem to be headed for another below .500 record with games against the Vikings, Cowboys, Chargers, Chiefs, and Packers left on their schedule.
While things might be falling apart for the team, things might be coming together for Wide Receiver Roy Williams, who, after a talk with Kitna a few weeks ago decided to examine his life to see what was holding him back from walking with God.
Here’s to hoping that Roy Williams, and all professional athletes living the “dream life”, do some examining in the wake of the tragic Sean Taylor passing this morning. Life is short and very fragile. If you get a chance today, say a prayer for them, and for Sean’s family and friends as well. They have some tough days and months ahead.
(h/t: Deadspin.com)
4 Responses to “Jon Kitna: thankful to avoid hell”
By buddy watts on Nov 28, 2007 | Reply
The media can try to make him look like a religous zealot, but the comments of his teamates speaks louder than the media’s print!
By bryan on Nov 28, 2007 | Reply
yeah, every time i read quotes from his teammates, i am more impressed. having strong spiritual beliefs is going to turn you off to a certain segment of people, whether you believe in Jesus, Allah, or Tom Cruise’s Xenu. But it seems like Kitna genuinely respects the guys he works (plays) with and is doing his best to love those around him. it’s definitely encouraging to read about.
By Peter Gaultney on Nov 28, 2007 | Reply
Agreed with both of you. And thanks for the outstandingly intelligent analysis, Bryan. It’s pretty shocking to read such a balanced view of *anything* on these here internets.
By ninja.s on Nov 29, 2007 | Reply
Being an outwardly open Christian is getting harder and harder these days. Although we believe in being “politically correct”, we seem to actually be less correct than we should. This specifically applies to religion, where no one seems to care anymore (even those who are Christians). It’s good for someone to come out like that.