Christianity Today’s cover story for February is a lengthy piece adapted from Shirl James Hoffman’s book Good Game: Christianity and the Culture of Sports. Its a heady article from what sounds like a scholarly read on the intersection of faith and sports so frequently discussed here.

What struck me was Hoffman’s use of the term Sportianity (coined 30 years ago by SI’s Frank Deford) and how he defines it:

“In other words, Sportianity is Christian theology vetted and co-opted by the dictates of the sports industry. Not surprisingly, it cannot speak truth to power. Its doctrines are promulgated far beyond the locker rooms of the NFL, the NBA, or Major League Baseball. Rationalized and systematized, it is vigorously taught to college, high school, and even younger athletes. Its themes crop up in sermons preached from evangelical pulpits and in articles from the religious press. There are, in fact, few alternative ways of thinking about sports and faith in the evangelical community.

In spite of its theological conservatism, Sportianity advocates a quite worldly view of sports. The concrete trumps the symbolic; doing, achieving, and struggling are favored over mystery, joy, feeling, transport, and spiritual insight. When effort, sacrifice, and competitive success become the preferred ways to glorify God, joyous play—which might be what theologian Robert K. Johnston has called “a prolegomenon [preface] to further encounters with God”—can seem an unworthy offering. In the dialectical, serious-but-not-serious world of play, Sportians tip the scales decidedly toward the serious, made weightier by the evangelistic mission they are anxious to load onto sports.”

Any thoughts?

When Craig Groeschel, a megachurch pastor in Oklahoma, was looking at a less-is-more strategy to grow his church, one of the ministry programs that ended up on the cutting room floor was the sports ministry.

The reason for this, as Groeschel explained at a Catalyst One Day event I attended in Maryland Monday (and I’m sure in other talks he’s given elsewhere) was that it wasn’t providing too much more than a place for Christians to cuss around their non-Christian friends.

I suspect it was also providing a place for Christians to be total a**hats around non-Christians and each other, which is far more damaging to a “ministry” than the word I’ve astericked in this sentence or any other so-called cuss word like it.

***

I wasn’t good enough to make the freshmen team at my high school and if anything my skills have digressed over the years. But I’m the kind of player who hustles and works hard to fight for loose balls, pick off passes and do whatever I can to help the team. If I’m shooting the ball at all it’s after a missed shot or when I’m lucky enough to have a fast break.

In other words, I get by being one of the least skilled players on the court because I love the exercise.

For some reason, in my sports ministry experience, this has been almost as acceptable as a woman wanting to preach in a Southern Baptist Church. I’ve found that a good attitude, a passion for ministry and a love of sports make you a prime target for recruitment into a church’s Upward basketball program but also the first to be “accidentally” left off the e-mail list for a church’s basketball team.

***

For those involved in sports ministry or those like me who have at one time or another sought an outlet for athletic activity in a church setting, I have a question.

How do you keep a sports ministry from becoming a place for Christians to act like @**hats around non-Christians and each other?

Pop Quiz hotshot:

What’s the first thing you think of when you see this t-shirt?

Do you see the trademark blue on white stripe that adorns PSU’s helmets?

or do you see a cross, like the one Jesus was crucified on a couple thousand years ago?

According to the folks at FOX News, a minor controversy has been stirred up over the shirts.

What do you think? Something to be bothered by or much ado about nothing?

Personally, I’d like to hear Joe Paterno’s take on the tshirts.

He was, after all, alive during the crucifixion.

Prayers For Blowouts will be featuring posts from PFB Members throughout the summer. This submission is from Member #028, MC Bias.

By now most of you have already heard or read Tim Tebow’s confession that he is saving himself for marriage. Reaction was understandably mixed, with many wondering how Tebow could hold to his values while being so famous. Some of us Christians found ourselves in the midst of awkward conversations with non-Christians on how our faith calls us to sexual purity. Personally, I thought Dan Shanoff put it best: “In fact, his answer shouldn’t have surprised anyone. It is entirely consistent with his core values”.

However, I thought that there was an unfortunate moment in the analysis for a lot of people. If you listened carefully, Tebow said he was “saving himself for marriage.” People quickly took that to mean Tim Tebow was a virgin, and I do believe he is one. However, there’s a difference between saying “I am a virgin” and “I am saving myself for marriage” that is worth exploring. Suppose I show you two Christian young men. Guy 1 is a virgin. Guy 2 had sex once. Is Guy 1 holier than Guy 2? Counting and using statistics, yes. Zero is better than one, right? Guy 1, holy! Guy 2, sinner!

But that misses the point of the mindset of saving yourself for marriage. We are called to be holy in thought and approach, too, not only deeds; the Sermon on the Mount pounds this point home time and time again. Our culture has an unhealthy fascination with virginity and statistics instead of purity. Guy 1 could have wanted to lose his virginity many times, but got turned down. On the other hand, Guy 2 could be a handsome fellow with many opportunities to lose his virginity, yet he remained faithful to his values at all times except for one error years ago. Can we then say that Guy 1 is better? It’s wise to be cautious on judging too quickly in these matters. As Christians, we commit ourselves to holiness, but we also commit ourselves to repentance.

As a Christian, I am proud of Tim Tebow, not just because he is a virgin, but because he is striving towards the goal of being holy in all areas of his life. He may yet have sex before marriage; the temptations are likely to be many. (Although, I would note that Kaka, the Christian soccer player, did manage to make it to marriage, as did AC Green). But even if he does fall, I believe he will get back up and show a strong commitment to pursuing God’s will.

And that is definitely an example worth following.

(MC Bias also writes for his own blog, which you can check out here.)

Prayers For Blowouts will be featuring posts from PFB Members this summer. This submission is from Member #038, Michael Terry.

Well, I know I’m new around here (as a contributor) so I want to say “hi” and give a brief introduction. As you will see, if I make any other contributions here, I am not your typical American sports fan. I love racing, but hate NASCAR. I like NCAA Football, but am bored by the NFL. My top 5 sports, in no particular order, are F1, Pro Cycling, NCAA Football, Soccer, and ALMS (do any of you even know that last one?). So even though my “fanhood” may not jive with yours, I hope my contribution(s) will be readable, enjoyable, and beneficial to all the PFB readers.

There has been a massive upheaval in the sport of Formula 1 racing. Even as I type this, news of an imminent change of command at the head of the FIA (the governing body for F1) has just been announced. A lot of the upheaval has centered around a desire to cut costs. The FIA wants to appear like they are cutting costs while The Formula One Teams Association (or FOTA) thinks that the ways the FIA are choosing to cut costs are… hmm… well… “bloody stupid.” In an effort to find a Christian life lesson in the world of sports, I began to think about how a situation like this plays out in the Church.

The FIA didn’t like its image so it decided that it was time to cut costs. But in a sport where an average of $10m is spent to take off 0.10 sec. of a lap time, the cost cutting methods that were chosen are lame. They banned all in-season testing, for one thing, as well as changing the aerodynamic regulations. But the straw that broke the proverbial camels back was when they placed a budget cap on next years racing. They told teams “if you spend under $___ you will have more lax rules while if you spend over $___ you will have a more strict set of rules in place that will, in effect, attempt to hamper your team and its performance“.

Why do these things chap the hides of F1 fans? We are coming off of an F1 Championship that was decided by 1 point on the final corner of the final lap of the final race of the season! Does it get much more exciting than that? But the FIA, again, wants to save face and not look bad, so they went for the new rules changes. But like most who want to save face, they really don’t want to change anything other than outward appearance. I’ll give you an example: F1 rules state that you can only bring one car per driver to each race. This sounds like an effective cost cutting solution since teams used to bring as many as 4 cars per driver to each race, but the fine print of the regulation states that you can bring all the parts necessary to build a second car, it just can’t be put together. It is this kind of hypocritical, “face-saving” that has me chomping at the bit for a new head of the FIA. But how does this apply to the Church?

As those of us who have the audacity to call ourselves followers of Christ know, it is our job “to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves.” One of our directives is to love and serve the poor. In the last 20 years or so a new attitude has infiltrated the Church. It’s the idea that a big fancy church building full of people equals a good church. We must ask how this attitude jives with out directive to love others by giving of ourselves. Many of these “Mega-Churches” have shared their desire to serve the poor and they can tell you how much they give…etc. This spoken desire, however, is conflicted by other actions. How does a 37 million dollar gaudy monstrosity of a building help you serve the poor? Many of these churches like to say they are serving the poor but their bank records say another thing.

So what am I espousing here? Am I telling us all to live in monasteries and have no monetary income? No. All I want to encourage us with is that if we say we are followers of Christ who want to love and serve the poor, we should have concrete evidence of it in our lives. We should volunteer to serve dinner at a homeless shelter. We should sign up to give less fortunate children a better christmas by providing some gifts to those who might not receive any. There are endless numbers of charities like Blood:Water Mission and the International Justice Mission that are doing great work around the world and would gladly and humbly accept anything you can offer. My extended family and I are saving money so that we can purchase a well at Christmas time for a village in Africa through Blood:Water Mission as a way of giving back.

I hate to be the “guy” that most of you may think I’m being right now, but as we sit back in our comfy chairs to watch our NFL or MLB, let’s remember to not only say we love and serve the poor but to find ways to actually love and serve them. Let’s not concern ourselves with the outward appearance of our actions like the FIA, but rather let’s be the real deal.

As believers, we know what has taken us from being “poor in spirit” to the infinite riches of Christ Jesus. In loving those around us, we can show our brothers and sisters that difference as well.

Grace and Peace in Christ Jesus,

Michael Terry

Prayers For Blowouts will be featuring posts from PFB Members this summer. This submission is from Member #020, Christian Arvold.

So Kobe finally got his first Shaq-less ‘ship and now… he can start smiling once in a while! In all the comparisons between Kobe and MJ, the one that always sticks out to me is that both have the “killer” instinct. Both guys HATE losing, whether it’s a game, a drill in practice, ping-pong in the locker room or cards with the fellas. Most of us who play sports (or board games) play to win the game. But apparently, MJ and Kobe have a competitive streak in them that rivals anything mere mortals may have ever known. If you have or had the misfortune to end up an opponent of either guy, neither would think twice about killing you, then grinding your corpse into dust, then mashing the particles back together just to blow them up again. All through the Finals (as Bill Simmons pointed out a few times), we were told over and over again that Kobe was really, really¸serious about winning this Title- and how did we know? He never smiles. In fact when he’s zeroed in, he has a scowl that would frighten most wild animal predators.

Lately, I have decided that this is just strange. Why is it that when the world’s best basketball player (sorry LBJ, you need a couple rings) is playing his best, he looks livid? Why is that when we witness basketball played at its highest level humanly possible, the athlete performing other worldly stunts looks like he’s been told his mamma is ugly, his car has been towed-locked-up-and-the-attendant-won’t-be-back-for-three-hours, his tax guy made a mistake on his taxes and he now owes a couple mil to the government, his Nike shoe contract has been terminated, and his puppet commercials have been pulled all at the same time. Why must it be so painful to be the best in the world at something? I am not really musically inclined, which is why I really enjoy watching a musician who is great and really enjoys being great. It makes me want to learn to play an instrument.

A few weeks ago I was talking to a new friend who had grown up a pastor’s kid and as an adult does not embrace the Christian faith he was brought up in. One of the reasons for this was his experience with Christians in his father’s church who were always angry with him about how he did not live up to their expectations of what a pastor’s kid should be. Even now as a young adult, he is strongly turned off to Christianity by their anger towards him. If that is what a Christian is, he wants no part in it.

It is hard to hear his story, since I have met several Christians like those he encountered. It is frustrating because Christians should be exhibiting joy- it is a fruit of the Spirit. Though we are not “happy all the day” as the old hymn says, we have a living hope in Christ that should remind us that our worst days and issues (that may take some time and prayer and support to work through) pale in comparison to what God has done for us and what he promises to still do for us (Romans 8:18).

My 5 and 3 year old sons have decided that Kobe is their favorite player this spring (though Michael Redd is still their hometown hero). When the Finals’ games came on, I would tell them to come watch the best player in the world. After watching a little bit they would inevitably run from the couch to their hoops set up in our family room and try their best 5 and 3 year old impressions of Kobe with two major differences: they lacked the world-class abilities of Kobe and they laughed and smiled all the time while they played.

It is my hope as a father that as they grow up playing ball, they always remember that it is a game to be enjoyed. But more than that, I hope they grow up in the Faith knowing that their God and the life of faith he offers are also to be enjoyed.

a few things to consider why you figure out how the Red Sox blew a 10-1 lead last night…

+ We’ve written about Josh Hamilton at PFB before, but Guideposts has a new article up on him that he wrote himself. Worth a quick read.

+ Many of you read about the Ohio High School football coach, Ed Thomas, who was murdered last week. But you might not have read the words that Green Bay Packer Aaron Kampman spoke about Thomas after his passing (via Justin Taylor’s Blog):

Coach Thomas was very special to me and many other young men from the Aplington-Parkersburg communities. His legacy for many will be identified with his tremendous success as a football coach. However, I believe his largest legacy comes not in how many football games he won or lost but in the fact that he was a committed follower of Jesus Christ. He lived his life trying to exemplify this faith and convey those values to those under his influence. His faith in Christ pervaded everything that he did and that is why in the midst of the heartache we all feel there is comfort in knowing he is with his Savior.

+ The Bleacher Report has a slideshow of the “Influential Christians in the Sports World”. Not sure why they included the late Reggie White, but there are some good quotes from Pujols and Mo Rivera, to name a few.

Time for another rousing rendition* of Ask the Schnoz.

*this is the first rendition

Schnoz,

I wanted to get your take on Bill Simmons.  I first started reading Bill Simmons in 1997 and I really enjoy reading/listening to him. I know from your blog that you feel the same way.  He has always toed the line, but it seems that he is getting more and more sexual in his writings/podcast.  Sometimes I wonder if it is wrong for me to be listening to a lot of the stuff they are talking about.  I sort of feel the same way about Deadspin.  I haven’t visited that site as much, but the sexuality really seems to throw me for a loop.

Anyway, I respect your opinion and I’d love to get your take on Simmons and Deadspin and how we should interact with the sites as Christians.Hope you’re having a great week and best wishes with the book,

Mark

Great question Mark. While I don’t go back quite as far as you do as a Simmons’ fan, his writing and podcasts have been a large part of my life for the past 7+ years. His opinions are informed, his writing is humorous, and he seems like a good guy. What’s not to like? Well, one thing not to like is the repeated references to porn that Bill has employed throughout his tenure at ESPN. In the past these were usually passing jokes in a sports column or quick hitters in a mailbag column. But as Mark mentioned, the sex references have definitely been increasing of late. I won’t get into them all here, but suffice it to say that since the “The B.S. Report occasionally touches on mature subjects…” tag has been added to the beginning of his podcasts, he’s definitely ventured into some racy material a lot more frequently. I’m not going to judge him for it…it is what it is…but if the question is “How should we interact with Bill Simmons’ writing and with Deadspin as Christians?” My answer is “thoughtfully”.

First off, there’s no hard and fast rule for Christians as to whether it’s okay or not okay to listen to this podcast or read that website or see this movie. I’m not down with religious rules, or legalism, or whatever you want to call it. And honestly, I’m glad there’s no rules. Generic rules put in place to deem some things offensive and some permissible wouldn’t work for everyone. It might keep me from things that I would otherwise have no problem with and allow things to be filtered through that might not be good for me.

Instead, I believe it is up to each one of us to discern things on a case by case basis based on our past, our circumstances, and our goals, all with the help of God’s Spirit. (and with the help our our friends…or as the Bible puts it, Godly counsel)

Here’s how it works for me personally (if you don’t mind me getting personal for a minute): Like you, I try to keep my mind pure and live by the creed that Jesus spoke about lusting after other woman and how it is committing adultery with them. This is my goal based on past struggles, where I’m at with my relationship with my wife, and how I want to live going forward.  As a result I try to avoid media where racy pictures of women are broadcast (from movies to websites and things in between) and I try to avoid thinking about other women in a sexual way. I know this is completely counter to a sex-obsessed culture like ours, but whatever.

Considering my goals, have I been able to do that to this point as I’ve read Bill’s columns and listened to his podcast? Yes. Have I been able to do that while keeping Deadspin in my feedreader? Yes. Have I been able to do that while listening to Bill Simmons appear as a guest on the Adam Carolla podcast? No. (I tried to listen to the Carolla podcast both times Bill appeared on it but both times I turned it off halfway through because I didn’t like where it was taking my mind…and I am laughing while I type that because they’d probably get a kick out of hearing that.)

I’ll be honest, it would be really hard for me to quit Bill Simmons cold turkey. I love the work he does. But if he ever leaves ESPN and all of his articles and podcasts went as racy as I think they might go, I’d definitely need to re-evaluate. At the very least, I might have to take each article and podcast on a case by case basis. It’s not about being a prude or tiptoeing through life on eggshells because I’m afraid of sinning. It’s not about labeling Bill Simmons as evil or bad because of the topics he covers. For me it’s just about trying to honor God with who I am, trying to love my wife the way she deserves to be loved, and trying to do what I feel is right. And for each of us, that will probably look slightly different. (For instance, I kept Deadpsin in my feed, but I’ve developed the habit of immediately turning away from racy photos when I first see them. I know to most guys this is the most ridiculous and counter-intuitive thing in the world, but I knew I had to develop that habit if I was going to continue to get news from Deadspin, which I wanted to do.)

To wrap this up, I think you’re on the right track, Mark, in that you’re listening to your conscience and asking the questions that need to be asked. With God’s help we all need to continue to be aware of what we’re consuming and how it makes us think and what it makes us do. If the results we are experiencing line up with who we are and who we want to be, that’s great. But if we find ourselves going down paths in our thoughts or actions that we don’t want to go down, we’d be foolish to ignore it.

Oh, and thanks about the book. I’m having a blast writing it.

The Schnoz

If you’ve got a question for the Schnoz to answer, be it serious or silly, send it over to prayersforblowouts(at)gmail.com. Until the volume becomes overwhelming, which will never happen, the Schnoz promises to use all the emails he receives in this segment.

I came across this February 09 interview with Red Sox pitcher Justin Masterson the other day and thought it was worth sharing.

In part IV and part V of the 5-part interview with Sox1Fan, Masterson talks about his faith, and how his desire to share God’s love not only affects him off the field, but on it as well. It’s an interesting read if you’ve got a few minutes. If not, here’s a few quotes:

If you take the chance to be a positive influence, people see what you’ve done and say “Hey, there’s something different about that guy”. And they want to know more about you, and then guys like you (the media) help me to get the word out about who I am and what I believe in. That’s what helps me and gives me a chance to use the platform, because in some respects I’m not a guy who’s going to beat you on the forehead and say “you should believe in God”. In some respects I don’t think that’s what is supposed to be done as I’m walking through the clubhouse or talking to fans. I think there’s a chance to share my faith.

—

It’s that kind of ‘eternal thinking’ that helps me have that calmness… no matter what the situation on the mound, there are a lot of people who have to deal with a lot worse situations than I’m dealing with. In a sense, everything has to be kept in perspective. There’s the competitiveness aspect of the game, and everybody has the drive to want to win, but you still have to keep things in perspective.

—

That’s where it all comes from, the ability to say, “you know what, it happened, but God is good, he’s given me a chance to breathe another day, and I’m going to use it to try and please Him”. Even though today may not be the greatest day, there’s still an inner joy that’s deep within that can’t be taken away… it will keep me from a funk, keep me from a depression. And that enables me to approach the next day without carrying yesterday with me.

You can read the whole interview from start to finish at Sox1fan.com.

a few things to check out while you daydream about flossing your teeth with Mel Kiper Jr.’s hair…

+ Whether on the field or off of it, there’s a lot to appreciate about Jamie Moyer according to this piece at Guideposts.com.

+ Brad Lomenick, head honcho for the Catalyst Conferences, blogs about why the Masters is such a special tournament.

+ For $5 a week folks in the Decatur, Illinois area can attend Karate for Christ classes where they learn front snap kicks and lessons from Romans 10 from Sensei Billy Roberts. “We are to defend our body, the temple of God, from attack of another person who is bound by Satan to hurt us physically,” Roberts said. “Through our example of protecting the aggressor from committing a sin against us, with the same covering of the Holy Spirit, we can block through the attack.”

+ Tangle.com (formerly GodTube) announces new partnerships with some of the world’s most impactful ministries, sealing deals with and adding the Potter’s House/T.D. Jakes Enterprises, Focus on the Family and The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) to its list of continually growing ministry partners. The new ministry partners will join tangle’s current roster of influential organizations including: Samaritans Purse, Buckner International, Christian Living Magazine, Max Lucado and Women of Faith, among many others.