When I was a child, the world of sports looked very different then it does today. Back then, I don’t recall teams practicing or playing games on Sunday and sports did not dominate the lives of most families. However, today we see most weekends are packed full of sporting events and it is not uncommon for young people to be practicing, training, and playing games for hours and hours each week. In addition to this, the culture of athletics has increasingly become more competitive and consuming of our time, money, and attention.
The question is, how do Christian schools respond in a world that many times demonstrates an unhealthy focus on sports? What truly makes Christian school athletic programs, Christian? Is it because they pray before a game, have a devotion at practice, or have a verse on the gym wall that says, “we do all for the glory of God”?
I think we would agree that there is nothing wrong with those things, yet, I would not necessarily say those are what makes Christian school athletics, “Christian”. Those can happen, at times, without coaches, teams, and fans truly being committed to and looking like Christ.
Scripture sometimes uses comparisons to athletics to make a biblical point, and there are plenty of principles discussed in Scripture that would apply to the world of sports:
“Run in such a way as to get the prize…goes into strict training…to get a crown that will last forever…I beat my body and make it a slave so that…I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (I Corinthians 9:24-27)
“For bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also the life to come.” (I Timothy 4:8)
“Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.” (II Timothy 2:5)
There are also plenty of verses that deal with submitting to authority, not being selfish, not wanting to see an enemy fall, doing everything in love, living a life worthy of the Lord, and so much more. All of these verses help give us a good idea of what would make our athletic programs truly “Christian”. But at the very heart I believe it comes down to this; does Christ have total reign of the school’s athletic program? What does the reign of Christ look like in a Christian school’s athletic program?
Here are a few questions we need to ask as we determine who reigns over the athletic programs in Christian schools across the country:
Do Christian school athletic programs teach and model the biblical principles of diligence, humility, gentleness, mercy, self-control, compassion, respect, obedience, endurance, discernment, and more?
Are the biblical standards regarding our attitudes, submission to authority, love, and unity modeled and upheld?
Do we determine a “winning” season by the scoreboard or by our excellence and commitment to Christ? After all, we see in Scripture that not everyone following Christ looked like a winner according to the world’s standard.
Is it communicated and clear that our athletic programs truly do exist for God’s glory? Is it our desire that He would be the heavyweight and get the attention, and not we ourselves?
In today’s world of ego, money, fame, and misplaced time and attention, the Christian school’s athletic program must stand out as lights and prepare students for what true victory and impact for Christ looks like! Over the next few weeks, we will talk more about how athletic programs can have a positive impact on the lives of young people and prepare them for what God has in store for their lives.
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