I remember when I was a kid that little league sports teams did not play on Sunday. They practiced an hour a week and every one cheered for their team, not against the other. Things have changed over the years and most athletic events are no longer just an enjoyable game.
I was reading an article the other day that said, “A successful sports program is usually the determining factor of whether a student remains or enrolled in a particular Christian School.” The interesting thing about this article is, it was written in 1981. If this statement was true back in 1981, it is definitely true in 2025. A few other profound statements from this article are:
“Sports exalt man’s strength, and ability as the essential qualities for popularity and success. Godly, spiritual values and standards are eclipsed by the glorification of man”
“Is it not strange that “Christians” who yell like crazy at ball games often sit stiff in the church pew”, I would add, if they go to church at all.
“The Holy Spirit, prayer, godliness, ministry, and making disciples for Jesus Christ have all taken a back seat to the idol god of sports that has successfully ensnared and enslaved many Christian Schools.”
I must say, I read these statements and couldn’t agree more. If these were true 45 years ago, they are off the charts true today. As much as I love sports, I agree with Psalm 106:35, and believe we have “mingled with the nations, and learned their practices, and served their idols, which have become a snare to us.”
So what can we do to right the ship in our homes and Christian Schools?
I believe I Thessalonians 5:21-22 gives us the three ingredients for victory when it comes to our athletic programs.
First, “examine everything carefully”. Every Christian school leader must examine the state of their athletic program. If it has strayed off course just a hair, great attention must be given to getting it back on course.
Second, “cling to that which is good”. Some great things can come from Christian school sports. Young people can mature in physical strength. They can learn what it means to work together as a team. They can utilize some natural ability that God has given them. Finally, they can use the popular platform of athletics to be a light in a lost world.
Third, “abstain from every form of evil”. Schools need to trim and fix athletic programs that steal time from families, encourage the lust of the flesh and eyes, glorify man rather than God, and in the end, make an idol out of sports.
In 1 Corinthians, Paul used athletics as an analogy for our spiritual race. He told the church of Corinth to:
- Run the spiritual race to win
- Run for the eternal crown
- Exercise self-control
- Discipline the mind and body for Christlikeness
- Run according to the principles laid out in Scripture
If we keep these truths in front of us, I am confident our Christian school athletes can not only compete, but win the eternal crown, along with some temporal ones as well.
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