Monday, July 25, 2011

Prayer in Sports

This isn't a post of any of my own particular insights, but some really cool stuff that is worth seeing, if you haven't seen it before. In our day, praying in public seems discouraged, and telling (or "pressuring") others to pray with you is even more taboo. However, God's glory is often made the most public through sports. In the interview after every sporting event, almost always God is given glory before anything else. A full video montage of athletes giving God glory would probably be hours long. Many football teams have pre-game and post-game prayers, usually on the 50-yard line, and this happens quite often, even though most haven't seen or heard about it on television. When a devastating injury happens on the field, both teams usually bend the knee and have group prayers for the injured man on the field. To many athletes, God is an integral part of the game.


As with anything religion related, giving God glory in public has drawn wide criticism. Many anti-theists say that athletes are just shamelessly throwing religion into everything, and it's foolish to thank God for what is obviously the product of superior game-planning and execution, not some divine intervention. To these people I would argue: Why is it okay for athletes to thank their mom and their dad on national television, but not okay for them to thank the God they believe in? Mom and dad didn't do anything to win the game. The critique is based not only on the assumption that athletes hold the same beliefs that they do - that no God exists. Even if God didn't exist and athletes believed in such a non-existent God, how can you fault them for merely expressing their opinions?

Then there are the Christians who critique athletes for giving glory to God even though their lives don't reflect a "Christian lifestyle." To them, I would say: "Who are you to judge whether or not a person sincerely is thanking God? What makes you a better person, that your offering is more fragrant to God than this sinner's offering? Who are you to rob God of the glory he deserves?" I know that many players have done extremely sinful things, but when God is given the glory, rejoice! Don't be a Jonah! Be a Jesus!

That all said, here's the videos I wanted to share you. Prayer happens in high school, college, and even in the pros!









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2 comments:

  1. CoryJuly 26, 2011 at 8:30 PM

    This is very interesting, I never really considered sports to be one of the most public ways God is credited.

    I agree with your problems with the Christian critique thing, though I actually do that with politicians. There are plenty of politicians who throw around phrases like "God bless America", when in fact their policy decisions and behavior don't reflect someone who is in touch with God at all. So it angers me and makes me wonder if they're just saying this stuff to gain more votes or political leverage. But sports players do not have such incentives, so there's not really any basis to criticize (unless there was some scandal on the news or something).

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  2. Caleb TsengJuly 28, 2011 at 4:57 AM

    "Their policy decisions and behavior don't reflect someone who is in touch with God at all."

    My question to you would be: Is it possible for someone who supports gay marriage or abortion to be a true Christian? Is it possible for someone who has had an affair to be a true Christian?

    While I have no doubt that many (if not most) politicians have no real relationship with Jesus Christ, I don't think that we are to judge whether or not they really mean "God bless America." Obviously it has become kind of an idiom (kind of like saying "[God] bless you" when someone sneezes, but I think we can still be grateful and glorify God that his fingerprint is on the rhetoric of people in this nation. Whether or not these politicians like it, they are acknowledging the sovereignty of God and his kingship of this (and all other) nations.

    I often think of the OT where foreign kings praise God for how great He is (while not denouncing their own). One great example is Daniel 2:47 when Nebuchadnezzar bows down to Daniel and praises God. When we see this, we're all like "EFF YEAH" because we know that they know that our God reigns. However, this obviously doesn't mean that Nebuchadnezzar or any of the other kings truly devote themselves to the one true God and are going to heaven. Similarly, while we can't make the judgement on whether or not Barack Obama is going to heaven, I think we can be glad that God's name is praised.

    To argue from a completely different angle, would you rather live in a country where "God bless America" is cliche, or one where it is never said? The cliche-ness of the statement itself is a testament of how God has really invaded this country and is in the worldview of many Americans.

    All that said, it DOES anger me when God's name is used for personal gain - that would be using God's name in vain. I'm just like you in that I question how genuine a person really is when they say "God bless America." But that doesn't mean that we can still find something to praise God for when it is said.

    I leave you with this passage: Philippians 1:15-18, which has been transformative to me in how I "judge" other Christians.

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