If you know anything about the NFL this season, you know that the phenomenon known as Tim Tebow has become the most talked about, written about, tweeted about, blogged about, etc., subject of the NFL year. It seemed like it was “Tebow time,” all the time!
As one writer put it: “He’s the guy we can’t not watch.” And front-and-center to all this Tebow attention (good and bad), is his bold stance about his Christian faith.
All this attention reminded me of a book we use in one of my Sports Ministry courses: Onward Christian Athletes. I have had OCA on my list of potential reviews, but didn’t plan to do it for a while. However, the Tebow phenomenon, and now the Jeremy Lin story (the week old star of the New York Knicks, and Christ follower), gives me a good opportunity to suggest this book to the Sports Ministry community.
The text challenged my students. Some were flat out disgusted with it, and a few even learned something. I have no doubt it will raise the blood pressure of any person involved in sports ministry. More importantly though, I hope it will raise your critical thinking about how we do sports ministry.
In sum, the author—Tom Krattenmaker—seeks to challenge the assumptions that many use in the approach and practice of sports ministry. In the text, he comes to some conclusions that are very different than most of us would about the use of sports in ministry. Those conclusions will probably bother you. Nonetheless, as hard as it may be to read, it is well worth the sports ministry leader’s time to do so.
Once over the initial angst, I believe you’ll see that Krattenmaker has done us a helpful service. His writing should force us to think carefully about—possibly for the first time for many—why, and how, we do what we do. Moreover, I think the best thing about OCA for those involved in sorts ministry is that it helps to us see our ministries through the eyes of an outsider; the good (which he does point out on occasion) and the bad.
Kattenmaker is thorough in his criticism of the evangelical sports community. He goes after Baseball Chapel, Jon Kitna, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, among others. His work has been widely praised by those more cynical towards the evangelical faith, and as mentioned, loathed by some of the committed. I take a more neutral perspective. Yes, I do find the book a bit off-putting at times, but I also find it helpful in gaining a better perspective of how outsiders may view our ministry efforts.
In the end, I don’t think Onward Christian Athletes will cause you to quit using sports as a ministry tool. Krattenmaker, however, does us a good service by asking questions most of us would not ask of ourselves. I encourage you to give him a fair read. And in doing so, he could help each one of us sharpen our thinking about why we do sports ministry, how we do, and maybe, he will even strengthen our resolve to continue in it.
