In part one, I quoted Ted Kluck from his book The Reason for Sports: A Christian Fanifesto asking the question:
To many, the term Christian athlete means kneeling in the end zone for a self-congratulatory show of prayer, or a finger raised to the sky after tossing a touchdown pass. To others, it means that God is like a lucky pair of socks or a nutritional supplement,
invoked at the right time in order to make one bigger, faster, or stronger in the moment of competition.
As I finished the book, I was glad to see him circle back and give his answer:
So maybe instead of thumping our chests and pointing at the sky to “be a light” in the football community, the Christian athlete simply walks back to the huddle. Maybe instead of soaking up the adulation of an unbelievable dunk, he just goes back and sits on the bench afterward. Maybe instead of kneeling in the end zone for an elaborate show of prayer, he just flips the ball to the ref and thanks God on his own for life, health, and the ability to play a fun game for money. Perhaps he does so, praying that God will give him grace, and striving after true humility to echo Proverbs 3:34. And in doing so, he might just shock the world.
Challenging words for sure! If you’d like to learn more about what it means to be a Christian athlete, check out some of our posts below:
Was There Competition in the Garden?
How do you Know When Sports are an Idol?
Combating Compartmentalization: Sports for the Glory of God
