Perhaps it’s because men want to demonstrate their superior strength, perhaps it is because we think there is some merit to conquering the “untamed wilderness,” perhaps it is pride, or perhaps it’s selfishness. Though it could be anyone or a combination of all these, what is it that draws men to long extreme sporting events? Why is it that a man is willing to risk his life circumnavigating the globe, skiing down deadly alpine slopes, or doing daring stunts on a dirt bike? Is it simply so he can say that he has achieved what no one else has or that he has conquered the elements? What would you say if I told you that such activities were idolatrous and a resentment of the sanctity of human life?
On December 31st, our entire family was gathered in the basement of my grandparents house watching the Hokies whip up on Tennessee (sorry UT fans!). Those of you who watched the game probably saw the excitement building for Travis Pastrana’s highly anticipated 269 ft. jump over water and onto a floating barge. I’ll admit I was pretty excited about seeing this daring feat following the game, but my mom and dad had different plans. Instead of watching Travis Pastrana risk his life for fame, dad read aloud a chapter speaking on the very topic of extreme sports in a book entitled Stand Fast, by Douglas Bond.
Suffice it to say that my opinion changed pretty quickly about Mr. Pastrana’s risky venture. For several years I have held the view, along with others, that sports can become a form of idolatry if we are not careful. And though some of you may be shaking your head in resentment of this statement, let me encourage you to evaluate your life. I’ll give you an example. From age 6 to age 14 I played baseball with my local parks and recreation center. By the time I was 9, I had made my first All-Star team and managed to make the team every succeeding year. Between the ages of 10 and 12, I decided that I wanted to increase my ball playing skills. Thus, I attended hitting camps, worked on strength and conditioning, played baseball outside of the normal season, competed in an event called Pitch, Hit, and Run which took me all the way to Baltimore, and pretty soon I found myself playing AAU ball. My love for baseball had become an obsession and it was consuming a great deal of my time and the time of my family.
Looking back, I now see that baseball had become my number one priority, not God! I had, in essence, built an idol. Thankfully, between ages 13 and 14, I started losing interest in baseball and finally quit. Before quitting, it had been my goal to play baseball in college, become an MLB player, and preach on the side. It wasn’t until I heard Dr. Voddie Baucham talk about sports in his Legacy series that it truly clicked; sports can easily become a form of idolatry if we make them our priority, master, and obsession rather than God.
I’m not saying in all of this that sports or other activities are necessarily wrong, rather I’m saying we must carefully examine our priorities. Parents, what does it say to your child when you’re willing to skip church so they can travel with their sports team? Though you may not think it, something as little as skipping church so your child can indulge himself in his favorite sport is telling him that God is to take a back seat to sports. I’ve known and do know people, who though wouldn’t admit it, think this way. Unfortunately, this is what I secretly thought when playing baseball. “Yes, I get to play baseball today instead of going to church!” I secretly loved Sundays when I had to miss church because of baseball. Though sports aren’t necessarily evil, they can have a very negative effect on us.
Christ himself has said, “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Luke 16:13). Granted, Christ is speaking specifically of money in this passage, but the principle applies to anything that competes for our devotion to Christ: “No servant can serve two masters...” Thus, it is not only sports that compete for our devotion to Christ; anything that becomes your absolute obsession other than Christ is an idol. Whether it’s school, music, sports, you name it.
However, as dad read that night, extreme sports begged an entirely different question, which was the sanctity of human life. If we are willing to risk death in order to make some seemingly great accomplishment, then we have disregarded the sanctity of human life and have ignored the teaching of scripture, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” – Matthew 4:7. Though men as leaders must learn how to be courageous, let me suggest that one need not risk his life to do so. In other words, courage is not attained by climbing Mount Everest or jumping a car 269 feet; that is insanity! That is putting God to the test; that is viewing your self-indulgence as more important than your family since you are willing to die in the act.
However, a great way for a boy to gain courage and to develop skills and character traits that will usher him into manhood is by going on adventures with dad! Boys need to enjoy the excitement and wonder of the fallen, yet still beautiful, world God has made. Boys and fathers need to spend time worshiping God together in the outdoors and learning what it means for them to take dominion. But, what we choose to do in the outdoors should be measured against our priorities (God or ourselves) and whether or not we value the life God has given us. For example, taking your son on a bungee jumping trip turns the priority of your trip away from drawing closer to God and to one another, and toward your accomplishment of something seemingly great. In addition, because the likely outcome of a botched bungee jump is death, it is a disregard for the sanctity of human life. In the end, then, fathers and sons should choose outings that, though potentially challenging, draw them closer to God and to one another and give priority to the sanctity of human life.
A once avid climber himself, Mr. Bond provides several personal examples of people he has known who have died climbing mountains notorious for producing death. In the book, Mr. Bond explains how he used to justify climbing: “God created mountains. So when I climb high on their summits I see his handiwork and draw closer to him. I can praise and worship God from the mountaintop just as well as (I was tempted to say ‘even better than’) at church.” Such thinking, as Mr. Bond notes, fails to justify indulging in such extreme sports. For as Christians all other activities are to take a back seat to worship (Hebrews 10:25). Furthermore, extreme sports often cause us to look to ourselves and praise ourselves for our accomplishments. It causes us to become prideful and those around us begin to admire us instead of God and what He has done. In other words, we end up worshiping the created, not the Creator.
So, in this new year, take the time to evaluate the events of 2009 and then look to 2010. Figure out what your idols were in 2009, (whether it was sports or any other thing that became your all consuming passion) then destroy them and draw closer to the One who has made you and saved you!
In Christ,
Josh
Josh
4 comments:
I stumbled across this post a little while ago. I know it's old, but it brought up a question.
When you wrote about wanting to play baseball in college and then be and MLB, I thought of my 12 year old brother. He wants that, too, only it's football, not baseball. Football is his idol.
As someone who has been in the same place as Nate, what advice might you have for speaking to him about turning from the idolatry of sport?
I don't want to come across as "I hate football, it's evil, you need to stop..." but I don't want to encourage him to set his affections in sports by condoning football.
Anonymous:
Thank you for your question, and allow me commend you for the obvious love which you have for your brother, made manifest by this comment. Only a loving sibling motivated out of genuine concern would go to the great length you have in striving to call a brother out of a sinful lifestyle. I praise God that your brother has a sibling such as yourself! In all honesty, there are many older and wiser men who are much more capable of giving you a better answer to this question than I ever could and I encourage you to go to others. Nevertheless, I sincerely hope the advice I give you will prove helpful!
Based on my interpretation of Scripture, you're absolutely correct, sports, in and of themselves, are not evil. In fact, in Romans 14, when Paul is speaking of unclean things, He states in verse 14, “I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.” For example, some men who were previously involved in professional sports, prior to receiving saving faith, refrain from sports altogether due to the fact they cannot bear to be reminded of their old, sinful lifestyle. In his case, for this individual, sports are unclean. I will point out that this passage is not meant to be used as a justification for the believer to do as he pleases just because he can call it clean. This passage must be read in context of all of Scripture.
What should you do? Here are some of my thoughts:
Note that some of this is geared toward your parents.
-First of all, make sure your parents are involved.
-I would advise purchasing Stand Fast and Hold Fast by Douglas Bond. Mr. Bond's books contain full chapters dedicated to helping young men overcome the entanglement to sports, and poignantly paints a picture of something much greater.
-Do a heart check on your brother and submissively and humbly encourage your parents to talk to him, lovingly, about why he wants to be involved in sports. What is his motivation? Is it for the glory of God and the advancement of the gospel? Or for his own selfish reasons? Who is he really living for? Is he living to serve Christ? Or his coaches?
-If he can't answer questions like these from a biblical standpoint, then clearly your brother's in it for the wrong reasons.
-Is there evidence that your brother is bearing spiritual fruit (Matthew 7:17)? If not, he probably hasn't really experienced saving faith.
-Encourage levels of deeper conversation with him (something that was really helpful for me). Don't merely talk about the latest stats (not that those things are wicked) but talk about theological issues, political issues etc...Your brother may not desire to discuss such things with you at first, after all, it can feel awkward. But if you continue to encourage it, you might be surprised at his growth.
-Encourage your brother to make meaningful friendships that first and foremost sharpen him as a believer (Proverbs 27:17), not necessarily as a football player. He must be willing to end friendships that dull his blade (1Corinthians 15:33).
-Encourage him to “sit at the feet” of the elderly and learn all he can from wise believing men and women.
-Encourage him to be an avid student of Scripture. Does he enjoy time studying Scripture? Or is it viewed as a chore?
-Encourage your brother to pray. Reading Scripture is typically easier than spending time in focussed sincere prayer before Almighty God, especially for men. It requires work. Challenge him to get on his knees and pray daily.
-Help him understand how glorious and wonderful it is to work for the Kingdom. Show him that God has given him the highest calling in all the universe; to proclaim the gospel to all the nations!
-Seek to help him discover the purpose God has for him. How is it that God would have him utilize his skills to best serve Him?
-What other gifts and talents does he have and how can he be cultivating and nurturing them now as a young man?
-Encourage him toward Biblical Masculinity and maturity. I recommend reading Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris, Thoughts for Young Men by J.C. Ryle, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood by Wayne Grudem, Disciplines of a Godly Man by Kent Hughes, and What He Must Be by Dr. Voddie Baucham.
-Teach him the fear of the Lord. If he does not fear God, then the world around him will subdue and subject him to idolatry and all forms wickedness.
-Encourage him to offer his life as a living sacrifice; every part of it.
-Destroy any desire he has to follow the desires of his heart. The heart is “desperately wicked” and easily deceived by the enemy (Jeremiah 17:9). If it's his heart's desire to play football, then his reason is unbiblical. Teach him to take control of his emotions and allow Christ to lead him, not his heart. It may mean letting go of football, but it could be something much harder later in life.
-Teach him that it is a good thing to die for the sake of Christ. Let him comprehend the joy of proclaiming the Word of God.
-I imagine, if he's like me, he's probably very competitive :) Take that competitive nature and encourage him to use it to unreservedly and lovingly fight for the Truth of God's Word. Help him see himself as a member of God's team, or still better, a real soldier in the army of God. He is fighting along side an army of men and women. We're all in this together, and we are fighting with every ounce of strength, every fiber of our being that Christ might gain the victory! We must not back down and allow the enemy to win.
-Encourage him to destroy any desire for selfish gain or glory. Help him understand that Christ drank the cup of God's just wrath in his stead, and instead of condemning us to everlasting judgement, he has set our feet upon a rock and declared us righteous and holy. Help him see how unfathomable that is! That Christ would love us enough to save wretched, sinful men from the death they deserved. Why would we ever desire to glorify ourselves? Why would we ever desire to live for ourselves? Why would we ever desire to live for something less? There is nothing greater than being chosen as part of God's elect! Our sole desire must always be to glorify God with our lives that, as Stephen Kendrick has stated, “The more time you spend with us, the less impressed you'll be with us and the more impressed you'll be with our God.”
Thus, I would say the best thing you can do for your brother is prod and encourage him to love Christ with his whole life. If football is in his way, get rid of it. It's become an idol. If, however, football has become a means by which he can serve Christ to an even greater extent, and it's clear that God has called him to it, then with a Holy fear help prepare him for what God has in store.
As I said at the outset, I sincerely hope this is helpful! This is by no means an all inclusive list. These are merely a few suggestions that I pray will help your brother destroy his idol and love Christ above all. This will by no means be the last idol he will have to destroy. Temptations will arise to make a woman his idol, money, his job, even his family. This is an excellent opportunity to encourage your brother to fully submit his heart in obedience to Christ, and willingly place it in the safekeeping of your father's hands (Proverbs 23:26). Tie your heartstrings to his and don't let go!
In Christ,
Josh
I just realized months have passed and I never thanked you for your reply! Thank you so very much! I passed it on to my parents, and your questions have been wonderful conversation starters with my brother.
Thank you so very very much!
God bless!
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