The First Church of Fenway

I didn’t realize that my favourite baseball team, the Red Sox, had so many Christians on it. The only indication I had of this was when I heard Curt Schilling mention God a couple of times during last year’s playoffs. This Boston Globe article spells out the details.

There seems to be a level of disapprobation among some when athletes give credit to God for their success. Maybe it’s just because some Christian athletes are so showy in expressing their beliefs. Regardless of whether you’re an athlete or not, being loud and proud can be a detriment to effective Christian witness when you’ve really got nothing useful or good to say (saying something loudly doesn’t make it more palatable). I find myself perturbed especially at certain football players who make a big show of “praising God for that winning touchdown”. On the other hand, we shouldn’t neglect thanking God. So, where’s the line between appropriate and inappropriate God-talk in the locker room? Tough question, I think.

But I hope athletes don’t just thank Him when they win; it’s just as helpful to thank Him when they lose. God can work through both wins and losses. And I hope they don’t think that being the best of all is necessarily best for them (though it could be). If God has given a tennis player, for example, the ability to be no better than the number 17 player in the world, then he ought to play to the best of his ability and be content at #17 (though if he can improve to #16, then by all means try). I think God is more concerned that people use their abilities to the fullest, regardless of the outcome. Winning can sometimes ruin a person. Losing can sometimes make a person better. The trick is in knowing the difference between a bad win and a good loss.

And I think the Red Sox faithful have the right idea:

“The evangelicals in the Sox clubhouse say they believe God wants them to glorify him by performing at their highest possible level. The rest, they say, is in the Lord's hands.”

Well, as long as they finish ahead of the Evil Empire, er, the Yankees.