A BRIEF THEOLOGY OF SPORTS

Though the organization I work for places a premium on physical fitness, my boss half-jokingly reminds me I'm not there on a 'sports scholarship.'

Guilty as charged; but if I have the opportunity to play sports (tennis, squash, floor-hockey, golf are currently my favorites), I will.

For chaplains, sports have their practical advantages; they're a great way to meet people and to network. But from a theological perspective, I will not apologize for my love of sports.

I first want to dispel the myth that it's all about competition. I am competitive when I play, but I do not play primarily for the satisfactiion of beating people. I remember when I was a kid, I drew far more pleasure from cranking out fly balls to my friends at the park or playing catch with the aerobie (a frisbee on crack), than from playing formal 'organized' sports.

For me, it's simply a love for moving through space... timing a leaping catch, or the joy of ripping the cover off a golf ball driven cleanly down a fairway.

You could break this down further to say that playing sports is one of the crowning joys of being incarnate, that is, of having a body and using it well.

The Greeks percieved a duality between spirit and flesh, but for Christians this duality was negated when God became man. The body became holy, a vessel worthy of the Son of God, and this is affirmed doctrinally in the resurrection of the flesh.

I remember golfing the other day; I was hitting the ball really well, the ocean was in full view and you could taste the salt in the air. The wind was blowing the clouds enough to create dancing patterns of light across the endlessly rolling green fields. And I remember suddenly understanding why there were so many golf jokes with their punchlines involving heaven.

And in my heart I said a little prayer of thanks, but what I really wanted to do was drop to my knees and give God full praise -- I just didn't know how that would have gone over with the other guys in the foursome.

Kidding aside, the point is this: if Christians are going to be advocates for a 'culture of life' we have to go beyond the hot-button 'sperm and worm' issues (abortion, euthanasia etc.), and start celebrating all the goodness and joy of living we find in between.