The relationships between sport and religion have been examined from a number of perspectives, an... more The relationships between sport and religion have been examined from a number of perspectives, and parallels between sporting activity and worship are often observed, positively or negatively. Elite sports participants often perform religious gestures and many speak of their sporting performance in terms of their religious faith, including the assertion that it constitutes an act of worship. The authors begin by considering the nature of Christian worship, examining worship as a phenomenon, key biblical and theological ideas, the relationship of worship to sacred places and times, and the relation of worship to everyday life. The self-understanding of elite athletes of faith is then considered, as articulated in interviews collected over several years with one of the authors and in other published statements. This data is then mapped back on to the previously considered ideas of worship. The article suggests that, while the correspondence may not be complete or exact, there is good ...
Andrew Parker is Professor of Sport and Christian Outreach and Director of the Centre for Sport, ... more Andrew Parker is Professor of Sport and Christian Outreach and Director of the Centre for Sport, Spirituality and Religion (CSSR) at the University of Gloucestershire, UK. J Stuart Weir is Executive Director of the sports ministry organisation Verite Sport (www. veritesport.org/). An overview of the key features of the ways in which the relationship between sport and religion has developed during and since the nineteenth century. In Victorian Britain, long-standing religious values began to permeate and underpin sporting endeavour but these have subsequently been modified in various ways.
Michael Shafer, whose book is effectively a published PhD thesis, states that his goal is to enga... more Michael Shafer, whose book is effectively a published PhD thesis, states that his goal is to engage pastors, theologians, athletes and fans from different theological traditions on ‘what it means . . . to participate in sport well played’ (p. 8). The book is a welcome addition to the literature on the theology of sport and makes a unique contribution by applying theological reflections to issues of doping at a time when the world of sport is probablymore in need of a Christian voice in that area than ever before. At times the reader may wonder if the author’s primary interest is in developing a theology of sport or in its application to doping – or both. The book critiques three views of sport adopted by the Church: sport as insignificant, sport as immoral and sport as instrumental. This leads to a view that Christians should approach sport from a spirit of gratitude to God for sport, which the author calls a ‘God-created gift’. This should result in playing with joy at the privilege of being able to play rather than being obsessed with winning. The author regrets the lack of Christian theological treatments of sport. However, his bibliography omits many recent excellent contributions. There is also perhaps an uncritical over-reliance on Shirl Hoffman’s Good Game. The summary of the arguments surrounding the ethics of doping is excellent – raising and evaluating arguments on both sides. The application is more problematical. The suggestion that a redemptive attitude in competitive sport would do much to dissolve the need or desire for doping to gain a competitive advantage seemed a little simplistic. The author argues that players have an obligation to admit when they break a rule or touch the ball when the officials fail to see it. The section seemed rather shallow in comparison with, for example, Ed Smith’s What Sport tells us about Life with his insights into the norms of different sports. Again, it is probably easier to play with this inherent honesty at the recreational level than in elite level or professional sport. There is a tendency to generalize. The book does not sufficiently distinguish between UK and USA when commenting on either sport or Christian views of sport. Again it seems to treat sport as an entity as if a recreational tennis player had the same mindset as a professional athlete. When the author states, ‘Christians are right to refuse any artificial enhancements, biological or otherwise, that weaken the relational dynamic of our dependence on God’s grace in our efforts toward excellence’ (p. 241), it is not at all clear what this means in practice and where the line should be drawn. The Victorian gentleman amateur, it may be recalled, regarded any kind of training as unethical. Overall a book which promised more than it delivered.
How, we might ask, are sport and religion connected? The truth is that, in Britain at least, thes... more How, we might ask, are sport and religion connected? The truth is that, in Britain at least, these two cultural practices share a good deal of common ground primarily as a consequence of the role of Protestantism in the development of sport in Victorian times. Recent years have witnessed an increasing amount of academic discussion and debate around the sport–religion relationship. What this article aims to do is to map out the key historical features of this relationship while providing insight into the ways in which the Protestant Church continues to pursue sport as a form of outreach and ministry.
The relationships between sport and religion have been examined from a number of perspectives, an... more The relationships between sport and religion have been examined from a number of perspectives, and parallels between sporting activity and worship are often observed, positively or negatively. Elite sports participants often perform religious gestures and many speak of their sporting performance in terms of their religious faith, including the assertion that it constitutes an act of worship. The authors begin by considering the nature of Christian worship, examining worship as a phenomenon, key biblical and theological ideas, the relationship of worship to sacred places and times, and the relation of worship to everyday life. The self-understanding of elite athletes of faith is then considered, as articulated in interviews collected over several years with one of the authors and in other published statements. This data is then mapped back on to the previously considered ideas of worship. The article suggests that, while the correspondence may not be complete or exact, there is good ...
Andrew Parker is Professor of Sport and Christian Outreach and Director of the Centre for Sport, ... more Andrew Parker is Professor of Sport and Christian Outreach and Director of the Centre for Sport, Spirituality and Religion (CSSR) at the University of Gloucestershire, UK. J Stuart Weir is Executive Director of the sports ministry organisation Verite Sport (www. veritesport.org/). An overview of the key features of the ways in which the relationship between sport and religion has developed during and since the nineteenth century. In Victorian Britain, long-standing religious values began to permeate and underpin sporting endeavour but these have subsequently been modified in various ways.
Michael Shafer, whose book is effectively a published PhD thesis, states that his goal is to enga... more Michael Shafer, whose book is effectively a published PhD thesis, states that his goal is to engage pastors, theologians, athletes and fans from different theological traditions on ‘what it means . . . to participate in sport well played’ (p. 8). The book is a welcome addition to the literature on the theology of sport and makes a unique contribution by applying theological reflections to issues of doping at a time when the world of sport is probablymore in need of a Christian voice in that area than ever before. At times the reader may wonder if the author’s primary interest is in developing a theology of sport or in its application to doping – or both. The book critiques three views of sport adopted by the Church: sport as insignificant, sport as immoral and sport as instrumental. This leads to a view that Christians should approach sport from a spirit of gratitude to God for sport, which the author calls a ‘God-created gift’. This should result in playing with joy at the privilege of being able to play rather than being obsessed with winning. The author regrets the lack of Christian theological treatments of sport. However, his bibliography omits many recent excellent contributions. There is also perhaps an uncritical over-reliance on Shirl Hoffman’s Good Game. The summary of the arguments surrounding the ethics of doping is excellent – raising and evaluating arguments on both sides. The application is more problematical. The suggestion that a redemptive attitude in competitive sport would do much to dissolve the need or desire for doping to gain a competitive advantage seemed a little simplistic. The author argues that players have an obligation to admit when they break a rule or touch the ball when the officials fail to see it. The section seemed rather shallow in comparison with, for example, Ed Smith’s What Sport tells us about Life with his insights into the norms of different sports. Again, it is probably easier to play with this inherent honesty at the recreational level than in elite level or professional sport. There is a tendency to generalize. The book does not sufficiently distinguish between UK and USA when commenting on either sport or Christian views of sport. Again it seems to treat sport as an entity as if a recreational tennis player had the same mindset as a professional athlete. When the author states, ‘Christians are right to refuse any artificial enhancements, biological or otherwise, that weaken the relational dynamic of our dependence on God’s grace in our efforts toward excellence’ (p. 241), it is not at all clear what this means in practice and where the line should be drawn. The Victorian gentleman amateur, it may be recalled, regarded any kind of training as unethical. Overall a book which promised more than it delivered.
How, we might ask, are sport and religion connected? The truth is that, in Britain at least, thes... more How, we might ask, are sport and religion connected? The truth is that, in Britain at least, these two cultural practices share a good deal of common ground primarily as a consequence of the role of Protestantism in the development of sport in Victorian times. Recent years have witnessed an increasing amount of academic discussion and debate around the sport–religion relationship. What this article aims to do is to map out the key historical features of this relationship while providing insight into the ways in which the Protestant Church continues to pursue sport as a form of outreach and ministry.
Uploads
Papers by J Stuart Weir