Christianity And The Culture Of Sports Analysis

In the article “Good Game: Christianity and the Culture of Sports” Abrams states that both Christianity and sports struggle to be harmonious. This is because it is impossible to separate competition and sport. However, he talks about athletics in Christians history that does not necessarily support this thesis. His first example was that Christians competed in Roman Coliseums which held games that were meant to worship God. His second example was the acceptance of mass games that were accepted by the church in the medieval period when sports were played in churchyards. His third historical involvement between the church and athletics is that sports were used as a “strategy for bridging the cultural divide” (p. 221). It is his three examples

The article even talks about the apostle Paul’s metaphors involving athletics. “Paul found richness in his comparison between disciple and an athlete” where the apostle Paul was “an athlete for Christ competing for a price”—everlasting life (p. 1). The church found that sports were good especially for young boys as it created an environment for hands-on learning tools for practicing morals, courage, and disciplined living (p. 1). Historically, sports were not encouraged much by Christians, but as churches modernize they become part of their practices. This is essentially very relatable to my paper as it helps me understand the perspective of a Christian schools purpose for their sports teams. They use sports not for winning or for their own glory, but to grow in God, and build up their relationship with the Lord by gaining the appropriate characteristics that sports can help

The study found that prayer is one of the most powerful ways of helping Christians cope with their athletic difficulties (p. 45). The article states that sports are powerful and have a way of uniting people, however, religion is also powerful because it forms the “foundation” of many people’s lives. Therefore, sports and prayer are a good combination. The study also discusses a few different types of prayer and how coaches can utilize them best in order to increase performance and understand both athletic and Christian teachings. This article would fit best in my paper when I discuss the schools Christian identity. This is because I discuss the schools practice of praying with both teams, coaches, and fans before starting the game and then an individual team prayer at the end of each game. Prayer at St. Lorenz is something that it always utilized in their sports, therefore, it is important to know the significance of prayer for coaches and