As I watched my brother pitching to these kids, I couldn't help but remember cousin V's blog from last week. It was titled "Did Jesus play little league?" You can read the whole thing here, but to summarize, she was asking some honest questions on whether or not extra-curricular activities interfered with being raised as a Christian. The catalyst was this quote:
I’m not trying to say that it is necessarily wrong for children to play organized sports. My point is simply this: Being a member of an organized traveling baseball squad at age ten doesn’t add a single day to one’s life. In fact, many of these activities get in the way of much loftier pursuits. People turned boys into men and girls into women for most of recorded history without dragging them around town with their tongues hanging out in an effort to keep up with their overachieving, undereducated, theologically illiterate peers as they try to win trophies that will eventually gather dust in a basement somewhere.
If I teach my son to keep his eye on the ball but fail to teach him to keep his eyes on Christ, I have failed as a father. We must refuse to allow trivial, temporal pursuits to interfere with the main thing. Making the team is a tremendous achievement; however, it must be put in its proper perspective. No sports endeavor will ever be as important as becoming a man or woman of God. ~Voddie Baucham, Family Driven Faith, p.20
I felt so judged when I first read that, and then I got really steamed. And I don't even have kids. So, I let it percolate for a bit, so I could come back with fresh eyes and see if I missed the point. I'm not sure I did, but I think I did discover why I don't agree with Mr. Baucham's opinion.
He deals with the extremes. I acknowledge he starts out with it's not, "necessarily wrong" for kids to play sports, but than he rails on for an eternity (yes, I'm exaggerating) about why it is wrong. He paints the picture that anyone who participates in sports are loud, obnoxious morons. This implies that those who don't participate are refined, mature, educated and somewhat better.
There are two things to realize about extremes. The first is there is always another side. I know some parents who do seem to overdo it with their kids when it comes to sports and such. On the other hand, I know other families and individuals who have no life experience outside of church, homeschooling/Christian schools and church sponsored activities. From my vantage point, both scenarios can be harmful. Just as the actions of a child with no moral guidance may be mean and hurtful, a child with only education and no practical experience may become judgmental and equally hurtful.
The other thing to remember when dealing with extremes, is that there are always exceptions. Within either group, the over-involved and the non-involved, you're going to find people who are excelling and people who are failing and need to find a balance. I suspect that most of us fall into this need to find balance.
Now I don't claim to be a theologian. I'm just me trying to put it all together. I think I have these ideas down pretty solid though
1) Part of living a Christian lifestyle is actually trying to embody the characteristics of Christ. Being Jesus on two feet in this world -- showing compassion and love -- agape style.
2) Everything in life is to be done with worship in your heart.
3) It's not an accident I'm here -- born in 1974 in Marion, Ohio. God chose for me to live during this time -- to use the resources at my disposal to advance the Kingdom.
4) Speaking of which -- growing the Kingdom. Because surely, if you've truly tasted grace and forgiveness, you couldn't keep it to yourself, could you? Even if it's not the politically correct thing to do?
I wish I could ask Mr. Baucham why sports, or any extra-curricular activities, can't be used as a vehicle to re-enforce these Christian values? Can't friendships be built on a ball field? Can't you swing a bat with joy in your heart, even if you're not good at it? And why, oh why, if God chose for us to live during an era where there is time and opportunity for evangelism, should we not take advantage of it?
It was on the news the other night that a soccer game between two of the "better" school systems in Columbus ended in a fist fight. It was especially distressing as one of the parents involved was a cop. As I watched the story on the news, I couldn't help but wonder, did any of these people know Christ? Who better than someone who truly loves God to step in and show how to gracefully handle conflict resolution? Could you imagine what would happen in this world, if all of us were out there, involved in our schools and communities, making a positive difference instead of, "not taking our eyes off the ball," as Mr. Baucham puts it.
My sister-in-law shared a story the other day, about one of my nephews. He was riding home on the bus when one of his buddies came over to sit with him. This is a buddy he had gone to school with, played ball with and went to church with. His friend asked him point blank if he knew Jesus as his personal savior, and my nephew honestly replied no. His friend talked to him a while about it and my nephew thought about it. Then, the two of them bent their heads and prayed for my nephew's salvation, right in the middle of a school bus ride home.
So did Jesus play little league? Not during his lifetime. I'm fairly confident about that. Mostly because Little League wasn't founded until 1939 by Mr. Carl Stolz (I had to look it up). Maybe a more accurate question is this: Would Jesus play little league if he was born today? If it meant reaching out to someone who was lost, like my nephew, I think the answer is yes.
3 comments:
First of all, YEAH!!!!!! Awesome news about the nephew.:) Thanks for sharing. Can't wait to hear more about it!
Now, on to the ball issue. Having heard & liked Baucham before, I was a bit surprised to be put out as well at first reading those excerpts. He made some blanket statements there that can make you feel, like you said, either holier than thou or like dirt. When in reality, depending on the family & situation, neither side is in the wrong or right.
I agree with your thoughts on Christians needing to be more "out of their bubble". It certainly is a problem in the homeschooling circles! And Voddie didn't address that side of it at all. I have felt the un-Christlike judgmental attitude in that circle at times. It's like if you don't agree down the line on certain issues, no matter what the reason, you feel judged. God is more creative than that! He didn't make cookie-cutter families, so why are some apparently trying to?
On the other hand, I do see many homes blindly just doing what everyone else is doing & we refuse to be one of them. We have felt our share of the judgmental attitude from that side as well.
In trying to find that balance, we have come to realize that we just have to do what we see as right before God for our children, tune out the judgmental attitude from both sides of the fence, & just know most will have their opinions against us one way or the other. But we stand before God for our family, not them.
So, all that being said, I agree with you, too. Even though it sounds like I'm riding the fence on this one because I agree with Voddie, too, you know I'm not a fence rider. I just see a need for some serious BALANCE, like you said.
Bravo, Sara. I like to see you bringing this thoughtful rebuttal to the table.
While I understand and totally see how sports can be a great thing in the right context (like you have demonstrated), the majority of what is going on in today's culture is more like Voddie illustrates. Time and again, it is the mindless pursuit of excellence in something that may not even matter in eternity. As a pastor, he has seen it firsthand in countless families, and that is why he is able to talk in "extremes" as he does. His book is meant to be a call to wake up, for those who are asleep at the bat.:)
When I read the post by this Voddie guy, it really rubbed me the wrong way. I have been trying to put my finger on just what it was that I disagreed with. You put my feelings into words perfectly. I have found that in general people who would agree wholeheartedly with his thoughts and attitudes are the exact people who make me feel inferior and less than a person. They actually give Christians a bad name. Like they are better than everyone else and there is no way us regular people could ever measure up to their standards. Which translates into Christian standards. I think Jesus would be out there mixing it up in the outfield because that is the reality of today's society. What a great place to show others Jesus' love!
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