The McNulty Memo (Monthly Musings on Faith and Public Life)
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of articles looking at Christian faith in the public square. This is part of the Institute’s Center for Faith & Public Life initiative.
If you love watching football, January is your month. A dozen college teams compete for the national championship and 14 NFL teams contest for the Super Bowl trophy. Added to that buffet of games are numerous college bowl games, culminating this year with the “Mayo Bowl,” after which a large cooler of mayonnaise is dumped on the head of the winning coach. To the dismay of the uninterested, there is virtually non-stop football programming this time of year.
The television coverage of this gridiron marathon invariably includes the obligatory postgame interviews. These brief conversations involve on-field reporters corralling victorious coaches and key players amidst the celebratory mayhem to pose generally inane questions such as, “What’s going through your mind at this moment?” I’ve never heard anyone say that the outcome isn’t as enjoyable as I thought it would be or I need to pick up milk on my way home. Instead, it seems increasingly common for interviewees to make a point of thanking God for the big win.
These divine acknowledgements vary from specific references to “my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” to one coach this year thanking “the big guy upstairs.” Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, star quarterback for the surprisingly successful Indiana Hoosiers, may win this season’s award for the most enthusiastic heavenly shoutout. Given the repeated success of his team, Mendoza is getting plenty of opportunity to share his faith.
Of course, football isn’t the only context in which we encounter this practice, but it does seem to be much more prevalent in this high-risk, team-focused sport. Don’t expect to see tennis players sporting eye-black crosses on their faces like University of Miami quarterback Carson Beck or running back Derrick Henry of the Baltimore Ravens.
The cynics, of course, roll their eyes in disgust.
“Why would God care about who wins a football game?”
“And what about the believers on the losing team? Does God not love them equally?”
More fundamentally, many secularists resent athletes using their enormous media platform to promote the gospel. Remember how Tim Tebow was viciously attacked for demonstrating the importance of his faith throughout the course of his football career?
No doubt many Christian athletes relish the opportunity to testify publicly to the grace of God in their lives. And why not? Shouldn’t we celebrate the fact that these men, flourishing in a world of physical violence, extraordinary riches, and harmful enticements, care deeply about transcendent truth and personal salvation? In an age of social media posturing, the authenticity of these faith-filled statements is a welcome change. Moreover, these spontaneous testimonies circumvent the secular designs of Hollywood and legacy media, which prefer to extract the reality of religious belief in their versions of sports narratives.
In addition, and most importantly, the criticisms miss a larger point about the unique impact of faith in the events of our public life. The apostle Paul instructs Christians to follow the example of Christ by doing “nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant that yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others (Phil 2:3-4).” These words typify the biblical truth that inspires believers to persevere tirelessly in doing good (Gal 3:9).
In a sport that repeatedly requires athletes to put their bodies in harm’s way for the benefit of the team, these verses offer them a remarkably practical opportunity to understand the profound paradox of Christianity (e.g., “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it,” Matt 10:39). Anyone familiar with what it takes to be successful in football understands the enormous value of self-sacrifice and love of others. When Mendoza and others give glory to God on national television, they are revealing the secret sauce of their success—a personal spiritual foundation that transforms their entire lives, including the way they pursue their calling as athletes. They want us to see the connection between their hearts and their helmets.
The large point, then, is that these unfiltered utterances offer simple but encouraging illustrations of how much faith matters—and has mattered—in the reformation of our fallen world. The greatest successes in the transformation of our public life, such as the abolition of slavery or the extension of civil rights, have been led by men and women of faith. Sinners saved by God’s grace are called to advance Christ’s kingdom in humility and selflessness until He returns in glory. This mandate is uniquely capable of accomplishing great good for the sake of others. Indeed, it has through the course of history. And it continues to fuel dedication, perseverance, and hope.
So, keep the shoutouts coming!