Feb 13th, 2012 by Mark D. Roberts
Ash Wednesday: What is It? How Can We Observe It? Why Should We?
How Lent Can Make a Difference in Your Relationship with God
The Seven Last Words of Christ: Reflections for Holy Week
The Stations of the Cross: A Devotional Guide for Lent and Holy Week.
Includes the paintings by my wife, Linda Roberts.
Introduction to Eastertide: The Season of Easter
Tags: Ash Wednesday, Easter, Holy Week, Lent
Feb 22nd, 2012 by Mark D. Roberts
If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you may recall that in Advent I posted devotional doodles drawn by my wife, Linda. These doodles include biblical passages, lyrics from hymns and songs, bits of poetry, and Linda’s thoughts about God and his grace.
Now, I’m pleased to report that Linda has produced 46 doodles for Lent. I will be posting them, one per day, throughout the season of Lent.
If you find Linda’s doodles helpful to you, you can purchase them at blurb.com. The paper versions are wonderful, but pricey. The iPad version is inexpensive. As of now, the only e-book version is for the iPad. Here’s the blurb.com link for Linda’s Lenten Doodles.
Linda’s purpose here is not to sell books, but rather to encourage you in your Lenten devotion to God. So, you can find all of her doodles on my website each day of Lent. Linda, by the way, in addition to being my wife and the mother of our children, is a spiritual director, marriage and family counselor, executive coach, and retreat speaker. You can learn more about here at her website. Linda’s loves to see people grow in God’s grace. That’s why she does what she does.
Click on the images above to see them full size.
Copyright © 2012, Linda E.S. Roberts. If you would like to use these doodles for a ministry or other non-profit purpose, please contact Mark.
Tags: Doodles, Lent, Lenten Doodles, Linda Roberts
Feb 21st, 2012 by Mark D. Roberts
Yes, according to Dr. Daniel Wallace. He has recently revealed what he believes to be a manuscript of the Gospel of Mark that comes from the first century A.D.
Wallace is a professor of New Testament at Dallas Theological Seminary and the founder of The Center for the Study of the New Testament Manuscripts, an institute that seeks to study and preserve the manuscripts of the New Testament. Wallace is an expert in biblical Greek and in textual criticism, the academic study of ancient manuscripts.
A couple of weeks ago, Wallace was debating Bart Ehrman, another biblical scholar known widely for his negative writings about historical Christianity. Their topic was whether or not we have the wording of the original New Testament today. In this debate, Wallace referred to the discovery of seven New Testament papyri (a primitive form of paper). Six of these are from the second century. One is probably from the first century. The alleged first-century manuscript is a fragment of the Gospel of Mark, though we don’t know what part of the text it contains.
p52, a portion of the Gospel of John that is dated to around 125 A.D.
According to Wallace, this manuscript “was dated by one of the world’s leading paleographers,” who said he was “certain” that it was from the first century. If that paleographer is right, then this fragment would be the oldest existing manuscript of the New Testament. Until now, the oldest manuscript we have is p52 (Papyrus 52), a small portion of the Gospel of John that is dated to the first half of the second century.
Until now, the oldest existing manuscript of Mark’s Gospel is p45, which was copied around 200 A.D. Though scholars believe that this manuscript faithfully reproduces most of what was in the autograph (original copy) of Mark, the new fragment would offer fresh and powerful evidence for or against this thesis. According to Wallace, the newly discovered fragment confirms what text critical scholars believe to be the authentic text of Mark. In other words, the fragment supports scholarly confidence that we have access to almost everything originally written by the author of Mark.
Unfortunately, however, the new fragment has not been published. Apparently, it will be published by Brill in a year or so. Wallace is not free to discuss the details of the text. So we have no way to evaluate his claims, apart from our sense of Wallace’s own trustworthiness.
New Testament scholar Larry Hurtado adds a little more information about the source of the new manuscript in his blog:
The fragment in question seems to be part of a collection of papyri that are part of the Green Collection (http://explorepassages.com/collection). The key figure listed as the guiding expert for the Greek Collection is Scott Carroll. One of the recent postings lists putative early fragments of several NT writings (including copies of some Pauline letters allegedly dated to the second century CE). According to Wallace, a formal scholarly publication of these items is in the works, scheduled to appear next year sometime.
How should we respond to the claims made by Daniel Wallace?
First of all, Daniel Wallace is a trustworthy NT scholar and an expert in text criticism. I trust what he says. So I believe there is a fragment of Mark that a highly-regarded paleographer has dated to the first-century A.D.
The dating of the fragment, however, will be controversial. Paleographical dating is imprecise. I guarantee that some scholars will date it to the second century or maybe later.
The discovery of this fragment of Mark could undermine significantly our confidence that we know what was in the original edition of Mark if it differs considerably from the texts we have now. According to Wallace, this is not the case. If he is correct, then this discovery will strengthen our confidence in the text of the New Testament. The manuscripts we have allow us to know, with a very high degree of probability, what the text of the New Testament originally contained.
Yet, even the most skeptical of scholars acknowledge the basic reliability of the text of the New Testament. Bart Ehrman, for example, who tries to argue that we should not have confidence in the text, has nevertheless written things like:
To be sure, of all the hundreds of thousands of textual changes found among our manuscripts, most of them are completely insignificant, immaterial, and of no real importance for anything other than showing that scribes could not spell or keep focused any better than the rest of us.
Ehrman also points out that no significant doctrine of Christianity depends on insecure manuscript evidence.
So, if we do have a first-century fragment of Mark, we will have a slightly stronger argument for the authenticity of the text of the New Testament. This will be helpful, but will not significantly impact our faith. It will make it harder for extreme skeptics, like Bart Ehrman, to defend their point of view.
Tags: Daniel Wallace, Gospel of Mark, manuscript, new testament
Feb 21st, 2012 by Mark D. Roberts
What is Ash Wednesday? For most of my life, I didn’t ask this question, nor did I care about the answer. I, along, with most evangelical Christians in America, didn’t give Ash Wednesday a thought.
But then, in 2004, Ash Wednesday loomed large in American Protestant consciousness. Why? Because on that day Mel Gibson released what was to become his epic blockbuster, The Passion of the Christ. For the first time in history, the phrase “Ash Wednesday” was on the lips of millions of evangelical Christians, not just Catholics and other “high church” Protestants, as we anticipated the official release of The Passion. Every since 2004, many who never wondered about Ash Wednesday have been asking: What is Ash Wednesday? How do we observe it? Why should we observe it?
For the rest of this column, click here.
Tags: Ash Wednesday
Feb 19th, 2012 by Mark D. Roberts
Recently, while hiking out at Laity Lodge, I stumbled (almost literally) upon a large porcupine. He (she?) was about two and a half feet long and two feet wide. He was also right in the middle of my trail, munching on some greenery. I was moving pretty quickly, and came within about six feet of the beast. He did not seem to be particularly concerned, however. Rather, he slowly turned his backside toward me as if to say, “I dare you to come closer.” I did not take the dare. After a while, the porcupine sauntered off, unimpressed by my presence.
The next day I was hiking nearby, so I thought I’d see if the porcupine was in the same place again. Usually, if you see an animal out in the woods, it won’t be in the same place again. But, since the porcupine was eating, I thought he might return for another snack. Sure enough, there he was. And, once again, he wasn’t particularly bothered by my presence. I watched him for quite a long time. At one point, he turned in my direction and seemed as if he might come toward me. I snapped a quick picture and backed away to a safe distance. Finally, I started talking to him, encouraging him to move along so I could continue with my hike. He took the hint and ambled off into the brush.
I thought you might enjoy seeing a photo of my new friend (?).
Tags: Laity Lodge, porcupine
Feb 17th, 2012 by Mark D. Roberts
The very idea of psychotherapy seems to defy the instant-access, video screen chatter of popular digital culture.
Not for long, if some scientists have their way. In the past few years researchers have been testing simple video-game-like programs aimed at relieving common problems like anxiety and depression. These recent results have been encouraging enough that investigators are now delivering the programs on smartphones — therapy apps, in effect, that may soon make psychological help accessible anytime, anywhere, whether in the grocery store line, on the bus or just before a work presentation
Thus begins “The Therapist May See You Anytime, Anywhere,” by Benedict Carey. His recent article in the New York Times predicts that, before long, our smartphones will contain therapy apps that will actually help us deal with certain emotional and psychological problems.
Of course, not everyone is excited by the prospect of therapy apps:
“We are built as human beings to figure out our place in the world, to construct a narrative in the context of a relationship that gives meaning to our lives,” said Dr. Andrew J. Gerber, a psychiatrist at Columbia University. “I would be wary of treatments that don’t allow for that.”
But,
The upside is that well-designed apps could reach millions of people who lack the means or interest to engage in traditional therapy and need more than the pop mysticism, soothing thoughts or confidence boosters now in use.
“That is what makes the idea so promising,” said Richard McNally, a psychologist at Harvard whose lab recently completed a study of 338 people using a simple program accessible on their smartphones. “But there are big questions about how it could work, and how robust the effect really is.”
Smartphone apps utilize a therapeutic approach known as “cognitive bias modification.” Some researchers have been encouraged by the potential of this therapy in a smartphone app. Others are not so enthusiastic. If this seems like voodoo therapy, I encourage you to read the whole article. I found it quite fascinating.
My "conversation" with Eliza.
Carey’s article stirred up memories of my computer class when I was a sophomore in college. Taught by Harry Lewis, “Automatic Computing” introduced non-specialists to the world of computer science. This was shortly before the first PCs appeared, though Professor Lewis waxed eloquent about what the future would soon bring. (Prof. Lewis, by the way, taught Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, who success in computers has exceeded mine.)
Anyway, one of the highlights of Natural Sciences 110 was a demonstration of the ELIZA program which had been developed at MIT in the mid-1960s. Eliza was a language interpretation program that imitated a Rogerian psychotherapist. It sounded almost human in some of its responses. You can play around with an online Eliza program here. I included an example of Eliza’s brilliance in the screen capture to the right. This was my dialogue with here, and I feel much better now.
Well, I expect that that smartphone apps will have to be a little better than Eliza if they are to help people overcome anxiety, depression, and the like. We won’t have to wait long now to find out.
Tags: Eliza, psychotherapy app
Feb 16th, 2012 by Mark D. Roberts
My colleagues at TheHighCalling.org have produced a striking new video. I need to hear this message. What about you?
Tags: rest, silence, The High Calling, Work
Feb 16th, 2012 by Mark D. Roberts
Sigh!
Well, every now and then I am actually startled by something on the Internet. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, USA Today featured a story called: “Sites that cater to ‘discreet’ encounters thriving.” Here’s how it starts:
Husbands and wives take note: If Valentine’s Day expectations aren’t met, your mate might soon be looking elsewhere for a little romance and appreciation.
That may sound like a cautionary tale, but for Noel Biderman and others who have founded dating websites for married people, it’s a lucrative business.
“The day after Valentine’s Day is one of our biggest days of the year,” says Biderman, founder and CEO of Ashley Madison, a 10-year-old site that unapologetically caters to “discreet” encounters for the married or otherwise attached. “People are disappointed by their spouses’ lack of effort, and they feel especially undervalued when there is a societal expectation of romance. Certain days of the year act as litmus tests for many people in relationships.”
In the classic words of the Church Lady, “Isn’t that special!”
Just to make your day, I thought I’d include a few more quotations from the article:
“People are going to cheat regardless of whether Ashley Madison is there or not,” says sociologist Diane Kholos Wysocki of the University of Nebraska-Kearney, who has surveyed the site’s members for her latest research. “There’s a bigger social issue going on — people aren’t taking care of their marriages.”
“American people are really hypocrites about infidelity,” says Teddy Truchot, co-founder of Gleeden, which launched in Europe in 2009, moved into Australia and entered the U.S. market last fall. . . . Everything from the U.S. which comes to Europe is about infidelity,” says Truchot, 29, who moved to Los Angeles two years ago from Paris. “You see cheating all over TV and in real life. … Everyone is cheating here.”
[T]he experts acknowledge that it is easier to have a liaison today. They say that when celebrities and politicians are repeatedly caught cheating — even on their stunning spouses — it begins to normalize the behavior. Also, business travel and telecommuting sometimes make the logistics of an affair less unwieldy. And the Internet and personal devices mean there can be direct communication with a paramour (or check-in with a spouse) anytime.
Ashley Madison yesterday marked its 10th anniversary. Ever since Biderman, 40, of Toronto founded the site (slogan: “Life is short. Have an affair.”) he has been blamed for promoting infidelity. But he says he’s saving marriages — he calls an affair a “marriage preservation device” that his website facilitates.
Biderman says it took five years to get the first 1 million anonymous members, but the total who have ever registered and created a free profile is 12.6 million. Currently, just over 2.3 million are registered and considered active by logging in or taking an action within the past 30 days (97% who log in take an action, he says). Members pay to communicate, $49 for 100 credits. Credits are used to send an e-mail, to chat in real time, or to send a virtual “gift,” such as a rose, necklace or Champagne bottle, Biderman says.
Top 10 U.S. cities that use Ashley Madison:
1. Washington, D.C.
2. San Antonio, Texas
3. Phoenix
4. Salt Lake City
5. Oklahoma City, Okla.
6. Pittsburgh
7. Boston
8. Chicago
9. Dallas
10. Orlando, Fla.
Note: Ashley Madison membership as a percentage of city population.
[MDR- A couple of surprises there: Salt Lake City in #4? San Antonio, Texas, where I live, #2?]
I find all of this deeply unsettling. It reveals something profoundly sad about our broken culture.
The USA Today story did not let the claims of the promoters of web-based adultery go unchallenged, I’m glad to say. A couple of academic experts weighed in:
Researcher John Gottman, an emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Washington in Seattle, calls sites such as Biderman’s “destructive.”
“I don’t think he’s saving marriages at all. I think he’s ruining marriages,” Gottman says.
Sex educator Logan Levkoff of New York, author of How to Get Your Wife to Have Sex With You, agrees. “This deliberate betrayal is so disrespectful,” she says. “It’s the easy way out instead of doing the tough work to repair what’s making you unhappy in your sex life, in your relationship.
“This idea that you can sneak around and still have this wonderful life is really problematic. Where is the personal accountability? Where is the respect for your relationship? Not every couple is meant to stay together, but ideally, you exit a relationship with the same respect as you entered into one.”
All of this leaves me with many questions:
How can we help married couples grow into a deeper love and commitment?
How can we help young people growing up in this culture understand what commitment in marriage is really all about?
What will help people live moral and fruitful lives when they are able to live so much of the time in secret?
How can I nurture my marriage, so that my wife and I will flourish and grow into deeper love for each other?
Actually, I know part of the answer to that last question. I need to stop blogging and get home for dinner.
Tags: adultery, Ashley Madison, infidelity
Feb 15th, 2012 by Mark D. Roberts
Part 2 of series:
How Lent Can Make A Difference in Your Relationship with God
I grew up hearing about Catholics who had to fast during the season of Lent. No meat on Fridays, only fish. This, you must understand, was a costly sacrifice in the cafeteria of Glenoaks Elementary School! The fact that my Catholic friends had to give up decent food in Lent always seemed to me to be one more good reason to be a Protestant. (Photo: I expect that the Lent Promo at the Luby’s in Kerrville, Texas was much better than my elementary school’s cafeteria rations. Unfortunately, the Lent Promo didn’t keep this Luby’s from closing.)
But, in the past fifteen years or so, I’ve sometimes decided to join my Catholic sisters and brothers in giving up something during Lent. This means, depending on how you count the days of Lent, fasting from something for about six weeks. (Officially in the Western world, Lent comprises the days from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. But many traditions do not count the Sundays during this period as belonging to Lent. Thus, Lent covers 46 days, but only 40 days belong to the Lenten fast.)
People in my theological tradition (the Reformed tradition, pioneered by John Calvin) tend not to emphasize Lenten fasting. Partly this had to do with the conscious rejection of Roman Catholic practices that were not clearly based on Scripture. Lent is neither taught nor prohibited in the Bible. One can be a faithful, biblical Christian and never recognize Lent. So, in days gone by, many Reformed folk and other Protestants who wanted to make the season before Easter special in some way, chose instead to add a spiritual discipline to their lives as a way of preparing for Easter. It’s quite common today for churches that don’t have midweek Bible studies, for example, to offer a Lenten Wednesday Evening Study or something like this. Special Lenten spiritual retreats are also increasingly common in Protestant circles.
But fasting still plays a prominent role in Lenten practices of many Christians across the denominational and theological spectrum. Throughout church history there have been different kinds of Lenten fasts. Nobody, to my knowledge, expected anyone to give up all food for the whole season. In the Middle Ages, it was common for Christians to give up certain sorts of food, like meat and/or dairy products. This explains why, in my youth, Catholics abstained from meat on the Fridays of Lent. Many Catholics still observe this discipline today. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lenten fast is taken even more seriously than in the Roman Catholic church, with many Orthodox folk eating vegetarian meals during the season.
In recent years, I have often given up something in Lent, perhaps eating chocolate or watching television. The latter was particularly hard because I enjoy college basketball, and March Madness (the NCAA bastketball tournament) always falls in the middle of Lent. This year, I will give up something I enjoy. I’ve will also adopt an additional daily spiritual discipline. It don’t think it would be appropriate for me to speak in detail about what I’m doing at this time. But I would like to share some reflections on what I’ve been learning through my version of a Lenten fast.
First, giving up something allows me to make a tangible sacrifice to the Lord. Although certain sacrifices are already present in my life, they’re sort of “built in” at this point. I don’t often experience giving up something for God on a daily basis. The act of sacrifice reminds me of my commitment to God and my desire to make him first in my life. Let me add that my sacrifice in no way earns my salvation. This was completely earned by the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. My small sacrifice is a way of expressing my gratitude and devotion to my Savior.
Second, by giving up something I usually enjoy on a daily basis, I have sometimes found myself yearning for that thing. Frankly, I’ve been tempted to give up my Lenten fast at times. I could easily argue that it’s unnecessary (it is optional, after all) and certainly not required in Scripture. But, though I don’t think my effort at fasting makes God love or bless me more, I do think it raises my awareness of how much I depend on other things in life rather than the Lord. I see how easy it is for me to set up all sorts of little idols in my life. Fasting, in some way, helps me surrender my idols to God.
Third, when I give up something I like and then feel an unquenched desire for it, I’m reminded of my neediness as a person. And neediness, I believe, is at the heart of true spirituality. Jesus said:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. . . .
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:3, 6
Of course, feeling hungry for one of life’s pleasures isn’t quite the same as hungering and thirsting for righteousness. But, when I feel my hunger, when I sense my neediness for some other thing, I can use this to get in touch with my hunger and need for God.
Fourth, as I continue with my Lenten fast, I find myself less eager for the thing I’ve given up. Ironically, this makes my fast easier. It’s almost something I can take for granted, thus dulling the spiritual impact of the fast. But I’m also gratified to know that one of my little “idols” is being set aside in my heart, as I learn to depend more upon God. I’m experiencing a bit of freedom that makes me gladly thankful for God’s grace at work in me.
Instead of or in addition to fasting during Lent, you might add a spiritual exercise or discipline to your life. If your church sponsors a Lenten Bible study, you might choose to join this study. Or you may want to participate in some act of kindness, such as feeding people at a homeless shelter.
I like to add something that I can do every day. It needs to be realistic, given my nature and patterns of life. So, for example, it would be a bad idea if I decided to get up at 5:00 a.m. to pray for an hour each day of Lent. This would stretch me so far that I’d surely fail. But I could take on additional Bible reading. Some years I’ve read one chapter of a gospel each day of Lent, taking it in slowly and meditating upon it. Other years I’ve used a Lenten devotional to focus my thought.
If you have no idea what to do during Lent, let me suggest the following. Set aside some time of quiet to ask the Lord what he wants you to do. See if the Spirit of God guides you to something. If nothing comes to mind, I’d recommend that you read a chapter of a gospel each day. If you start with Mark, you’ll have time to read all of Mark plus all of one other gospel during Lent.
Perhaps some of my readers would like to suggest Lenten disciplines that they have tried in the past, and how they have experienced God’s grace through these exercises.
So, as we enter the season of Lent, I am grateful for the saints who have gone before me, some of whom discovered the blessings of giving up something in Lent, while others grew in their faith by adding a Lenten discipline. No matter what you do during this Lenten season, I pray that God will draw you closer to him, and prepare you for a fresh experience of Good Friday and Easter. May God’s peace be with you!
Feb 14th, 2012 by Mark D. Roberts
I thought I’d share with you my Daily Reflection from the High Calling.
“If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them!”
Today is St. Valentine’s Day, a day in popular culture set apart for celebrations of romantic love. So it seems only appropriate for me to offer one further reflection on Luke 6:27-36, a passage that focuses on love.
The origins of this holiday are somewhat obscure. Several men named “Valentine” (Valentinus) were recognized as martyred saints by the church. One of these was buried near Rome on February 14. Medieval tradition held that this particular Valentine, a priest, was marrying Christian couples in a time when the Roman emperor prohibited young men from marrying. For this crime, he was arrested and killed by the Roman government. In recent times, an addition to this story claims that Valentine, before his death, sent a love note to a young girl whom he loved, signing it, “From your Valentine.”
Unfortunately, there is little reason to believe that any of the historical saints named Valentine actually did any of these actions that might be associated with romantic love. Apparently, the connection between St. Valentine and romance was popularized by Geoffrey Chaucer, the 14th-century English writer and poet. Later, writers on the saints embellished Chaucer’s story, leaving us with the Christian saint who honored marriage and sent the first Valentine’s Day card.
Batman valentine from 1965. I would have loved this one.
I grew up hearing very little about St. Valentine. February 14 was simply a day when we did special things to express affection for our friends and family members. The “big event” happened at school, when we would exchange valentines with our classmates. As soon as I got home after school, I’d dump out my pile of valentines to see if any of them included special notes from the girls in my class or those Sweetheart candies with little messages on them. (Honestly, I was happier with the candy than the notes.)
At this point, you may be wondering what any of this has to do with Jesus’ call to love. Our Valentine’s Day traditions seem to be completely disconnected from what we read in Luke 6:32: “If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them.”
Yet, in a way, my boyhood Valentine’s Day practice did express love like that of Jesus. You see, I did not give valentines only to my friends or to the girls I hoped would like me in a special way. Rather, my fellow students and I were expected to give valentines to every person in the class, including those whom we didn’t care for, those whom we judged to be “weird,” and those we might have considered to be our “enemies” on the playground. We even gave cards to the kids who did not reciprocate. Ironically, our valentine exchange was more a reflection of the kind of love Jesus commends in Luke 6 than it was a celebration of exclusive, romantic love.
I think it’s fine to be reminded to express love to those who are most special to us. If Valentine’s Day encourages spouses to say “I love you” to each other and friends to commemorate their friendship, that’s great. Goodness knows, the world would be a better place if people expressed their love more often. But Jesus encourages us to love, not just those who love us back, but also those who do not reciprocate. All of us have such people in our lives, at work, in the local store, perhaps even in our families or our church. Our calling, as followers of Jesus, is to love them and do good to them, not in order that they might respond, but so that we might live each day as beloved, faithful children of our Heavenly Father.
QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: What childhood memories do you have of Valentine’s Day? How might you love the people in your life who do not reciprocate?
PRAYER: Dear Lord, on this day when we celebrate romantic love, I thank you for this gift. It does indeed enrich our lives. Yet you call us to so much more than what romantic love entails. You call us to love, not just our friends, but also our enemies. You challenge us to love those who do not return our love.
Help me, Lord, to express my love for those who are closest to me: my wife, my children, my family and friends. But, even more, I ask that you help me to love as you loved, to broadcast your love even and especially to those who cannot or will not reciprocate. Teach me to love even those I don’t like, the people I’d rather avoid. May I love as you love, Lord. I pray in your name, Amen.
Laity Lodge is an invigorating retreat center in the Hill Country of Texas outside of San Antonio. We feature a wide array of some of the finest thought leaders and musicians. For more information, visit the Laity Lodge website.
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Is There a Necessary Contradition Between Sports and Faith?
Feb 20th, 2012 by Mark D. Roberts
Is there a necessary and unavoidable contradiction between sports and faith? David Brooks, one of my favorite cultural commentators, says “Yes!” In his recent New York Times op-ed, “The Jeremy Lin Problem,” Brooks asserts that “The moral ethos of sport is in tension with the moral ethos of faith, whether Jewish, Christian or Muslim.” In fact, the moral ethos of sports “violates the religious ethos on many levels.”
Jeremy Lin, shooting against the Lakers.
The extraordinary success Jeremy Lin, the New York Knicks’ phenom, is what gets Brooks going. He believes that Lin, a committed Christian, is living in what Brooks calls “a creative contradiction” between his profession and his profession of faith.
Here’s Brooks’ argument in his own words, in a nutshell:
The moral universe of modern sport is oriented around victory and supremacy. The sports hero tries to perform great deeds in order to win glory and fame. . . . He is assertive, proud and intimidating. He makes himself the center of attention when the game is on the line. His identity is built around his prowess.
But there’s no use denying — though many do deny it — that this ethos violates the religious ethos on many levels. The religious ethos is about redemption, self-abnegation and surrender to God.
[Therefore,] the two moral universes are not reconcilable.
Brooks explains further:
Ascent in the sports universe is a straight shot. You set your goal, and you climb toward greatness. But ascent in the religious universe often proceeds by a series of inversions: You have to be willing to lose yourself in order to find yourself; to gain everything you have to be willing to give up everything; the last shall be first; it’s not about you.
Thus, he concludes his column:
Jeremy Lin is now living this creative contradiction. Much of the anger that arises when religion mixes with sport or with politics comes from people who want to deny that this contradiction exists and who want to live in a world in which there is only one morality, one set of qualities and where everything is easy, untragic and clean. Life and religion are more complicated than that.
So, is David Brooks right? Are sports and religion ultimately and essentially incompatible? Is Jeremy Lin, and others like him, most notably Tim Tebow, walking contradictions?
I don’t think Brooks is completely right, though his point is a good one. The ethos of much of sports is about winning, strutting, self-promotion, and individual glory. It’s about being first, not last (Heaven help us, not last!). This ethos does not mesh with that of most religions, including Christianity, in particular. Jesus said things like:
“So those who are last will be first. And those who are first will be last.” (Matthew 20:16)
“Whoever wants to be first among you will be your slave.” (Matthew 20:27)
“All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross, and follow me. All who want to save their lives will lose them. But all who lose their lives because of me will find them.” (Matthew 16:24-25)
“You have heard that it was said, You must love your neighborp and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you.” (Matthew 5:43-44)
Chances are you won’t hear a coach, even a Christian coach, saying things like this to a team before the big game.
So, there is clearly a tension between much of what is valued in sports today and the humility and self-denial that is essential to Christianity and other religious traditions. To deny this tension is to ignore the obvious.
In fact, Jeremy Lin himself acknowledged this tension in an interview with Timothy Dalrymple of Patheos. (I was pleased to see Patheos mentioned in Brooks’ column, when he quoted Lin.) Here’s an excerpt:
Dalrymple: How does your faith shape the way you behave on the court? Are you a different basketball player because you are a Christian?
Lin: Not just in basketball, but I think in life, when you’re called to be a Christian, you’re automatically called to be different from everyone else. In today’s world of basketball, it makes you really different, because the things that society values aren’t necessarily in line with what God values.
Much of it comes down to humility. We as Christians are called to be humble. And if we really understand the gospel, we will be humble. We should be humble, and understand that everything that is good comes from God.
We are also called to turn the other cheek and love our enemies. There are times on the basketball court when people will say things to you, and you just have to bite your tongue and love them. It’s almost as though you have to love then even more, and that love means more if they’re wronged you.
Society focuses so much on individual stats and wins and losses. To a certain extent, you can control those things. But to play for God means to leave the records and the statistics up to Him and give your best effort and allow God to figure out whether you win or lose, whether you play or shoot the ball well that game. So I just try to make sure that I work hard and in a godly way. I prepare myself as well as I can, and at every point during the game I try to submit myself to God and let Him use me.
Lin seeks to play basketball in a way that reflects a different set of values from those that dominate the NBA. He wants to play with humility, to turn the other cheek on the court. He believes he can play basketball “in a godly way.”
Is Lin following himself? Is he naive about the moral ethos of pro basketball? Or it is possible to play professional sports in a way that reflects the ethos of faith?
What do you think? I’d be interest in your comments. I’ll have more to say about this soon.
Tags: David Brooks, Faith, Jeremy Lin, sports
Posted in Cultural Commentary, Sports | 8 Comments »