Christians believe that if you have a special talent then you should use it in a way that’s honoring to God. With the recent rise in popularity of sports (majorly due to increased media coverage), Christian athletes are beginning to embrace this calling more and more. With this increased media coverage, athletes have been elevated to celebrity status to many Americans, with their names being common knowledge in many households. Because of this, Christian athletes wanted to use this fame as a witnessing tool. FCA was created for this purpose. As the video on FCA history stated, “we created new heroes influenced by what they thought, by what they said, and by the way they lived their lives.”
One potential problem with using sports as a witnessing tool is that they tend to pick and choose which verses they want to emphasize. For those witnessing through wrestling and mixed martial arts, one of their key verses is Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” However they fail to mention verses such as Matthew 7:12, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” because it wouldn’t mesh well with their ministries.
In my opinion, overall, I think that sports have a great potential to be used as a witnessing tool. If Christian athletes exhibit qualities such as sportsmanship and endurance in their playing, it is an excellent way for them to witness to the millions of fans. However, there is a lot of pressure placed on Christian athletes to constantly maintain their Christ-like appearance and attitude. If athletes advertise themselves for Christianity then get caught in a scandal, not only are people likely to develop a negative opinion of that person, but also of Christianity as a whole. In Wrestling for Jesus, Timothy chooses to use his wrestling as a witnessing tool. However, through faults in the organization and his personal life, many are turned away from WFJ. The depth of his commitment to Christianity can also be questioned when his life takes a turn for the worse and he gives up on WFJ altogether. This leads me to question if Timothy (and possibly other athletes) say they are doing something for Jesus because it gains popularity that they may not have otherwise received. Additionally, this can be called into question when Matt Cruz receives the “most Christ-like” trophy and is unable to define what that means. Therefore, athletes should take great caution and realize the tremendous responsibility resting on them when they choose to publically represent and advertise Christianity to such a vast audience.
One potential problem with using sports as a witnessing tool is that they tend to pick and choose which verses they want to emphasize. For those witnessing through wrestling and mixed martial arts, one of their key verses is Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” However they fail to mention verses such as Matthew 7:12, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” because it wouldn’t mesh well with their ministries.
In my opinion, overall, I think that sports have a great potential to be used as a witnessing tool. If Christian athletes exhibit qualities such as sportsmanship and endurance in their playing, it is an excellent way for them to witness to the millions of fans. However, there is a lot of pressure placed on Christian athletes to constantly maintain their Christ-like appearance and attitude. If athletes advertise themselves for Christianity then get caught in a scandal, not only are people likely to develop a negative opinion of that person, but also of Christianity as a whole. In Wrestling for Jesus, Timothy chooses to use his wrestling as a witnessing tool. However, through faults in the organization and his personal life, many are turned away from WFJ. The depth of his commitment to Christianity can also be questioned when his life takes a turn for the worse and he gives up on WFJ altogether. This leads me to question if Timothy (and possibly other athletes) say they are doing something for Jesus because it gains popularity that they may not have otherwise received. Additionally, this can be called into question when Matt Cruz receives the “most Christ-like” trophy and is unable to define what that means. Therefore, athletes should take great caution and realize the tremendous responsibility resting on them when they choose to publically represent and advertise Christianity to such a vast audience.
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