Friendly Fire

 There is a mindset that says we must win, maybe it’s an American thing. It is definitely an American Christian thing. And it is for sure an American Christian School thing. After coaching boy’s basketball in a small Christian school for four years I walked away. I had to. I could no longer reconcile what I believe with the culture of the school. Maybe it was just our school, but I doubt it based on how other programs displayed themselves. There were some good ones, who hadn’t let the “win at all cost” mindset take hold. But there were also some bad ones, ours included. 

We told ourselves we were better than those other bad schools: we didn’t openly cheat; we didn’t swear (at least loud enough to be heard off the court); we didn’t get caught playing ineligible players. We could prove it by the run of championships for both the boys and girls, and the trophies that line the office  

What we did might be more insidious. We played favorites; we had open nepotism; we marginalized and humiliated the weak, our players, other teams, it didn’t matter, they were weaker; we intentionally crushed our opponents when we could, taking away any shred of dignity; and we did it all under the pretense of healthy competition.  The school did it. The Athletic Director did it. the coaches did it. We did it.  I did it. I couldn’t change it so I left  

 In this competition culture we drown out the humanity of others with competition. We say it’s the “spirit of the game”. We forget they are image bearers of God when they put on a different color uniform or we break out a scorecard. We say things like “it would be disrespectful to take it easy on them” to justify our desire to dominate. We say our Christian Winners Creed and pray just before we humiliate our opponents, while elevating ourselves. It isn’t hypocrisy, there is no mask of false behavior. It is the true character on display.

 It is pride. It is pride that tells us to run up the score, it is pride that says it is “healthy”, it is pride that says it is the “spirit of competition”, it is with pride that we show off our trophies, it is pride. And God hates the proud. 

We should be ashamed. The school should be ashamed. The Athletic Director should be ashamed. the coaches should be ashamed. We should be ashamed. I was ashamed, so I left. 

Winning is losing

 I had a conversation with a new friend about his passion for golf and his aging father. He described how he beats his father every time they play and he wants his father to start using the closer tees as he can’t hit the ball s far anymore. What he thinks he is doing is giving his father an advantage to make it more competitive. What he is really doing is emasculating his father, albeit unintentionally. 

His desire to compete and win has drown out the desire to just be with his father. 

 My new friend will have plenty of opportunity to compete, but his time with his father is rapidly coming to an end. When that end comes,  he will miss being with his father on a golf course, way more that he will miss the thrill of victory when he wins. 

When justice and mercy collide

In itself the trial, beating, and execution of Jesus was a gross injustice. A truly innocent man was found innocent by the court, yet he was beaten and then killed. 

It is only when the crimes of all humanity, of you and I, are placed upon Him does it become an act of justice. It is by far the greater act of justice in all of human history. One man, held accountable and executed, for the whole of humanity, for each one of us, for me, so that we may live. The execution of Jesus is where justice, mercy, and grace collided, changing everything.