“What the heart loves, the will chooses and the mind justifies.”

“What the heart loves, the will chooses and the mind justifies.”
Part 4 – Racism in Sport.

“It’s not fair to the sport to hire under-qualified coaches.” “We are keeping undesirable influences out of our game.” “We are the guardians of the purity of our sport.” “I am protecting the game from outsiders.” These and similar words are often used to justify racist attitudes and bigoted actions among those who occupy the seats of power in the world of sport. The mind justifies.

Racism becomes institutionalized when leaders in the sports world build structures which separate people by race, culture or ethnic origin. A quick study of Baseball in the first half of the twentieth century will reveal such racist attitudes and actions. Similarly racist attitudes surface in college sport when players are only recruited from certain communities, schools and areas of the country in the guise of institutional control. Racism sometimes appears in the hiring practices of coaching staffs. The coaches are all hired from one’s “good old boy network.” It can be seen when a program favors certain cultural expressions while shunning others under the pretense of propriety. It even becomes evident among teammates when the team fragments into cliques based on ethnicity, culture and race. The will chooses.

Just under the surface of these obvious choices lies a heart which loves power and privilege. Power to control the behavior of everyone in the program and the reservation of privilege for those with whom the powerful are most comfortable. Racism is often fueled by ignorance and insecurity, but its heart beats to the rhythm of power and privilege. The heart loves.

The apostle Peter encountered some racist attitudes in Acts chapter 11 after he had dealt with his own in chapter 10. 1"The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3and said, "You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them." (Acts 11:1-2) For his whole lifetime Peter had seen Gentiles as unclean, but now he was confronted by God’s call to treat them as brothers in Christ. The process was revolutionary and difficult for him and certainly for the predominantly Jewish early Church. Later, he is confronted by the apostle Paul over these same matters in Galatia. 17So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?" (Acts 11:17) Thankfully, for Gentiles like me, Peter’s heart loved Christ Jesus even more than his position of power and privilege as a Jew, he chose to receive the Gentile believers as brothers and his mind justified his choice in verse 17.

A Biblical principle which can shape our hearts and illuminate our minds is found in Colossians chapter 3 and verses 9-11. 9"Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all." We whose hearts have been renewed through relationship with Christ have now the obligation to properly relate to all people in sport, to organize it, to recruit and to hire within it without regard to power or privilege, with a heart which respects the differences in cultures, ethnicities and races, and sees the dignity of each one created in the image of God.

We who claim to know Christ must take the lead in the sports world in working to overcome racism among individuals as well as the more powerful, institutional sort. Our first initiative must be to search our own hearts for the remnants of bigotry, hatred and distrust born of a heart which lusts for power and privilege. We must examine our own hiring and recruiting practices and bring them fully into the light of Truth. Let’s commit ourselves to this principle: 11"Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all." (Colossians 3:11)

“What the heart loves, the will chooses and the mind justifies.”

Part 3 – A Christian look at the “Win at all costs” ethic in sport.

“Second place is the first loser.” “I have to win because there are no post-game interviews for second place.” “There will be no opportunity for proclamation of the gospel if I’m not the winner.” “The Lord wants me to be a winner.” “The Lord had His hand in this win.” “It’s the Lord’s will for us to be champions.” “Christians should be the head and not the tail.” I’m sure we’ve all heard such language from the mouths of Christian competitors in the past. Some of us may have even uttered such. Sadly, I’m also sure such statements have been made by Christians who have skirted the rules, have competed unethically or have otherwise chosen to pursue the win above any other consideration, even above obvious Christian ethical standards. The mind justifies.

If one adopts the “win at all costs” ethic for his or her life in sport he will cheat on tactics e.g. doctoring the ball in baseball or using illegal equipment. He will cheat in recruiting players by academic fraud and granting recruits sexual favors from beautiful coeds or making gifts to coaches, parents or would be agents for players. She will cheat in training by using performance enhancing drugs or by illicitly videotaping her opponent’s practices prior to a big game. He will cheat in competition by using his foot to improve the lie for his golf ball, by seeking an unfair advantage over his opponent or maliciously trying to injure an opposing player. Others with this ethic will choose to not compete at all. “If I can’t win, I won’t play.” The obvious dilemma here is that if you don’t play, you can’t win. This leads surely to bitterness and envy toward those who do win. This is the ethic of Machiavelli, not Jesus. This is born of a philosophy which espouses, “The end justifies the means.” Jesus’ ethic states that, “he who would be first among you must be the slave of all.” Mark 10:44 The one who wins at all costs loves being first and his behavior and attitudes reveal his heart’s pride. The will chooses.

We see a biblical example of the “win at all costs” ethic in III John 9-11 where John writes, “I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say.
For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church.
Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.”
Diotrephes loved to be first among those in the Church and he chose any behavior which would further his pursuit of his goal. His pride led to behavior which Paul describes as evil in verse 11 and it led Paul to even question his relationship with Christ.

A scripture with direct application to Christian sportsmen and sportswomen is found in I Corinthians 9:24-27, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

The Apostle Paul states that one should “Run in such a way that you may win,” but this statement does not stand alone. It is qualified by the following statement, “Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things.” He also adds the proviso, “Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” For the Christian competitor, our competitive drive to win must be constrained by self-discipline and an even stronger desire to honor Christ. How great a disappointment it would be to finish first, but to be fettered with the knowledge, private or public, that we had gained an unfair advantage over our opponents by cheating and even being disqualified. Our heart’s deep desire to be first could even discredit our public witness for Jesus if we’re found with conflicting ethics. The heart loves.

Let’s be the ones who deal with the ethical dissonance among Christian competitors. Let’s boldly proclaim that Christ’s way of self-control keeps one’s competitive drive in check and enables each one who competes to experience sport at its best. Sport devolves into brutality and becomes the province of thugs if it is absent of any ethic other than “win at all costs.” Let’s be salt and light in the world of sport. Let’s transform its taste and enlighten the process with the presence of Christ Jesus.

“What the heart loves, the will chooses and the mind justifies.” This statement was spoken by my friend and colleague in sports chaplaincy, John Ashley Null, in summary of the 16th century Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer's writings. Dr. Null has been translating Cranmer’s work from Medieval Latin shorthand into contemporary English.

“What the heart loves, the will chooses and the mind justifies.”

“What the heart loves, the will chooses and the mind justifies.”

Part 2 - How do Christian competitors justify their use of performance enhancing drugs?

“I admit that I used this substance as a part of the recovery and rehab process.” “I felt that I owed it to my team to get back to the court as quickly as I could.” “I was desperate to get back onto the field so I could contribute to my team.” “I did not want to let my teammates down by not being ready to play.” These are common expressions by competitors who have been exposed as using substances like steroids, human growth hormone, diuretics and other substances which are banned by their sports leagues. Some are illegal substances as well. They try to justify their use by cloaking it in language which seems almost noble. The mind justifies.

Further justification is reasoned among Christian competitors, even if not expressed in public. “I needed to recover my platform as a high profile athlete so I could proclaim the Gospel. While I was hurt and off the pitch, no one wanted to hear what I had to say. To rehab more quickly restored my platform for sharing Christ with people.” What could be wrong with that?

To rehab and recover naturally is certainly slower and delays one’s return to the field of competition. To take the needle or pill will speed up the process, will restore the player’s place on the team and his or her profile in the community. It is also expressly forbidden by the rules of the sport and often by the laws of the land. Thus the dilemma. What then will one choose? The will chooses, wisely or foolishly.

Muddying the waters for the will’s choosing are a number of factors with immense power and these often reveal what the heart loves. For professional competitors, there are often millions of dollars, pounds or euros at stake. A new contract and resulting financial security could hang in the balance with the speed of recovery. One’s public profile, endorsement deals and such are also in jeapordy with a slow recovery. Sometimes one even sees his or her opportunities to proclaim the Gospel as being in jeapordy if they’re delayed in returning to competition.

A similar situation is found in I Samuel 15:9-14 when King Saul has his heart’s affections exposed by a greedy choice and we hear his lame justification.
9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.
10 Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: 11 "I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions." Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the LORD all that night.
12 Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, "Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal."
13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, "The LORD bless you! I have carried out the LORD's instructions."
14 But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?"
15 Saul answered, "The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest."
Saul loved him some Saul, he chose to greedily keep the best sheep and cattle, the spoils of war, for himself and tried to justify his actions by blaming his soldiers and concocting a story about making a sacrifice. The depth of Saul’s pride is revealed in verse 12 where it says he set up a monument in his own honor.

The central principle of this passage and the Christian competitor’s relationship with performance enhancing drugs is in verse 22 of the same chapter.
22 But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD ? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
To obey is better than sacrifice. To make a God-honoring choice by not using PEDs is better than sacrificing one’s reputation when caught by a random drug test. To honor Christ by obeying the rules of sport related to doping is better than any amount of conscience salving money given to a sports ministry. To do the right thing and to be delayed in the return to competition, or to not return at all, is better than the shame experienced in a tearful admission of guilt, thanksgiving for God’s forgiveness and pledges to do better, at a press conference and the resulting sympathy expressed by the fawning, foolish sports media.

Let’s commit our hearts to trusting Christ with our recovery from injury more than we trust the chemist. Let’s choose to honor God with our approach to strength, speed and endurance and forego the shortcuts offered by the pharmacist or the dealer at the gym. Let’s keep our hearts pure by loving God, choosing wisely and thus finding justification of our actions much easier.

“What the heart loves, the will chooses and the mind justifies.” This statement was spoken by my friend and colleague in sports chaplaincy, John Ashley Null, in summary of the 16th century Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer's writings. Dr. Null has been translating Cranmer’s work from Medieval Latin shorthand into contemporary English.

“What the heart loves, the will chooses and the mind justifies.”

“What the heart loves, the will chooses and the mind justifies.” From the moment I heard that statement in April of 2007, it has served as a glaring spotlight into the deepest recesses of my soul. It was spoken by my friend and colleague in sports chaplaincy, John Ashley Null, in summary of the 16th century Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer's writings. Ashley has been translating Cranmer’s work from Medieval Latin shorthand into contemporary English.

This statement has helped me analyze and evaluate my heart’s affections, wise and foolish. It has encouraged me when I have wisely chosen actions and attitudes which are reflective of a pure heart and loving motives. It has also served as the Lord’s piercing arrow of conviction when my behavior has been driven by a heart sullied by selfishness and folly.

We in the Evangelical Sports Ministry community have been woefully silent about many issues which shape the world of sport. Let’s purpose together to lovingly embrace the world of sport and to thereby transform it by living out the truth of Scripture in our daily activities, relationships and decision making in that world. It is far too easy to stand outside sport and to be critical of its ethics. It is too convenient for us to stand beside sport and to toss Christian clichés at it. It is too antiseptic for us to dabble in the culture of sport and to somehow pretend that if we deny what we see, that we’re not responsible for it. It requires little thought and less personal introspection to pretend that we have fulfilled our mission by using the world of sport as a platform for a slick presentation of a Gospel message while we close our eyes to the practices and values of the sports world and don’t even attempt to be agents of godly reformation within it.

Over the next several weeks, I’ll use Dr. Null’s statement as a microscope with which to examine some of the issues in the sports world and I will attempt to bring a Christ-honoring perspective to these issues. I would welcome your comments, questions or additions to the list of issues to be addressed. I will not presume to have the definitive answer to any of the issues, but I will be pleased to begin the discussion. We have been silent and benign for too long. We will certainly also apply scripture to this discussion because of its enduring, penetrating power to discern our hearts’ intentions and attitudes. “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

The issues to be discussed include:
· Performance enhancing drugs – how some Christian athletes justify their use.
· Integrity re: contractual obligations – who is obligated by the contract?
· Respect for opponents, game officials and others in sport – how to restore it in the era of trash talk?
· Racism in sport – how shall the Community of Christ address this issue?
· Pride and its effects upon sport culture – where has humility hidden itself?
· The “win at all costs” sports ethic – how do we counter this with Christ-honoring values?
· Abuse of players – how do we respond when we encounter the abuse of players?
· Class division in sport – who are the elite and how do they take advantage of others?
· Cheating in sport – is it only cheating when you get caught?


More on John Ashley Null - Dr. Null, an orthodox, Protestant Anglican and adherent of historic, Reformational Theology, is canon theologian for the Episcopal Diocese of Western Kansas, visiting fellow at Cambridge, visiting research fellow at Humboldt-Universitat in Berlin, and recent recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship. He received his MDiv from Yale Divinity School and a PhD from Cambridge. As one of the world's foremost experts on Thomas Cranmer (2 July 1489 – 21 March 1556), Dr. Null is a well-known speaker and writer. He also has a long history as a chaplain to elite athletes, serving as the resident Protestant Chaplain in the Olympic Village during the Athens 2004 Games and many other major sporting events. He is also the author of Thomas Cranmer's Doctrine of Repentance — Renewing the Power to Love.

Dr. Null will be a featured speaker at the upcoming FCA Sports Chaplain Conference in Kansas City, February 22-24.

“What the heart loves, the will chooses and the mind justifies.”