A Reformation in sports among Christians

One of the destructive implications of "two-kingdoms"/gnostic Christianity, which separates life into the sacred and the secular, is that Christians oftentimes do not watch and play sports distinctively as Christians. Part of the Reformation needed regarding Christianity in America must deal with our attitudes and actions surrounding the sporting world. C.J. Mahaney, a sports fan and pastor, produced one of the most important resources on this topic in the history of the church (sermon, book). All Christians would do well to drill this content into their heads, hearts, and hands, and teach their children to do the same...for Christ's glory, our joy, and the advancement of his beautiful kingdom. Here are some golden quotes:

"When I perceive what God has done for me through the death of his son on the cross for my sins, I am less vulnerable to thinking highly of myself when I walk onto the field of play. I will esteem my teammates and even my opponents as more important than myself...this knowledge of God and the knowledge of myself in relation to God has a wonderful purifying effect on my soul. This knowledge of God prepares me and positions me to glorify God and not myself as I play sports."

"If your understanding of sports has been informed by culture and not Scripture then the development and expression of athletic skill will be more important to you than the development and display of Godly character. If your understanding of sports has been informed by culture and not Scripture then winning will be more important to you than the development and display of Godly character....if your understanding of sports has been informed by culture and not Scripture, then sports will become an ugly means of self-glorification rather than a beautiful means of glorifying God through displaying Godly character. The accent and emphasis in Scripture is clearly on Godly character and not athletic ability, personal statistics, or ultimately who wins. Therefore, this accent and emphasis must be our priority as we participate in sports and train our children to participate in sports."

"Fathers and mothers, it is our privilege and responsibility to teach and prepare our children with biblical priorities prior to a game, prior to practice, and after the game to review and celebrate evidences of godliness more than we celebrate displays of athletic skill...we must transfer biblical priorities to our children as they play sports."